May 14, 2026 2:21pm PT

Before Cable Was Cool: Ted Turner Was a Visionary Maverick and Gift to Journalists

The influential CEO who launched CNN and drove early cable programming died May 6 at age 87

Cynthia Littleton

Plus Icon

Cynthia Littleton

Business Editor

@Variety_Cynthia

Latest

Before Cable Was Cool: Ted Turner Was a Visionary Maverick and Gift to Journalists

5 hours ago

LISTEN: Upfronts 2026: What We Learned From TV’s Biggest Platforms; Crafting the Music of ‘Heated Rivalry’

7 hours ago

LISTEN: ‘Survivor’ at 50: What Makes the CBS Reality Franchise So Durable?

1 day ago

See All

BRENT HUMPHREYS

Ted Turner made his mark across media and entertainment as a trailblazing entrepreneur. Nowhere was his impact more profound than in journalism with the launch of CNN. Ted Turner was also nothing short of a gift to the journalists who covered his long run in the public eye.

Turner, the media mogul who died May 6 at the age of 87, was always colorful copy. The cable TV visionary launched the world’s first all-news channel on June 1, 1980, forever changing the cadence and process of newsgathering. With a flick of the switch, Turner created the 24/7 news cycle. More important, his Turner Broadcasting System had the financial fortitude to keep CNN on the air, against all odds and in the face of huge losses in its early years.