World’s First 24-Hour News... CNN Founder Ted Turner Passes Away

Dementia Diagnosis... Condition Worsened by Pneumonia
"I Am More of an Adventurer Than a Businessman"
Trump Also Mourns: "My Friend"

Ted Turner, founder of CNN—the world’s first 24-hour news channel—passed away on May 6 (local time) at the age of 87. True to how he was perceived during his lifetime, his journey was closer to that of an “adventurer” than a traditional “businessman.”

Ted Turner, founder of CNN. Photo by AP Yonhap News

According to a report by CNN on May 6 (local time), Turner died peacefully that day surrounded by his family. He began suffering from dementia in 2018, and his condition reportedly deteriorated last year due to pneumonia.

Turner was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. At the young age of 24, he inherited his father’s large outdoor advertising company, Turner Outdoor Advertising, marking his entry into the media industry. Because his father died suddenly due to alcohol and drug abuse and depression, public perception of Turner was far from favorable.

Defying expectations, Turner acquired a radio station and in 1970 expanded his business by purchasing Channel 17, a television station in Atlanta. In its early years, the station mainly aired old sitcoms and movies; later, he secured broadcast rights for the Atlanta Braves baseball team to attract more viewers. Building on this success, in 1976, he transformed Channel 17 into a satellite broadcaster, launching services to cable subscribers nationwide. This became the first case of a “superstation” in cable TV, where a local station was broadcast nationwide via satellite.

On June 1, 1980, Turner launched CNN. At the time, he stressed the necessity of a 24-hour news channel, saying, “I used to work until 7 p.m., and by the time I got home, the news was already over. I was convinced there were many others like me who missed evening TV news.”

The company was not profitable from the start. For its first two years, CNN lost 2 million dollars each month. Viewer numbers hovered around 2 million, and to gain access to the White House press corps, Turner even engaged in legal battles with the Ronald Reagan administration.

The power of a 24-hour news channel became evident during the Gulf War in 1990. It was the first time a war was broadcast live, and only CNN provided such coverage. Former President George H.W. Bush, known as “Bush Senior,” famously remarked, “I learn more from CNN than from the CIA,” boosting the channel’s stature. Live coverage by correspondents, rather than scripted reports, drew American viewers to their TVs.

In 1996, Turner sold his network business to Time Warner for 7.5 billion dollars (approximately 11 trillion won). He continued to oversee the cable news business as Vice Chairman of Time Warner, but resigned in 2003 and remained active as a philanthropist until recently.

Turner’s personal life was also the subject of much attention. Known for his loud voice and sharp tongue, he earned the nickname “the Mouth of the South.” He was often in the spotlight due to three marriages and divorces, as well as numerous affairs. Although he called himself a “far-right Republican,” he was also friends with Cuban leader Fidel Castro and supported the Chinese Communist government’s repressive policies. He was criticized for not reading contracts thoroughly or listening to advice when making business deals. In an interview with The New York Times, he once described himself as “always more of an adventurer than a businessman.”

U.S. President Donald Trump expressed his condolences upon hearing of Turner’s passing, calling him “a giant in the history of broadcasting, my friend, and someone who was always there for me when I needed him.” Trump also took the opportunity to criticize the decline of CNN under new ownership.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.