Ted Turner, the creator of CNN, in New York on October 7, 2004. PETER KRAMER/GETTY IMAGES VIA AFP
While he may not have enjoyed the lengthy careers of his imperishable rivals Rupert Murdoch and Silvio Berlusconi (1936-2023), few media figures left as indelible a mark on their industry and era as Ted Turner, who died on Wednesday, May 6, at age 87. Turner revolutionized the way news was delivered by launching Cable News Network in 1980 – better known as CNN – and ushered in the age of "real-time" news.
Among the archetypes of American business figures, Turner epitomized the impetuous heir. Born in Cincinnati on November 19, 1938, the first child of a rare Protestant-Catholic couple at the time, he spent much of his childhood in the South, which was still plagued by racial segregation. Although his father was conservative, he was nonetheless a staunch opponent of racism. Turner's best friend in his early years was the family's Black factotum.
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