Ted Turner, the pioneering media entrepreneur who founded CNN, has died at the age of 87, the network confirmed on Wednesday.
CNN reported that Turner, who transformed global broadcasting with the launch of Cable News Network in 1980, had been living with Lewy body dementia.
revolutionised television news by introducing 24-hour rolling coverage, making CNN the first continuous news channel in the United States. The network gained international prominence during its coverage of the 1990–91 Gulf War.
Under Turner’s leadership, CNN expanded its global reach with live reporting from major world events including the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Tiananmen Square crackdown. Its decision to maintain coverage in Baghdad during US airstrikes on Iraq further cemented its reputation for breaking news journalism.
CNN chairman and CEO Mark Thompson, speaking in a statement, described Turner as central to the network’s legacy, saying he was “the presiding spirit of CNN”.
Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1938, Robert Edward “Ted” Turner III took over his family advertising business after personal and financial setbacks, later expanding into broadcasting after acquiring an Atlanta television station in 1970. That move laid the foundation for Turner Broadcasting System and ultimately CNN.
Turner’s media empire later included TBS, TNT, Turner Classic Movies and Cartoon Network, shaping modern cable television and inspiring global 24-hour news competitors.
