Media mogul Ted Turner, the visionary behind the world’s first 24-hour news network, has died at the age of 87, according to a statement released by Turner Enterprises on Wednesday.
Turner is best known for founding CNN in 1980, a groundbreaking move that revolutionised global journalism by introducing nonstop, real-time news coverage.
“Turner’s vision changed journalism forever by making news immediate, global, and constant,” the statement from Turner Enterprises said.
Beyond CNN, Turner built a vast media empire that included Cartoon Network and Turner Classic Movies, and he also owned the Atlanta Braves baseball team, boosting its national prominence.
“He was a once-in-a-generation media pioneer whose influence touched every corner of modern broadcasting,” a former CNN executive said.
Turner was also widely recognised for his philanthropy and environmental activism. He founded the United Nations Foundation after pledging $1 billion to support UN programmes and became one of the largest private landowners in the United States.
His environmental efforts included wildlife conservation projects and educational campaigns such as the animated series Captain Planet and the Planeteers.
In 1991, Time magazine named him Man of the Year, describing his global impact on news and public awareness.
“He turned viewers into instant witnesses to history,” the magazine noted at the time.
Turner later stepped back from active business leadership after selling most of his media assets to Time Warner, though he remained closely associated with CNN, which he often called his proudest achievement.
In 2018, he revealed he had been diagnosed with Lewy body dementia and had faced declining health in recent years.
“Ted was fearless in his ideas and relentless in pursuing them,” a longtime associate said. “He believed in his instincts when few others did.”
His death marks the end of an era for global media, closing the chapter on one of broadcasting’s most influential figures.
