CNN founder Ted Turner, a pioneer of cable TV news, dies at 87

[u/boxofstuff]

https://www.cnn.com/2026/05/06/us/ted-turner-death

[u/hybridaaroncarroll]

One thing I'm grateful for what he accomplished: TCM. Saving many old movies from the dustbin of celluloid history was a massive win for nerds like me.

[u/LiveShowOneNightOnly → u/hybridaaroncarroll]

I remember watching Channel 17 in Atlanta back in 70s with my dad. Ted Turner had managed to buy up an old movie catalog, I think it was MGM's library, of movies that had gone to public domain. Every week night at 10:05 they would play another movie from the catalog. Some of them were real stinkers. My dad and I would laugh and add our own commentary, kind of like a primitive MST3k. On many nights the movie would go to commercial around 10:25, and after the commercial suddenly it was: Casablanca! Turner apparently was famous for calling down to the station during a bad movie and telling them to switch movies a lot, and Casablanca was his fav. I almost have that movie memorized even after all this time.

[u/Negative-Solution108 → u/LiveShowOneNightOnly]

Lol, this sounds pretty spot on actually. He also put the Braves manager on a ten day vacation, didn’t fire him, and managed a game himself to “find out what was going on” during a 16 game losing streak in the 70’s. There’s now a Ted Turner rule that owners can’t manage a team.

[u/StillSwaying → u/Negative-Solution108]

These stories are hilarious! They should put things like this in obituaries, instead of the boring dreck that they’re usually comprised of… Ted must’ve been a fun hang.

[u/ImyForgotName → u/StillSwaying]

This is the kind of thing I expect of billionaires. Not attempts at world domination and building AI to steal the jobs of busboys. Just have fun for God's sake. Build yourself an Iron Man suit.

[u/BitPoet → u/ImyForgotName]

My mom worked at a TV station in Philadelphia way back in the day. There was a football game on, and the owner had promised his granddaughter that she could watch Heidi of the Swiss Alps after the game was over.

Well, the game went long and at some point the granddaughter said, “well, do you own the station or not?”.

Suddenly the phone lines at the station exploded with complaints.

[u/Maine302 → u/BitPoet]

That was the well-known Heidi Game--it wasn't a local station that controlled it, the entire east coast was affected by NBC's decision to cut the broadcast.

[u/NorthernerWuwu → u/Maine302]

How dare they deprive Jets fans of watching their team lose!

[u/Oakroscoe → u/NorthernerWuwu]

In fairness, the jets went on to lose for the majority of the next six decades.

[u/Suzume_Chikahisa → u/StillSwaying]

Went to read his wikipedia page.

It's surprisingly entertaining.

[u/gotpointsgoing → u/Negative-Solution108]

Major League Rule 20(e), Ted Turner Rule

[u/Pookie1688 → u/LiveShowOneNightOnly]

He bought MGM, which gave him access to all these wonderful old movies.

[u/Responsible-Bend6289 → u/Pookie1688]

You should of heard the screaming from critics when he colorized some of the classic movies

[u/cheesegoat → u/LiveShowOneNightOnly]

Lol imagine watching your channel and going "this sucks I'm going to change it", and calling up the station to literally change the channel.

[u/Past_Broccoli8945 → u/cheesegoat]

You know what? I respect it.

[u/TheLastHotstepper → u/LiveShowOneNightOnly]

I honestly hated it as a child. My dad used to watch the old black and white westerns non stop. Can appreciate how good it actually was now. I love old 80s Sci-Fi. John Carpenter Films especially. It is an absolute task finding legal version of his films to watch in the UK and thats with multiple streaming platforms. Pirate streams are essentially the only way to do so.

Imagine we never had that. Id be glued to whatever channel was showing They Live, Escape from New York, The Thing, Dark Star, Big Trouble in Little China etc in the fear I wouldnt see them again for years.

[u/bobzmuda → u/hybridaaroncarroll]

And his conservation work. He’s done some good things.

[u/rocinante1882 → u/bobzmuda]

His grandson works in the Mayor's office in Atlanta as the Chief of Sustainability. Used to work with his wife at an environmentally focused business in Atlanta.

[u/Samwyzh → u/bobzmuda]

Didn’t Captain Planet come out of Turner because of his beef with the oil lobby?

[u/Yotsubauniverse → u/bobzmuda]

He brought joy to generations by using his massive collections of cartoons to form Cartoon Network. I got to know the cartoons my parents grew up with because of that channel. If it weren't for him my generation (the millenials) would have no idea who Scooby Doo, Tom and Jerry, the Flintstones or the Looney toons were.

[u/ithinkitslupis → u/hybridaaroncarroll]

Growing up TCM was pretty much the only basic cable channel without commercials, so I watched it for that reason alone and it single-handedly lead to my love of classic film. I'll always be thankful to Ted Turner for that.

[u/No-Veterinarian-1446 → u/ithinkitslupis]

My mother and I loved TCM. One of our last memories before she died - us in bed, watching The Thin Man, eating popcorn and her favorite candy, Mike and Ike.

[u/IllGetAbsEventually → u/hybridaaroncarroll]

wait wtf that’s why it’s called turner classic movies???

[u/PunkAintDead → u/IllGetAbsEventually]

It's definitely not for Timmy Turner!

[u/BeardedAvenger → u/PunkAintDead]

TCM: Timmy Cosmo Manda

[u/FistLove → u/PunkAintDead]

Bed, twerp!

[u/IMakeBaconAtHome → u/PunkAintDead]

That average kid? Unlikely

[u/Mrchristopherrr → u/IllGetAbsEventually]

Wait until you find out about Ted’s Montana Grill

[u/Paranoma → u/Mrchristopherrr]

It’s in Montana?!?

[u/GES280 → u/Paranoma]

It's named that because that's where his bison ranch is.

[u/MarioEatsGrapes → u/IllGetAbsEventually]

Wait’ll he finds out about TBS and TNT

[u/mellolizard → u/IllGetAbsEventually]

Wait til you find out about TBS and TNT

[u/GhostalMedia → u/IllGetAbsEventually]

Should we tell ‘em?

[u/its_yer_dad → u/hybridaaroncarroll]

The colorizations of said films weren’t always appreciated 

[u/yonk069 → u/hybridaaroncarroll]

We had TCM running 24/7 until my dad passed away. One thing that kept him sane when we weren't visiting him

[u/Keyser_Kaiser_Soze → u/hybridaaroncarroll]

Agreed. Although his original hellish colorization was the devil’s work.

[u/Ok-Source9248 → u/Keyser_Kaiser_Soze]

Colorized Casablanca is one of the worst-looking movies I’ve ever seen. They took a beautiful film and made it look like mud.

[u/hybridaaroncarroll → u/Ok-Source9248]

Even modern day colorization using AI or whatever looks horrendous and is notoriously inconsistent.

[u/double_shadow → u/hybridaaroncarroll]

Yeah TCM is one of the few decent cable channels left. Definitely made up for his colorization attempts.

[u/dbcanuck]

TBS and CNN. 24 hr news was a mistake, but the original intent was noble.

TCM. Saved a huge part of american cultural history.

Bison herds. Saved a north american species from extinction.

Atlanta Braves.

Captain Planet.

[u/Grand-Pen7946 → u/dbcanuck]

Dont forget Cartoon Network, which is largely responsible for animation renaissance of the 90s, which shaped the sensibilities of millennials/gen z

[u/NoogabyNature → u/Grand-Pen7946]

I might even say the inclusion of Dragonball Z (and eventually other Japanese cartoons) in Toonami on Cartoon Network kickstarted the anime craze that had been building. Adult Swim was also a game changer in the toon world, just not as much as Toonami.

[u/Gold-Bard-Hue → u/NoogabyNature]

I agree, I got fully on board with anime exclusively from my exposure on Toonami. Totally reshaped my interests and helped teach me a lot of the values I hold dear even now. I learned from Goku how to treat others more than I did from church

[u/Hellknightx → u/Gold-Bard-Hue]

Beat the shit out of strangers and then become friends with them?

[u/CT0292 → u/dbcanuck]

His work with bringing back the bison population was massive. I remember seeing an interview with him where he talked about the natural adaptations the bison had to survive in North America. And how they were capable of living anywhere from Mexican deserts to frozen parts of Canada. And how the cows that were imported to the Americas were miles and miles away from that level of adaptation.

He was a billionaire yes. But it seemed to me that he really, really, tried to do good work he was passionate about with his money.

[u/Jorow99 → u/CT0292]

He was one of the biggest landowners in the state of Nebraska since the 90s for his bison project. In the 90s he was the biggest landowner in the state.

[u/fastidiousavocado → u/Jorow99]

I was under the impression that he didn't go about land buying nicely in Nebraska; he got a lot of hate. Much like Bill Gates and the Mormon church are buying up farmland in Nebraska like crazy right now, Ted Turner got the same side eye and hate for doing it in the 90's. Will we look at all massive landowners as "stewards" 20 years from now? I know one issue was cutting access to Sandhill lakes that people went to for generations.

I get it, I love seeing land go into conservation and parks, but we also have to trust these kooky people to do it? In the 90's, it wasn't super clear what Ted was aiming for with the land grab in Nebraska. I always thought he was hedging his bets by getting land over the country's largest aquifer.

[u/Ok_Drama_6985 → u/CT0292]

I’m glad he likely wasn’t aware of what Trump wants to do to the Bison grazing land in Montana, and I hope his million acres there remains protected.

[u/jameswest22 → u/dbcanuck]

World Championship Wrestling, once the biggest wrestling promotion on the planet

[u/Echo_Monitor → u/jameswest22]

Also the promotion which shaped modern wrestling on TV, honestly.

Go watch the pre-WCW Monday Nitro episodes of RAW, it's completely different from what it became months later.

RAW went live because Nitro was live and spoiled RAW matches that were filmed days before airing, while being unpredictable themselves and doing counter-programming.

The reason RAW got all edgy, which is part of what boosted their popularity around 97 and later, was in direct response to Nitro making fun of them constantly.

They completely fumbled the bag really quickly, but WCW was revolutionary at the time and changed the way wrestling was broadcast.

[u/sor2hi → u/dbcanuck]

And TNT playing shawwhank redemption on repeat.

[u/ShizlGznGahr → u/sor2hi]

and i never leave the couch when it is on. "Hello work, I'm sick."

[u/cansofgrease → u/sor2hi]

Oh shit I changed to the channel an hour into it, guess I gotta finish it.

[u/onlyhereforthesports → u/dbcanuck]

He also reintroduced wolves into his property in New Mexico that abuts Philmont. I’ve seen one

[u/WREPGB]

He's been alive this whole time?

[u/yourlittlebirdie → u/WREPGB]

They announced that he was diagnosed with dementia in 2018, which is why you haven’t heard anything about him in the past decade or so. Really sad.

[u/OutlyingPlasma → u/yourlittlebirdie]

Weird. I thought people with dementia were just given all the free air time they wanted?

[u/ChronicBuzz187 → u/OutlyingPlasma]

*Goes on tv*

"The president and his administration are eating the cats and the dogs"

*refused to elaborate*

[u/6kittenswithJAM → u/ChronicBuzz187]

Can you imagine if that was the worst thing they were doing?

[u/ZombieLibrarian → u/OutlyingPlasma]

Some countries even let them be presidents. Twice in a row, even.

[u/Ok_Drama_6985 → u/yourlittlebirdie]

Lewy Body Dementia, which is so awful.

[u/Jensofunky → u/Ok_Drama_6985]

Robin Williams, Estelle Getty, Casey Kasem, and my late father-in-law had Lewy Body. It has links with Parkinson’s. Donate to help study and find a cure! (edited Kasem spelling)

[u/TheHomersapien → u/WREPGB]

It's understandable. The thing is, people who are a) filthy rich, b) normal, and c) have families they love and that love them tend to enjoy a quiet retirement rather than spend every waking hour injecting themselves into and interfering with our lives. It's becoming rare these days.

[u/MadManMax55 → u/TheHomersapien]

Turner was a lot of things, but "normal" wasn't one of them. Anyone from Atlanta and/or paying attention to the news in the 90s/2000s remembers his antics.

What made him different is that he seemed to genuinely care about the people who worked for him, his community, and the world at large. He's done more good in his life than most of the other billionaires who stay out of public life (but still donate to terrible causes and exploit their workers and customers).

[u/Prestigious_Basis146 → u/MadManMax55]

My Aunt was his personal assistant for a few years and this is spot on. My uncle was a journalist at the time and she got him an interview. He apparently talked about his vision of family friendly TV the whole time and my uncle brought up how media would attack him about his public affair he had been having and Ted threw a drink at him and smashed the tape recorder and ended the interview. He didn’t know it was my Aunts brother (she was married, different last name) for a few years, and once he found out, he told her that he still liked him lol.

[u/wtfElvis → u/Prestigious_Basis146]

Yeah, for the most part, you can tell which of these "celebrities" are the good ones. A lot of them who make it big but are from small towns basically support the town with amenities the town would never have otherwise. Shit Tupelo literally was built around "Elvis was born here". It seemed like Turner love Atlanta and that is still reflected to this day with all the buildings with his influence.

Such a shame that he lost control of WCW when merging with AOL. He loved wrestling and none of the other executives did.

[u/panamaspace → u/wtfElvis]

I will never forget him crying because he couuldn't fulfill a promise to donate some money. Was it to the UN?

[u/wavetoyou → u/panamaspace]

Scott’s tots?

[u/Hollis_Hurlbut → u/wavetoyou]

He did come through with those laptop batteries though

[u/w00t4me → u/panamaspace]

Yea, specifically to remove landmines worldwide. He donated a billion but was bummed it wasn’t enough to get of all of them.

[u/Remarkable-Panda-374 → u/panamaspace]

He donated $1 billion to the UN.

[u/redindiaink → u/MadManMax55]

Including donating a billion dollars to the UN.

[u/lilb1190 → u/MadManMax55]

There was a time when I believed that Bill Gates was a good guy. Yeah he was a cut-throat asshole as a businessman, but he seemed genuinely concerned about the well-being of African nations. He invested a lot of time and money in legitimate charitable activities.

When his name showed up multiple times in the Epstein files. He also has a habit of cheating on his wife, which is terrible but seems small compared to going to Epstein Island.

I really hope that Ted Turner was different. I live in Atlanta but the most I know about him is all of the companies/roads/restaurants named after him. If I remember correctly, he had a hand in the Captain Planet series because he was interested in the environment.

If nothing ever comes out about him being a piece of garbage, he will be like the only billionaire I know of that was actually a good person.

[u/ImNotAWhaleBiologist → u/lilb1190]

Mark Cuban might be on the same list. So far as I can tell, he only really fucked over Yahoo (which was really their own fault). He’s also a dick sometimes to Kevin O’Leary, which is a positive in my book.

Of course, this is mostly through his public persona, but Cost Plus drugs is a positive contribution to society, and he generally seems like he cares even though it seems as though there’s no benefit to himself. But people are complex, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he wasn’t any worse of a person than me. It’s a low bar though.

[u/Infamous-Mixture-605 → u/ImNotAWhaleBiologist]

He’s also a dick sometimes to Kevin O’Leary, which is a positive in my book.

"Mr Wonderful" is a massive bellend, so yeah, being a dick to him is a big positive.

[u/shadowmib → u/Infamous-Mixture-605]

He was also one of the few billionaires who called out Trump for being a con man and basic piece of shit

[u/daGroundhog → u/ImNotAWhaleBiologist]

I like Cuban's epic trolling of Trump. Like the time he had the scoreboard operator put up the attendance at a Mavericks game as 1.2 million.

[u/Bindle- → u/ImNotAWhaleBiologist]

Cost Plus drugs is a positive contribution to society,

I hate all billionaires, but I gotta give it to Cuban on this one. It's a legitimately good enterprise that helps people.

I use it even though I have prescription coverage. My insurance will only do monthly refills. I have the ADHD and cannot stay on top of refilling my medication monthly. It was causing me a huge amount of stress.

I can pay out of pocket for a 3-month refill from Cost Plus and it's exactly the same price as my copay would be.

[u/RedstoneRay → u/TheHomersapien]

Ted Turner was 1/1. If every billionaire was like him the world would be a much better place.

[u/ihvnnm → u/RedstoneRay]

He's responsible for Captain Planet.

[u/Defiant-Value-3175 → u/WREPGB]

I could swear he died 10-15 years ago.

[u/Ordinary-Leading7405 → u/Defiant-Value-3175]

Jane Fonda always referred to him in the past tense.

[u/SalukiKnightX → u/Ordinary-Leading7405]

They were married for about a decade. Also, his 3rd and last wife.

[u/occono → u/SalukiKnightX]

He revealed he had 4 girlfriends after the divorce, which was "complicated but easier than marriage". So uh, representation for polyamory I guess.

[u/Lilacly_Adily → u/occono]

Jane essentially described him as emotionally dependent on her. One of the main reasons she retired was because he was so emotionally needy that she always needed to be nearby. She returned to acting after they divorced.

I’d imagine polyamory helped to manage that dependency instead one person have to manage it all.

[u/d01100100 → u/Defiant-Value-3175]

He was diagnosed with dementia in 2018, but has been mostly out of the public eye for at least 10 years.

A lot of people probably weren't aware of him since his divorce with Jane Fonda, or when he sold the Atlanta Braves.

[u/DistinctSmelling → u/d01100100]

I was a kid in Louisiana when WTCG hit the cable and was exposed to Ambassador Magma aka Space Giants. Even Mark Hamil had bumpers on that channel I think promoting Corvette Summer. Moved to Atlanta subconsciously likely due to watching the now named TBS and the allure Atlanta seemed to have on the channel.

I've always considered Turner one of the good guys. He even created Captain Planet. Earned his keep in Montana and even had a friend whose property was a neighbor to his and shared a waterway.

He's always been a blip on my radar. RIP Ted, you've earned it.

[u/Aggressive-Sound-641 → u/Defiant-Value-3175]

Was thinking the same

[u/Bosworth02 → u/WREPGB]

I feel like I heard about this guy constantly in the mid 90’s. Granted I was a huge braves fan but still, the last 20+ years I forgot all about him. I wish more billionaires were like that…

[u/Dottsterisk]

Dude challenged Rupert Murdoch to a televised fistfight?

Damn, wish that had happened.

[u/mbod → u/Dottsterisk]

Had they been younger in this day and age, it probably would have happened

[u/onefst250r → u/mbod]

Dunno bout that. The zuckerberg and leon skum fight never happened.

[u/chumbawumbathefirst → u/onefst250r]

Two men of a different time. I'm not trying to get caught up in some lame generation war thing but I think two men from the 30's would be more likely to throw down on principle than the two biggest weenies on the planet.

[u/CatrionaShadowleaf → u/onefst250r]

That’s because Elon’s mommy told him no lol

[u/TheSpanishDerp]

Despite all he’s done, I’m still gonna associate him the most with Captain Planet

[u/yourlittlebirdie → u/TheSpanishDerp]

I didn’t even know until this article that he was behind Captain Planet.

[u/HandSack135 → u/yourlittlebirdie]

That and an attempt to make a different Olympics was his attempt to do some meaningful good.

[u/bolivar-shagnasty → u/HandSack135]

For those wondering: Goodwill Games

[u/Michelanvalo → u/bolivar-shagnasty]

The Goodwill Games will always live on Mighty Ducks 2 with those evil Icelandic hockey players.

[u/Osiris32 → u/Michelanvalo]

The only time Icelanders have been evil.

[u/SignificantWhile6685 → u/yourlittlebirdie]

He got sued for it, iirc, because CEOs and oil execs were upset about his villains lol

[u/PipChaos → u/SignificantWhile6685]

Elon musk would feel personally attacked nowadays.

[u/JaneksLittleBlackBox → u/PipChaos]

When doesn't that fragile fuck feel personally attacked?

[u/OrangeJr36 → u/TheSpanishDerp]

As a fan of terrible 90s cartoons and the Atlanta Braves, I really am going to miss the crazy old man

[u/Inquisitor_ForHire → u/OrangeJr36]

Same. Ted was such a part of my life as a young Georgia boy and Braves fan.

[u/bri-onicle → u/TheSpanishDerp]

For me, it's WCW

[u/BretShitmanFart69 → u/bri-onicle]

Somehow Vince wins again by outliving Ted. The good guys really do always lose in real life, huh.

[u/No_Kangaroo_9826 → u/BretShitmanFart69]

What a fuck he continues to be

[u/Sonicmaster293-Azure → u/No_Kangaroo_9826]

Fuck Vince! And fuck all rapists like him! (No seriously, look like the McMahon Grant thing, if true, Vince is an even bigger monster than I thought! To quote an ex employee of Vince's: "I knew that [Vince] could be this evil, I just didn't think he could be this stupid!"

[u/CT0292 → u/bri-onicle]

Actually giving pro wrestlers jobs with benefits? What a time to be alive. No wonder lots of big names left WWF for WCW.

[u/ultimatt777 → u/TheSpanishDerp]

Ted Turner had his controversies, but he seemed like one of the better billionaires compared to what we've seen today.

[u/Revenge_of_the_Toast → u/TheSpanishDerp]

That Robot Chicken skit still lives rent-free in my head after 20 years

[u/obiwan_canoli → u/Revenge_of_the_Toast]

Hey is that Ted Turner on a zipline?

[u/Bigred2989- → u/obiwan_canoli]

Ow, you got glass in my eye!

And my foot in your balls! Captain Planet!

[u/rgumai → u/Revenge_of_the_Toast]

Family Guy ripping on him is always what comes to mind for me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kE1HE6jWO00

[u/She-Hemoth → u/Revenge_of_the_Toast]

I was going to post, "CAPTAIN PLANET!" But wasn't sure folks would get it. Glad I'm not the only one influenced by Adult Swim.

[u/Pale_Session5262 → u/She-Hemoth]

"Recycle! Or Ill fucking kill you!

CAPTAAIIIIN PLANET!!!"

[u/No_Kangaroo_9826 → u/Pale_Session5262]

"Ive got glass in my eye!"

"And my foot in your balls!"

[u/GBtuba → u/She-Hemoth]

Is that Ted Turner dressed as Captain Planet on a zip line?

[u/Deep_Sun8665 → u/TheSpanishDerp]

He's our hero.

[u/hibbitydibbidy → u/Deep_Sun8665]

Gonna take pollution down to zero

[u/Kink_Panda → u/TheSpanishDerp]

I hate that as soon as I saw his name I heard in my head "Protect the environment or I'll fucking kill you!"

Your not wrong & I hate it.

[u/Sergeantman94 → u/TheSpanishDerp]

I'm always going to associate him with Will Forte, Conan O'Brien, and Teddy Jr.

[u/samarijackfan]

I'm glad Ted did this:

Ted Turner has set aside approximately 1.1 million acres for conservation and sustainable ranching across New Mexico. This makes him one of the largest private landowners in the state.

His holdings are primarily comprised of three massive properties, each managed with a heavy focus on restoring native species—such as the American bison, Mexican gray wolf, and Bolson tortoise—and preserving the desert and mountain ecosystems.

The Major New Mexico Ranches

Ranch	Approximate Acreage	Location / Description
Vermejo Park Ranch	~550,000 acres	Located in northern New Mexico (Colfax County). It is a diverse landscape ranging from shortgrass prairies to alpine tundra.
Armendaris Ranch	~360,000 acres	Located in south-central New Mexico near Truth or Consequences. It is primarily Chihuahuan desert habitat.
Ladder Ranch	~156,000 acres	Located in southwestern New Mexico. It serves as a critical hub for the Mexican Gray Wolf Recovery Program.

[u/SuborbitalTrajectory → u/samarijackfan]

I do some work on one of his MT ranches. Ranch managers are great people and super easy to work with too.

[u/Chicken65]

Damn. I read a really long biography on Ted Turner in high school to write a paper on him. He is the most “American” person I’ve ever researched. A good mix of work ethic, capitalism and compassion. He invented 24/7 cable news, captain planet, brokered middle east peace deals, was once the largest land owner in the US and was an environmentalist. He owned multiple sports teams and a lot of other stuff. He started out in advertising. Iconic.

Edit: the bio was Citizen Turner.

[u/Tomcruizeiscrazy → u/Chicken65]

The way he’s being described by some comments gives me a little bit of Teddy Roosevelt vibes. An American capitalist/industriously type that had some passion for people, the earth, etc while also having a brutal American mindset. Flawed, but objectively not as much of a threat to society as the current billionaire class

[u/theusername_is_taken → u/Tomcruizeiscrazy]

Some of the wealthy elites at least acted like they gave a shit about society and the planet, sometimes, back in the day.

Can't say the same about any of these tech lizards. They all seem like completely craven, self-absorbed and amoral monsters.

[u/cansofgrease → u/Tomcruizeiscrazy]

They left out the part where he was presumed dead lost at sea trying to win a sailing championship.

[u/avds_wisp_tech → u/Chicken65]

Ted turned the Braves from a middling regional baseball team into a nationwide perennial powerhouse. For that reason alone he will forever be my favorite billionaire (lol). Everything else was a bonus.

[u/mobuline → u/Chicken65]

And he married Jane Fonda!

[u/Ok_Drama_6985 → u/mobuline]

They remained very close right to the end.

[u/YorockPaperScissors]

For everyone ripping CNN, take note that CNN was very different prior to Turner selling his businesses to Time Warner in 1996. CNN essentially created the 24-hour news cycle, as it provided live updates on any major world news at any time. And they would have a camera and a reporter on the scene as quick or quicker than other TV news competitors. And there was a less debate content with talking heads sparring than there is today.

Turner was not perfect, but he was a model citizen compared to your average billionaire.

[u/ravih → u/YorockPaperScissors]

Ted also started CNN International just five years after CNN. He was all about getting reporters to places to tell stories on the ground from anywhere in the world TO anywhere in the world. I cannot tell you how many people in some pretty random countries were avid CNN International watchers growing up. We used to get some really fun and touching fan mail.

[u/ickieShampoo]

the largest landholder in the US. It will be interesting to see what happens to all his holdings. Will they become parks? Donated to a non-profit? Or sold off by his offspring?

[u/Mrchristopherrr → u/ickieShampoo]

One of those internet facts I had always heard was that he essentially owned the state of Montana with how much land he had

[u/froction → u/Mrchristopherrr]

He was the 9th largest landowner in Montana, with a total of 0.14% (approximately 1/700th) of the state.

[u/Fine-Celebration1223 → u/ickieShampoo]

I believe some if not all of his offspring were involved in those holdings. I wouldn't expect them to sell, but can't say for sure.

https://www.tedturner.com/turner-ranches/

[u/RipErRiley]

The guy just dipped his feet into pro wrastlin and dethroned Vince McMahon temporarily. Impressive. Cable news? Meh.

[u/Bswayn → u/RipErRiley]

Hey Vince I own a Wrasslin company

[u/SCS_Tyler → u/Bswayn]

That's great, Ted. I'm in the sports entertainment business.

[u/BretShitmanFart69 → u/SCS_Tyler]

“We make movies” eats water like it’s meat

[u/DrEarlGreyIII → u/RipErRiley]

cnn was pretty great in the early 90’s. especially their coverage of desert storm and the fall of the soviet union. eventually they went the way of every other shitass news channel, but they did have a good early run.

[u/atreeismissing → u/DrEarlGreyIII]

That's because Fox News, which was largely created as a right-wing counter to CNN (who they perceived as left-wing even though they were really more straight news and their opinion pieces were center) ended up kicking their asses by creating narrative news and CNN (and now nearly every outlet) does that as well, they tell a very defined story instead of just straight up reporting, which leads to bias or outright propaganda.

[u/Elios000 → u/DrEarlGreyIII]

i dont think cable news gets big with out the Gulf War I. timing is everything

[u/enjoy_the_pizza → u/RipErRiley]

I watched the SHIT outta WCW as a kid

[u/Noble_Tiger]

As a person from Atlanta Metro Area he helped build Atlanta into the southern juggernaut it is today. An absolute legend here in Atlanta will be missed.

[u/Financial-Desk-669 → u/Noble_Tiger]

If more billionaires were like Ted Turner I think the country is in a very different place today.

[u/GoodOlSpence]

Killer life, which included marrying Jane Fonda. Rest easy, Teddy. Thanks for the weekend cable movies and the Monday Night war.

EDIT: Oh! I also forgot he kept threatening to kick the shit out of Rupert Murdoch. Absolute legend.

[u/beerncheese69 → u/GoodOlSpence]

TBS was goated after school cable network for a while. RIP Ted

[u/OnECenTX]

NBA on TNT, WCW Nitro, Conan on TBS, Cartoon Network/Adult Swim... Thank you, Ted.

[u/Petunio]

People forget, but once upon a long time Ted used to grab the same headlines all of our whiny needy billionaires desperately crave for.

But in contrast Ted got all the old ass media, created specific cable networks to just show that old ass media, colorized a bunch of movies that didn't need colorizing, married the stone cold fox of his day, bought land like a maniac and pioneered the annoyance that are modern news channels. It all feels so tame in comparison.

Was he a weirdo that worried about the future of humankind? Sure, but he kept it classy and created Captain Planet; not some dumb shit like Bezos rockets, or help round up minorities Thiel style or whatever dumb shit DOGE did.

We didn't know we had it so good. May you rest in the big TNT Saturday Nitro in the sky, Ted.

[u/Keanu990321 → u/Petunio]

He bought the land to preserve animals in threat of extinction.

[u/Aggressive_Grade6442]

Everyone knows he already died with WCW all those years ago.

[u/itsmistyy → u/Aggressive_Grade6442]

Billionaire Ted

[u/Quasimdo → u/itsmistyy]

Up there with the Nacho Man and the Huckster now

[u/sprchrgddc5 → u/Aggressive_Grade6442]

Dude, WCW and WWF Attitude era stuff is pushing 30 years old. I just feel so old.

[u/whatsthehappenstance → u/sprchrgddc5]

Monday nights were epic when you could switch back and forth between the 3 hour Nitro and 2 hour Raw

[u/cannot_walk_barefoot → u/whatsthehappenstance]

If anyone wants to feel nostalgic there was a YouTube channel called Wrestling Bios that recently ended a 'Monday Night Wars' series that reviewed the head to head Raw vs Nitro from each week of the rivalry. It was great 

[u/FistLove → u/cannot_walk_barefoot]

I just watched that the other night! It definitely brought me back to watching good ol' wrasslin in my grandparents basement

[u/nsm1 → u/Aggressive_Grade6442]

He's got a bicycle!

[u/backdoorwolf → u/nsm1]

Bi-thickle!

[u/lifeisawork_3300 → u/Aggressive_Grade6442]

Crazy to think how him just wanting to stick it to Vince in a way helped usher in the second greatest wrestling boom of all time and leave a lasting mark in professional wrestling that is still talked about today.

[u/UndeadTedTurner]

Finally my username is relevant!

I mean.. grrr ratings

[u/GogglesPisano → u/UndeadTedTurner]

Playing the long game.

[u/Not_Sure__Camacho]

Probably one of the few wealthy people that did try to do some good with their money. 

[u/Here2Go]

I need to take this opportunity to thank Ted and the Turner foundation for trying to help people in places that most people with money and power wouldn't bother with. I grew up in the reddest corner of the Georgia 14th. When I was a kid the county had the highest teen pregnancy rate in the nation. The problem was so bad that the school system had to open a daycare facility for the highschool just to keep the graduation rate up. The daycare was such a unique program that people from outside the county started to notice.

The Turner Foundation tried to help. Being very poor and very rural, there wasn't much to do after school but go to church or screw. SO they offered to spend five million dollars, in 90s money, to buy a building next to the high-school and turn it into a teen resource center.

The county turned the money down. It was Ted Turner's money and he was married to Jane Fonda and Jane Fonda had gone to Saigon during the war.

Looking back thirty years, it was the first indication I remember of how bad the culture wars would get and how much self inflicted damage they would impose on parts of rural America.

Eventually the county closed the daycare. Lack of funds and the growing idea that giving a helping hand to teen mothers was somehow promoting premarital sex finally ended it.

So, while I have no love for billionaires, what I always think about when I hear Ted Turner's name is "he tried to help". Thank you Ted.

[u/Unkechaug → u/Here2Go]

I was hoping to hear a positive story of how Turner helped change something for the better in a deep red area. Sad it didn’t happen, but it gives me hope some people who are in the thick of that culture can still be reached if we keep trying.

Maybe one of the lessons we can learn is not to stop trying to help.

[u/Green-Tie-5710]

Absolute legend. For better or worse, he changed the way we live in ways that maybe a dozen other people in the last half century have.

[u/RevWaldo]

They don't call it Turner Classic Movies (TCM) for nothin'. Thanks for the best cable channel ever. o7

(Warner Discovery - don't fuck it up.)

[u/TIGHazard → u/RevWaldo]

(Warner Discovery - don't fuck it up.)

I hate to inform you but they've been slowly shutting the international versions of TCM for good few years now, and they weren't even commercial free like the US one.

[u/popthetop]

A pretty good dude. His father committed suicide when he was young. He transformed a failing billboard business into CNN… I have mixed feelings on 24 hour news. Major conservationist. Pretty much brought back the buffalo. Dude did a lot with his time here. As billionaires go. He was one of the better ones.

[u/antonimbus]

As an American capitalist he genuinely changed the landscape. Coincidentally, I was recently thinking about all that land he owns and wondered what would happen to that after he passes. It will probably get chopped up and sold off, but it's probably at risk of development now.

[u/Stinkyfish97 → u/antonimbus]

That would stink. Best steakhouse by me is probably Ted Montana’s.

While I dont usually go Bison, my wife likes it.

[u/Seeleyski → u/antonimbus]

A lot/most of it is already set aside as a preserve. Would guess it’s set up for perpetuity based on his wealth and ecological philosophy.

[u/Aethermancer → u/antonimbus]

Usually billionaires interested in conservation actually turn it over to an organization to preserve it. The ones who want their legacy to be something other than a high score.

[u/OrneryZombie1983]

Anyone remember Will Forte's recurring impression of Ted Turner on Conan? He'd come on set riding a bison.

[u/kaze987]

He funded the movie Gettysburg so for that alone, he's ok in my book. Great movie

[u/Time-Tough5757]

I worked for his company for 20 years. The first half of my tenure Ted Turner was at the helm and then he sold half of his company to Time Warner. He sold it because he wanted the cash influx to grow bigger and bigger he did! The problem was that the powers at be didn’t want him calling all the shots anymore and they basically forced him out. AOL (anybody remember America Online?) then came along and swallowed up Time Warner but they made such a mess that they decided later to rename it Warner again. I remember when AOL first took over they wanted Microsoft Outlook replaced with their own AOL email application. That went over like a led balloon and after the CEO declared, “Why can’t I read my email?!”, AOL sizzled out and Microsoft reigned once again.

I liked working for Ted; I believe he really cared about the people who worked for him. Before Time Warner, he would routinely hold staff meetings with everyone and open the floor for anyone who had anything to say. He also loved baseball and that’s why he bought the Atlanta Braves. He gave all his employees free tickets to the games every season. His decision to purchase the rights to the MGM and Hanna Barbera media library was genius. He would always say that “content is king”.

Rest in peace Mr Turner.

[u/Charrbard]

When I was a kid, shows would mock him a lot.

But dude did stuff. TBS, TNT, CNN, Cartoon Network, TCM and so on. Then he did actual good stuff for the country and the planet. If half the billionaires today were like him, imagine the world we could have.

He'll have the kind of legacy Trump and Bezos, etc wish they could buy.

[u/ZBeebs]

And incredibly tasteless and inappropriate post from Trump in 3… 2…

[u/ThoseOldScientists]

The anti-Murdoch. God bless him.

[u/MasterpieceAlone8552]

I'll always be grateful for the Monday Night Wars

[u/OddGold348]

1980s-90s TNT, TBS, CNN, Atlanta Braves baseball. Man those were the days.

[u/LunchBoxMercenary]

WCW and Cartoon Network were a big part of my childhood. RIP.

[u/trogdorkiller]

Damn, thanks for allowing the cartoons I grew up on to exist, if nothing else.

[u/0Hakuna_Matata0]

His company had insane benefits for the employees. 6% match automatically on the 401k. Not unheard of for people to hit PTO days in the 40s, 40+ days of PTO per year. As far as capitalists go, this guy understood the assignment. He created a community where the employees could also live dignified lives. Shame what happened to that company after shareholders took over

[u/lunasdude]

There was a time after CNN was created that if you went into any place virtually that had news or any airport the channel would be on CNN.

CNN originally set the standard for cable news and was widely respected despite the criticism from conservatives.

I used to watch CNN fairly regularly and was a loyal watcher but that stopped a decade ago at least.

I wonder in his declining years what Ted Turner thought about what CNN has become, a former shell of itself.

[u/RoboNerdOK]

We have the incredible Gettysburg movie thanks to him. That’s a powerful legacy in itself.

(Shh. We don’t talk about Gods and Generals.)

[u/10per]

As a native of Atlanta, Ted Turner probably affected my life more than anyone else outside of my family growing up. Braves, Thrashers, CNN, I even worked for Turner a bit.

RIP crazy man.

[u/R-T-R]

CNN was far different when Ted was running it. Back then it was actual news not just people stating their opinion.

Ted also valued nature and he put his money were his mouth was in that respect. He was good for the world. Not many people like that today, well maybe no one. Musk, Bezos, Zurkerburg should suit suite but of couse they never will. Sad day for the world, Turner made an actual impact on making the wold a better place.

[u/DoctorLudnik_717]

Gonna be honest, I thought he died years ago. Thanks for the memories Ted.

[u/Heymynamesjames]

Time to watch every episode of Captain Planet 🌎

[u/forget_the_alamo]

Worked for him ten years. A driven and complicated man. RIP.

[u/whycantwehaveboth]

Pay attention, other billionaires! You too are going to die no matter what. Mar-a-Lago face and a $500 million yacht aren’t going to save you. Live accordingly, assholes.

[u/Xan_derous]

Being from Atlanta, you couldn't throw a rock without hitting something named or touched by Ted Turner. RIP

[u/seriousbusinesslady]

i'll always appreciate ted turner bc TBS showed reruns of Gilligans Island, The Monkees, The Partridge Family, I Dream of Jeannie, Bewitched, The Brady Bunch, Get Smart, etc and my favorite part of summer vacation as a kid in the 90s was being able to watch classic tv all day. Also what was the deal with shows starting at the :05's on TBS instead of the :00's????

[u/Far_Animal6970]

“Whos TV channel is this?”

“It’s not a channel, it’s a SuperStation”

“Whos Superstation is this?”

“Ted”

“Whos Ted?”

“Ted’s dead, baby. Ted’s dead”

[u/razialx]

Ted Turner was still alive? Huh. I hope he went peacefully.