CNN creator Ted Turner dies at 87

Thursday, 7 May 2026 06:28 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Ted Turner

CNN Founder and pioneer of the 24-hour news cycle Ted Turner died peacefully yesterday, surrounded by his family, according to a news release from Turner Enterprises. He was 87.

The Ohio-born Atlanta businessman built a media empire that encompassed cable’s first superstation and popular channels for movies and cartoons, plus professional sports teams like the Atlanta Braves.

Turner was also an internationally known yachtsman; a philanthropist who founded the United Nations Foundation; an activist who sought the worldwide elimination of nuclear weapons; and a conservationist who became one of the foremost landowners in the US.

He played a crucial role in reintroducing bison to the American West. He even created the Captain Planet cartoon to educate kids about the environment.

But it was his audacious vision to deliver news from around the world in real time, at all hours, that really made him famous – once his idea finally took off.

In 1991, Turner was named Time magazine’s Man of the Year for “influencing the dynamic of events and turning viewers in 150 countries into instant witnesses of history.”