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Ted Turner

For other people named Ted Turner, see Ted Turner (disambiguation).

Ted Turner
Turner in 2015
Born
Robert Edward Turner III

(1938-11-19) November 19, 1938 (age 85)
Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
Alma materBrown University
Occupation(s)Entrepreneur, television producer, media proprietor, philanthropist
Years active1960–present
Known for
Spouses
Julia Gale Nye
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(m. 1960; div. 1964)​
Jane Shirley Smith
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(m. 1965; div. 1988)​
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(m. 1991; div. 2001)​
Children5
Websitetedturner.com Edit this at Wikidata
Signature

Robert Edward Turner III (born November 19, 1938) is an American entrepreneur, television producer, media proprietor, and philanthropist. He founded the Cable News Network (CNN), the first 24-hour cable news channel. In addition, he founded WTBS, which pioneered the superstation concept in cable television, which later became TBS.

As a philanthropist, he gave $1 billion to create the United Nations Foundation, a public charity to broaden U.S. support for the UN. Turner serves as Chairman of the United Nations Foundation board of directors.[1] Additionally, in 2001, Turner co-founded the Nuclear Threat Initiative with US Senator Sam Nunn (D-GA). NTI is a non-partisan organization dedicated to reducing global reliance on, and preventing the proliferation of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons. He currently serves as Co-Chairman of the Board of Directors.

Turner's media empire began with his father's billboard business, Turner Outdoor Advertising, which he took over in March 1963 after his father's suicide.[2] It was worth $1 million. His purchase of an Atlanta UHF station in 1970 began the Turner Broadcasting System. CNN revolutionized news media, covering the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster in 1986 and the Persian Gulf War in 1991. Turner turned the Atlanta Braves baseball team into a nationally popular franchise (including winning the 1995 World Series under his ownership), and launched the charitable Goodwill Games. He helped revive interest in professional wrestling by purchasing Jim Crockett Promotions which was then rebranded as World Championship Wrestling (WCW).

Turner's penchant for controversial statements earned him the nicknames "The Mouth of the South" and "Captain Outrageous".[3][4] Turner has also devoted his assets to environmental causes. He was the largest private landowner in the United States until John C. Malone surpassed him in 2011.[5][6] He uses much of his land for ranches to re-popularize bison meat (for his Ted's Montana Grill chain) and has amassed the largest herd in the world. He also created the environmental-themed animated series Captain Planet and the Planeteers.[7]

  1. ^ "United Nations Foundation | Helping the UN build a better world". Unfoundation.org. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  2. ^ Porter Bibb (1996). Ted Turner: It Ain't as Easy as It Looks: The Amazing Story of CNN. Virgin Books. pp. 55–56. ISBN 0-86369-892-1.
  3. ^ Porter Bibb (1996). Ted Turner: It Ain't As Easy as It Looks: The Amazing Story of CNN. Virgin Books. pp. 138, 272, 283, 442. ISBN 0-86369-892-1.
  4. ^ Koepp, Stephen (April 12, 2005). "Captain Outrageous Opens Fire". Time. Archived from the original on October 29, 2010.
  5. ^ Doyle, Leonard (December 1, 2007). "Turner becomes largest private landowner in US – Americas, World". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on May 17, 2009. Retrieved March 29, 2009.
  6. ^ Seelye, Katharine Q. (January 28, 2011). "For Land Barons, Acres by the Millions". The New York Times.
  7. ^ Eve M. Kahn (March 3, 1991). "Television; Cartoons for a Small Planet". New York Times. Retrieved March 9, 2015.

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