History UsefulNotes / TedTurner

So no matter what you may think of his views, there's no denying that Mr. Turner has had a huge influence on how we communicate, play and work, and his legacy continues to grow and inspire.

Since then, he's focused on other goals, including sailing (a lifelong pastime of his), peace initiatives, and environmentalism, amongst others. He's a huge conservationist and has bought acres of land in Montana and other states to raise bison on. And of course he was one of the co-creators of the environment-themed cartoon ''WesternAnimation/CaptainPlanetAndThePlaneteers''. He's been married three times, most notably to Creator/JaneFonda for most of the 1990s.

2000 saw the infamous merger of Time Warner with America Online, which Turner initially agreed to, but as the merged AOL Time Warner began posting huge losses as a result of the dot-com bubble's bursting, he realized this was a bad idea and had been reduced to a mere figurehead, holding no power in the company's operations (which resulted in the sale of [[Wrestling/{{WCW}} World Championship Wrestling (WCW)]], which he had purchased in 1988, to [[Wrestling/{{WWE}} World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)]], as a result of WCW's huge losses-- Turner couldn't protect them anymore); he ultimately left the company in 2003.

1993 saw the acquisition of both Creator/CastleRockEntertainment, Rob Reiner's creator-focused film studio, and Creator/NewLineCinema, mini-major studio which had attained fame for movies like the ''[[Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet Nightmare on Elm Street]]'' franchise; just prior to the buyout New Line had helped distribute the EpicMovie ''Film/{{Gettysburg}}'', which had been financed by Turner himself after ABC rejected the original miniseries proposal.

But the biggest change came in 1996, when Turner Broadcasting merged with Time Warner, owner of Creator/WarnerBros, HBO (ironically), Time Inc. and its' collection of magazines, cable systems, and various other media assets. With this the halves of the WB library were reunited, allowing Cartoon Network and TCM access to the rest of the WB library. As a result he grew farther and farther away from the day-to-day operations of his networks.

1991 saw him acquiring legendary animation studio Creator/HannaBarbera, resulting in the 1992 launch of Creator/CartoonNetwork, a 24-hour animation network utilizing the library of Hanna-Barbera and the cartoons of MGM, Warner Bros. and Paramount he owned already; eventually expanding into original programming by the end of the decade. Hanna-Barbera was refocused in time to provide original programming for the Turner networks and its final broadcast series, an adaptation of fellow Turner property New Line Cinema's ''Film/DumbAndDumber'' aired on ABC in 1995.

But he also had a nasty habit during this time: [[GeorgeLucasAlteredVersion colorizing old black-and-white movies]], which was decried by cinephiles and TV viewers alike. He ''did'' [[WellIntentionedExtremist have a good goal in mind when commenced colorization]]-- he began to have movies to be transferred from film that could be worn out or broken, to more durable format including videotape for future preservation, and at the same time had colorized versions of those films made. He eventually stopped the habit not only due to the bad press, but also because it was far too costly. Thankfully, this did have some positive consequences, in that it gave a big boost to the film preservation movement, and helped inspire creation of the UsefulNotes/NationalFilmRegistry. He then established Creator/TurnerClassicMovies in 1994 to showcase these catalog titles unedited, uncut and uninterrupted, much to cinephiles' relief and joy, as TCM has never wavered from this goal and is seen as one of the shining examples of averting NetworkDecay.

Turner's success continued, but in 1984, had one of his few overall failures: an Creator/{{MTV}} competitor called the ''Cable Music Channel'', which [[EpicFail failed after five months]] due to cable systems not carrying the channel, MTV's dominance of recording artists, and other factors. As a result he sold the satellite space to MTV, which used it to launch Creator/{{VH1}} in 1985.

But this didn't deter Turner, who continued his other successful ventures and in 1986, made his biggest purchase yet: that of the storied Hollywood studio Creator/MetroGoldwynMayer (and its' sister studio, Creator/UnitedArtists). But after 74 days, he returned them to former owner Kirk Kerkorian due to a crushing debt load. But he shrewdly kept a very valuable asset-- MGM's library, encompassing not only MGM produced films, television shows and cartoons, but also material from Creator/WarnerBros (The studio's pre-1950 library, color ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' cartoons made prior to August 1948, and all Creator/HarmanAndIsing-produced ''Merrie Melodies''), Creator/{{Paramount}} (The [[Creator/MaxAndDaveFleischer Fleischer]][=/=]Creator/FamousStudios-produced ''ComicStrip/{{Popeye}}'' cartoons), and the US/Canadian rights to the Creator/RKORadioPictures library, totaling well over 7000 titles. He used this to not only supply WTBS with programming, but also start another new network, Creator/{{TNT}} (''Turner Network Television''), which would focus on not only these catalog titles, but also air expanded sports coverage to supplement TBS, special events and original programming (partially as a result of his failed efforts to purchase Creator/{{CBS}} in 1985). And of course, it launched with the first cable telecast of his favorite film, ''Film/GoneWithTheWind'' (which he now owned).

Turner was now on the map, and sought to capitalize on it. In 1979, he announced the formation of the world's first 24-hour news channel. He bought an old country club in Midtown Atlanta on Techwood Avenue for the new venture (moving WTBS into the facility in the meantime)[[note]]the front facade was used as the logo for Turner Pictures and Turner Home Entertainment in the 1990s, leading to the nickname of the "Turner Mansion"[[/note]], and on June 1st, 1980, the ''Cable News Network'', or just Creator/{{CNN}}, launched and... well, it wasn't an instant success, but gradually people began catching on to it and by the time of the first Gulf War in 1991, the channel proved it was ingrained in the American consciousness as people stayed on its' 24-hour coverage. It gradually began expanding internationally and with a variety of spin-off channels and ventures, although not all of them have worked. [[Creator/{{HLN}} CNN2]], later renamed to ''Headline News'', was launched in 1982 (taking the satellite space of a failed CNN rival, Creator/{{ABC}} and Group W's Satellite News Channel), as a 24-hour service dedicated to rolling news headlines. In 1987 CNN moved out of the Techwood facility and into a largely-vacant office complex in downtown Atlanta; redubbing it the CNN Center, it helped to revitalize the Downtown Atlanta area and is a major tourist attraction (though in recent years CNN has moved most of its' programming to its' bureaus in NY and DC; the CNN Center continues to be used by HLN and the other CNN networks).

Robert Edward "Ted" Turner III (born November 19, 1938) is a man who helped to revolutionize television and film in many, ''many'' ways, and it's likely that if it hadn't been for him, our world might be a ''lot'' different. You can easily see him as the American counterpart of UsefulNotes/RupertMurdoch, albeit a lot more friendlier. His longtime nickname is "The Mouth of the South", and depending on your feelings towards him it can be endearing or demeaning. He's also a prominent modern example of the RenaissanceMan.

He was the son of a billboard magnate and attended Brown University-- only to get kicked out for [[ValuesDissonance having a girl in his dorm room]]. He returned to Georgia and worked at his father's company, only for him to become head when his father [[DrivenToSuicide committed suicide]] in 1963. He turned his dad's company into the largest billboard-advertising firm in the Southeast. But this was merely a stepping stone; flush with cash, he started buying television stations, specifically WJRJ, channel 17 in UsefulNotes/{{Atlanta}}, and WCTU channel 36 in Charlotte, NC. He renamed both, to WTCG (for ''Turner Communications Group'') and WRET (for ''Robert Edward Turner'') respectively, and turned the flailing stations around by programming them with older reruns, movies and sports. By 1976, he bought the MLB's [[UsefulNotes/MLBTeams Atlanta Braves]] to provide built in programming and still later bought the NBA's Atlanta Hawks.

He was the son of a billboard magnate and attended Brown University-- only to get kicked out for [[ValuesDissonance having a girl in his dorm room]]. He returned to Georgia and worked at his father's company, only for him to become head when his father [[DrivenToSuicide committed suicide]] in 1963. He turned his dad's company into the largest billboard-advertising firm in the Southeast. But this was merely a stepping stone; flush with cash, he started buying television stations, specifically WJRJ, channel 17 in UsefulNotes/{{Atlanta}}, and WCTU channel 36 in Charlotte, NC. He renamed both, to WTCG (for ''Turner Communications Group'') and WRET (for ''Robert Edward Turner'') respectively, and turned the flailing stations around by programming them with older reruns, movies and sports. By 1976, he bought the MLB's [[UsefulNotes/MLBTeams Atlanta Braves]] to provide built in programming and still later bought the UsefulNotes/{{NBA}}'s Atlanta Hawks.

But this didn't deter Turner, who continued his other successful ventures and in 1986, made his biggest purchase yet: that of the storied Hollywood studio Creator/MetroGoldwynMayer (and its' sister studio, Creator/UnitedArtists). But after 74 days, he returned them to former owner Kirk Kerkorian due to a crushing debt load. But he shrewdly kept a very valuable asset-- MGM's library, encompassing not only MGM produced films, television shows and cartoons, but also material from Creator/WarnerBros (The studio's pre-1950 library, color ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' cartoons made prior to August 1948, and all Creator/HarmanAndIsing ''Merrie Melodies''), Creator/{{Paramount}} (specifically the ''WesternAnimation/{{Popeye}}'' cartoons), and the US/Canadian rights to the Creator/RKORadioPictures library, totaling well over 7000 titles. He used this to not only supply WTBS with programming, but also start another new network, Creator/{{TNT}} (''Turner Network Television''), which would focus on not only these catalog titles, but also air expanded sports coverage to supplement TBS, special events and original programming (partially as a result of his failed efforts to purchase Creator/{{CBS}} in 1985). And of course, it launched with the first cable telecast of his favorite film, ''Film/GoneWithTheWind'' (which he now owned).

1991 saw him acquiring legendary animation studio Creator/HannaBarbera, resulting in the 1992 launch of Creator/CartoonNetwork, a 24-hour animation network utilizing the library of Hanna-Barbera and the cartoons of MGM, Warner Bros. and Paramount he owned already; eventually expanding into original programming by the end of the decade. Hanna-Barbera was refocused in time to provide original programming for the Turner networks and its' final broadcast series, an adaptation of fellow Turner property New Line Cinema's ''Film/DumbAndDumber'' aired on ABC in 1995.

Also, he ''really'' hates [[SitcomArchNemesis Rupert Murdoch]]-- back in 1983, a Murdoch-owned sailing ship caused Turner's vessel to run aground in an Australian regatta, and in response, Turner challenged Murdoch ''[[NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer to a televised fistfight at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas]]''. And [[BrickJoke he offered the fistfight again in 2003]], after he criticized Murdoch's backing of the War in Iraq.

He was the son of a billboard magnate and attended Brown University- only to get kicked out for [[ValuesDissonance having a girl in his dorm room]]. He returned to Georgia and worked at his father's company, only for him to become head when his father [[DrivenToSuicide committed suicide]] in 1963. He turned his dad's company into the largest billboard-advertising firm in the Southeast. But this was merely a stepping stone- flush with cash, he started buying television stations- specifically WJRJ, channel 17 in UsefulNotes/{{Atlanta}}, and WCTU channel 36 in Charlotte, NC. He renamed both, to WTCG (for ''Turner Communications Group'') and WRET (for ''Robert Edward Turner'') respectively, and turned the flailing stations around by programming them with older reruns, movies and sports- by 1976, he bought the MLB's [[UsefulNotes/MLBTeams Atlanta Braves]] to provide built in programming and still later bought the UsefulNotes/{{NBA}}'s Atlanta Hawks.

But his breakthrough came when, following in pay-TV network [[Creator/{{HBO}} Home Box Office]]'s example, he decided to uplink WTCG to satellite for cable viewers nationwide to watch. This was an instant success, and WTCG- renamed to ''[[Creator/{{TBS}} Superstation WTBS]]'' (for the renamed ''Turner Broadcasting System'') in 1979- was the first basic cable channel. [[note]]WRET was sold around this time- after having taken the Creator/{{NBC}} affiliation- and without Turner's support, the station fell on its butt- as new owner Westinghouse/Group W inexplicably sought to sabotage the station's success by preempting nearly all NBC programming, cutting local news down to a single midday bulletin, and ''reducing the power of the station's transmitter''- and it was left struggling for a few years before new ownership turned it around, though WCNC, as it was renamed eventually, still struggles in the ratings.[[/note]]

Turner was now on the map, and sought to capitalize on it. In 1979, he announced the formation of the world's first 24-hour news channel. He bought an old country club in Midtown Atlanta on Techwood Avenue for the new venture (moving WTBS into the facility in the meantime)[[note]]the front facade was used as the logo for Turner Pictures and Turner Home Entertainment in the 1990s, leading to the nickname of the "Turner Mansion"[[/note]], and on June 1st, 1980, the ''Cable News Network'', or just Creator/{{CNN}}, launched and... well, it wasn't an instant success, but gradually people began catching on to it and by the time of the first Gulf War in 1991, the channel proved it was ingrained in the American consciousness as people stayed on its' 24-hour coverage. It gradually began expanding internationally and with a variety of spin-off channels and ventures, although not all of them have worked. [[Creator/{{HLN}} CNN2]], later renamed to ''Headline News'', was launched in 1982 (taking the satellite space of a failed CNN rival, Creator/{{ABC}} and Group W's Satellite News Channel), as a 24-hour service dedicated to rolling news headlines. In 1987 CNN moved out of the Techwood facility and into a largely-vacant office complex in downtown Atlanta- redubbing it the CNN Center, it helped to revitalize the Downtown Atlanta area and is a major tourist attraction.

Turner's success continued, but in 1984, had one of his few overall failures- an Creator/{{MTV}} competitor called the ''Cable Music Channel'', which [[EpicFail failed after five months]] due to cable systems not carrying the channel, MTV's dominance of recording artists, and other factors- as a result he sold the satellite space to MTV, which used it to launch Creator/{{VH1}} in 1985.

But this didn't deter Turner, who continued his other successful ventures and in 1986, made his biggest purchase yet- that of the storied Hollywood studio Creator/MetroGoldwynMayer (and its' sister studio, Creator/UnitedArtists). But after 74 days, he returned them to former owner Kirk Kerkorian due to a crashing debt load. But he shrewdly kept a very valuable asset- MGM's library, encompassing not only MGM produced films, television shows and cartoons, but also material from Creator/WarnerBros (The studio's pre-1950 library, color ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' cartoons made prior to August 1948, and all Creator/HarmanAndIsing ''Merrie Melodies''), Creator/{{Paramount}} (specifically the ''WesternAnimation/{{Popeye}}'' cartoons), and the US/Canadian rights to the Creator/RKORadioPictures library- totaling well over 7000 titles. He used this to not only supply WTBS with programming, but also start another new network, Creator/{{TNT}} (''Turner Network Television''), which would focus on not only these catalog titles, but also air expanded sports coverage to supplement TBS, special events and original programming (partially as a result of his failed efforts to purchase Creator/{{CBS}} in 1985). And of course, it launched with the first cable telecast of his favorite film, ''Film/GoneWithTheWind'' (which he of course now owned).

But he also had a nasty habit during this time- [[GeorgeLucasAlteredVersion colorizing old black-and-white movies]], which was decried by cinephiles and TV viewers alike. He ''did'' [[WellIntentionedExtremist have a good goal in mind when commenced colorization]]- this would allow movies to be transferred from film that could be worn out or broken, to more durable format including videotape for future preservation. He eventually stopped the habit not only due to the bad press, but also because it was far too costly. Thankfully, this did have some positive consequences, in that it gave a big boost to the film preservation movement, and helped inspire creation of the UsefulNotes/NationalFilmRegistry. He then established Creator/TurnerClassicMovies in 1994 to showcase these catalog titles unedited, uncut and uninterrupted, much to cinephiles' relief- and joy, as TCM has never wavered from this goal and is seen as one of the shining examples of averting NetworkDecay.

1991 saw him acquiring storied animation studio Creator/HannaBarbera, resulting in the 1992 launch of Creator/CartoonNetwork, a 24-hour animation network utilizing the library of Hanna-Barbera and the cartoons of MGM, Warner Bros. and Paramount he owned already; eventually expanding into original programming by the end of the decade. Hanna-Barbera was refocused in time to provide original programming for the Turner networks and its' final broadcast series- ''Film/DumbAndDumber''- aired on ABC in 1995.

But the biggest change came in 1996, when Turner Broadcasting merged with Time Warner, owner of Creator/WarnerBros, HBO (ironically), Time Inc. and its' collection of magazine, cable systems, and various other media assets. With this the halves of the WB library were reunited, allowing Cartoon Network and TCM access to the rest of the WB library. As a result he grew farther and farther away from the day-to-day operations of his networks.

2000 saw the infamous merger of Time Warner with America Online, which Turner initially agreed to, but as the merged AOL Time Warner began posting huge losses as a result of the dot-com bubble's bursting, he realized this was a bad idea and had been reduced to a mere figurehead, holding no power in the company's operations (which resulted in the sale of [[Wrestling/{{WCW}} World Championship Wrestling (WCW)]], which he had purchased in 1988, to [[Wrestling/{{WWE}} World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)]], as a result of WCW's huge losses- Turner couldn't protect them anymore); he ultimately left the company in 2003.

Also, he ''really'' hates Rupert Murdoch-- back in 1983, a Murdoch-owned sailing ship caused Turner's vessel to run aground in an Australian regatta, and in response, Turner challenged Murdoch ''[[NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer to a televised fistfight in Las Vegas]]''. And he offered the fistfight again in 2003, after he criticized Murdoch's backing of the War in Iraq.

** WPCH-TV (*)[[note]]the former Atlanta-area WTBS, it was split from the national TBS feed in 2007 and relaunched as ''Peachtree TV''; operations were handed over by Time Warner to Meredith Broadcasting-owners of infamously unstable CBS station WGCL-46- in 2011, and finally sold it to them outright in 2017, breaking the last links to the superstation days of TBS[[/note]]

* Turner Entertainment Co. (the holding company for the MGM library and such; nowadays merely a copyright holder while Warner Bros. distributes and licenses the material, though the "globe and marquee" logo can still be found on many movies and cartoons it distributed)
* Turner Program Services (*)[[note]] distribution firm for local television stations, other cable networks and the like; distributed he syndicated episodes of ''Series/{{Starcade}}'' (previously a WTBS original), ''Series/TheWonderYears'', the Turner Entertainment library and Hanna-Barbera product until 1996 and the Time Warner merger, at which point it was reassigned to [[Creator/{{Lorimar}} Telepictures]] and was renamed to Telepictures Distribution, and distributed a mix of first-run shows, off-net reruns from Warner Bros. TV and non-Warner reruns; it was ultimately absorbed into Warner Bros. Television in 2003[[/note]]

But he also had a nasty habit during this time- [[GeorgeLucasAlteredVersion colorizing old black-and-white movies]], which was decried by cinephiles and TV viewers alike. He ''did'' [[WellIntentionedExtremist have a good goal in mind when commenced colorization]]- this would allow movies to be transferred from film that could be worn out or broken, to more durable format including videotape for future preservation. He eventually stopped the habit not only due to the bad press, but also because it was far too costly. Thankfully, this did have some positive consequences, in that it gave a big boost to the film preservation movement (film buffs' fear of their classic titles being RuinedForever), and helped inspire creation of the UsefulNotes/NationalFilmRegistry. He then established Creator/TurnerClassicMovies in 1994 to showcase these catalog titles unedited, uncut and uninterrupted, much to cinephiles' relief- and joy, as TCM has never wavered from this goal and is seen as one of the shining examples of averting NetworkDecay.

But his breakthrough came when, following in pay-TV network [[Creator/{{HBO}} Home Box Office]]'s example, he decided to uplink WTCG to satellite for cable viewers nationwide to watch. This was an instant success, and WTCG- renamed to ''[[Creator/{{TBS}} Superstation WTBS]]'' (for the renamed ''Turner Broadcasting System'') in 1979- was the first basic cable channel. [[note]]WRET was sold around this time- after having taken the Creator/{{NBC}} affiliation- and without Turner's support, the station fell on its' butt- as new owner Westinghouse/Group W inexplicably sought to sabotage the station's success by preempting nearly all NBC programming, cutting local news down to a single midday bulletin, and ''reducing the power of the station's transmitter''- and it was left struggling for a few years before new ownership turned it around, though WCNC, as it was renamed eventually, still struggles in the ratings.[[/note]]

But he also had a nasty habit during this time- [[GeorgeLucasAlteredVersion colorizing old black-and-white movies]], which was decried by cinephiles and TV viewers alike. He ''did'' [[WellIntentionedExtremist have a good goal in mind when commenced colorization]]- this would allow movies to be transferred from film that could be worn out or broken, to more durable format including videotape for future preservation. He eventually stopped the habit not only due to the bad press, but also because it was far too costly. He then established Creator/TurnerClassicMovies in 1994 to showcase these catalog titles unedited, uncut and uninterrupted, much to cinephiles' relief- and joy, as TCM has never wavered from this goal and is seen as one of the shining examples of averting NetworkDecay.

Robert Edward "Ted" Turner III (born November 19, 1938) is a man who helped to revolutionize television and film in many, ''many'' ways, and it's likely that if hadn't been for him, our world might be a ''lot'' different. You can easily see him as the American counterpart of UsefulNotes/RupertMurdoch, albeit a lot more friendlier. His longtime nickname is "The Mouth of the South", and depending on your feelings towards him it can be endearing or demeaning. He's also a prominent modern example of the RenaissanceMan.

Robert Edward "Ted" Turner III (born November 19, 1938) is a man who helped to revolutionize television and film in many, ''many'' ways, and it's likely that if hadn't been for him, our world might be a ''lot'' different. You can easily see him as the American counterpart of UsefulNotes/RupertMurdoch, albeit a lot more friendlier. His longtime nickname is "The Mouth of the South", and depending on your feelings towards him it can be endearing or demeaning.

Robert Edward "Ted" Turner III (born November 19, 1938) is a man who helped to revolutionize television and film in many, ''many'' ways, and it's likely that if hadn't been for him, our world might be a ''lot'' different. You can easily see him as the American counterpart of UsefulNotes/RupertMurdoch, albeit a lot more friendlier.

!! Tropes that apply to Ted Turner include:
* BadassBoast: His claim at the launch of CNN:
--> “We’re gonna go on air June 1, and we’re gonna stay on until the end of the world. When that time comes, we’ll cover it, play "Nearer My God to Thee" and sign off.”
** CrazyPrepared: Such a video ''actually exists'' in the CNN library, marked as "TURNER DOOMSDAY VIDEO", and leaked out to the Internet in 2015; this was Joe Dante's inspiration for Daniel Clamp's "end of the world" video in ''Film/Gremlins2TheNewBatch''.
* TheMoralSubstitute: He started his own non-political Olympics-style competition dubbed the ''Goodwill Games'' in 1986; they were discontinued by Time Warner in 2001.
* RenaissanceMan: Read the above.
* TheRival: UsefulNotes/RupertMurdoch, ''big time.'' Even prior to Fox News's founding these guys were at each other's throats- back in 1983, a Murdoch-sponsored yacht collided with "Condor", a yacht captained by Turner, during an Australian yacht race, causing it to run aground. At the post-race dinner, Turner verbally assaulted Murdoch, challenging him to a ''televised fistfight in Las Vegas''. Turner offered a fistfight again in 2003.

2000 saw the infamous merger of Time Warner with America Online, which Turner initially agreed to, but as the merged AOL Time Warner began posting huge losses as a result of the dot-com bubble's bursting, he realized this was a bad idea and had been reduced to a mere figurehead, holding no power in the company's operations (which resulted in the sale of ProWrestling/WorldChampionshipWrestling, which he had purchased in 1988, to the [[ProWrestling/WorldWrestlingEntertainment WWE]], as a result of WCW's huge losses- Turner couldn't protect them anymore); he ultimately left the company in 2003.

But this didn't deter Turner, who continued his other successful ventures and in 1986, made his biggest purchase yet- that of the storied Hollywood studio Creator/MetroGoldwynMayer (and its' sister studio, Creator/UnitedArtists). But after 74 days, he returned them to former owner Kirk Kerkorian due to a crashing debt load. But he shrewdly kept a very valuable asset- MGM's library, encompassing not only MGM produced films, television shows and cartoons, but also material from Creator/WarnerBros (all of its' pre-1950 library), Creator/{{Paramount}} (specifically the ''WesternAnimation/{{Popeye}}'' cartoons), and the US/Canadian rights to the Creator/RKORadioPictures library- totaling well over 7000 titles. He used this to not only supply WTBS with programming, but also start another new network, Creator/{{TNT}} (''Turner Network Television''), which would focus on not only these catalog titles, but also air expanded sports coverage to supplement TBS, special events and original programming (partially as a result of his failed efforts to purchase Creator/{{CBS}} in 1985). And of course, it launched with the first cable telecast of his favorite film, ''Film/GoneWithTheWind'' (which he of course now owned).

Turner was now on the map, and sought to capitalize on it. In 1979, he announced the formation of the world's first 24-hour news channel. He bought an old country club in Midtown Atlanta on Techwood Avenue for the new venture (moving WTBS into the facility in the meantime)[[note]]the front facade was used as the logo for Turner Pictures and Turner Home Entertainment in the 1990s, leading to the nickname of the "Turner Mansion"[[/note]], and on June 1st, 1980, the ''Cable News Network'', or just Creator/{{CNN}}, and... well, it wasn't an instant success, but gradually people began catching on to it and by the time of the first Gulf War in 1991, the channel proved it was ingrained in the American consciousness as people stayed on its' 24-hour coverage. It gradually began expanding internationally and with a variety of spin-off channels and ventures, although not all of them have worked. [[Creator/{{HLN}} CNN2]], later renamed to ''Headline News'', was launched in 1982 (taking the satellite space of a failed CNN rival, Creator/{{ABC}} and Group W's Satellite News Channel), as a 24-hour service dedicated to rolling news headlines. In 1987 CNN moved out of the Techwood facility and into a largely-vacant office complex in downtown Atlanta- redubbing it the CNN Center, it helped to revitalize the Downtown Atlanta area and is a major tourist attraction.

But his breakthrough came when, following in pay-TV network [[Creator/{{HBO}} Home Box Office]]'s example, he decided to uplink WTCG to satellite for cable viewers nationwide to watch. This was an instant success, and WTCG- renamed to ''Superstation WTBS'' (for the now ''Turner Broadcasting System'') in 1979- was the first basic cable channel. [[note]]WRET was sold around this time- after having taken the Creator/{{NBC}} affiliation- and without Turner's support, the station fell on its' butt- as new owner Westinghouse/Group W inexplicably sought to sabotage the station's success by preempting nearly all NBC programming, cutting local news down to a single midday bulletin, and ''reducing the power of the station's transmitter''- and it was left struggling for a few years before new ownership turned it around, though WCNC, as it was renamed eventually, still struggles in the ratings.[[/note]]

He was the son of a billboard magnate and attended Brown University- only to get kicked out for [[ValuesDissonance having a girl in his dorm room]]. He returned to Georgia and worked at his father's company, only for him to become head when his father [[DrivenToSuicide committed suicide]] in 1963. He turned his dad's company into the largest billboard-advertising firm in the Southeast. But this was merely a stepping stone- flush with cash, he started buying television stations- specifically WJRJ, channel 17 in UsefulNotes/Atlanta, and WCTU channel 36 in Charlotte, NC. He renamed both, to WTCG (for ''Turner Communications Group'') and WRET (for ''Robert Edward Turner'') respectively, and turned the flailing stations around by programming them with older reruns, movies and sports- by 1976, he bought the MLB's [[UsefulNotes/MLBTeams Atlanta Braves]] to provide built in programming and still later bought the UsefulNotes/{{NBA}}'s Atlanta Hawks.

Turner was now on the map, and sought to capitalize on it. In 1979, he announced the formation of the world's first 24-hour news channel. He bought an old country club in Midtown Atlanta on Techwood Avenue for the new venture (moving WTBS into the facility in the meantime)[[note]]the front facade was used as the logo for Turner Pictures and Turner Home Entertainment in the 1990s, leading to the nickname of the "Turner Mansion"[[/note]], and on June 1st, 1980, the ''Cable News Network'', or just Creator/{{CNN}}, and... well, it wasn't an instant success, but gradually people began catching on to it and by the time of the first Gulf War in 1991, the channel proved it was ingrained in the American consciousness as people stayed on its' 24-hour coverage. It gradually began expanding internationally and with a variety of spin-off channels and ventures, although not all of them have worked. [[Creator/{{HLN}} CNN2]], later renamed to ''Headline News'', was launched in 1982 (taking the satellite space of a failed CNN rival, Creator/{{ABC}} and Group W's Satellite News Channel), as a 24-hour service dedicated to rolling news headlines. In 1987 CNN moved out of the Techwood facility and into a largely-vacant office complex in downtown Atlanta- redubbing it the CNN Center is help to revitalize the Downtown Atlanta are and is a major tourist attraction.

* Creator/TruTV (formerly [=CourtTV=], was absorbed by Turner in 2006, having previously been half-owned by Time Warner)

** Creator/CartoonNetworkStudios

** CrazyPrepared: Such a video ''actually exists'' in the CNN library, marked as "TURNER DOOMSDAY VIDEO", and leaked out to the Internet in 2015; this was Joe Dante's inspiration for Daniel Clamp's "end of the world" video in ''Film/GremlinsIITheNewBatch''.