Ted Turner: Founder of CNN, Media Mogul and Owner of the Atlanta Braves

Ted Turner was an American media mogul, sportsman and philanthropist best known as the founder of CNN, the world's first 24-hour cable news network. Born Robert Edward Turner III on November 19, 1938, in Cincinnati, Ohio, he took over his father's struggling billboard business as a young man and built it into a global television empire. Known as "Captain Outrageous" and "The Mouth of the South" for his bold personality, he changed how the world gets its news.

In 1976 Turner's Atlanta station was beamed to cable systems nationwide as the WTBS superstation, and in 1980 he launched CNN. His Atlanta Braves won the World Series in 1995 while he owned the team, and in 2001 he co-founded the Nuclear Threat Initiative with Sam Nunn to reduce the danger of weapons of mass destruction. He also became one of the largest private landowners in the United States and owned the world's largest private bison herd.

Turner was married three times, to Julia Nye, Jane Shirley Smith and actress Jane Fonda, and had five children. He died on May 6, 2026, at his home at Avalon Plantation in Lamont, Florida, at age 87. Remembered as a risk-taker who reshaped television, sports and conservation, he left a legacy that touched nearly every living room in America.

Achievements: Launched the WTBS superstation (1976), founded CNN (1980), owned the Atlanta Braves when they won the World Series (1995), co-founded the Nuclear Threat Initiative (2001).

Birth: November 19, 1938 - Cincinnati, Ohio.

Profession: Businessman, television producer, media proprietor and philanthropist.

Interesting Facts: Turner was expelled from Brown University for having a female student in his dormitory room, yet the school gave him an honorary degree in 1989. He also skippered his own yachts and won the America's Cup in 1977.