CNN's Wolf Blitzer remembers Ted Turner

Hinzugefügt: 2026-05-09

[00:00:00]We're back with breaking news. On a gray overcast morning seen as the city mourns a man who helped shape what Atlanta is today. The founder of CNN, Ted Turner, dies at the age of 87. That news just coming down within the last half hour.

[00:00:18]Turner built his media empire here in Atlanta. helped put the city on the global map with CNN launching it in 1980, becoming the world's first 24-hour news channel. You know, he also had a big stake with the Braves. He bought the Braves in 1976 and turned them into Atlanta's team as you're looking uh at video from his first day at CNN as president of CNN as they unveiled that 247 News Network. Um but he also has an environmental and land legacy. he leaves behind in Georgia, becoming one of the largest private land owners in the US, owning much of that land here in Georgia. He didn't just build companies in Atlanta. He helped transform this city into an international media, sports, and cultural hub. Let's get more from Wolf Blitzer as he remembers his former boss, Ted Turner.

[00:01:13]Known as the mouth of the south and captain outrageous, Ted Turner built a media empire that changed cable news forever. Champion, philanthropist, environmentalist.

[00:01:25]>> I don't know how to quit.

[00:01:28]It's not in my genes.

[00:01:30]>> Born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1938, he went to work for his dad's billboard company. But tragedy struck when his father killed himself. Ted took over the family business and coped with the loss by working even harder.

[00:01:43]>> He said, [music] uh, set your goals so high that you can't achieve them in your lifetime.

[00:01:48]>> When Ted wasn't working, [music] he turned to the sport he loved, sailing.

[00:01:53]>> We got to go fast as we can here.

[00:01:55]>> And won the sport's top race, the America's Cup. [music] In 1970, Ted bought a struggling TV station. He was going to transform UHF television into uh this new world of [music] satellite television.

[00:02:08]>> Ted renamed the station WTBS and it became the country's first super station. He bought the Atlanta Braves and broadcast their games nationwide.

[00:02:18]>> The Atlanta Braves.

[00:02:19]>> The Braves became America's team. He set his sights even higher on a 24-hour news channel.

[00:02:26]>> I I worked till 7:00 and when I got home, the the news was uh was over. So, I missed television news completely [music] and I figured there were lots of people like me.

[00:02:37]>> People did look upon that as a foolish uh idea that was uh destined for a failure, but they underestimated Ted Turner.

[00:02:46]>> We won't be signing off until the world ends.

[00:02:50]We'll be on. We will cover it live. I dedicate the news channel for America, the cable news [music] network. Take 11.

[00:03:01]Mike >> CNN aired its first broadcast on June 1st, 1980.

[00:03:06]>> Good evening. I'm David Walker.

[00:03:07]>> And I'm Lois Hart. Now, here's the news.

[00:03:09]>> Critics called it chicken noodle news.

[00:03:12]>> Hello, Baghdad.

[00:03:12]>> But the Gulf War would give CNN the respect it deserved.

[00:03:16]>> You're going to hear the bombs now. They are hitting the center of this city.

[00:03:20]>> It was the first time a war was broadcast live on television, and it was only on CNN. Ted didn't care as much about ratings as he did about being the most trusted man in news. Ted also cared about the world. Over a 10-year period, he donated a billion dollars to the United Nations.

[00:03:40]>> I'm no poorer than I [music] was 9 months ago, and the world is a lot better off.

[00:03:45]>> And he expanded his empire, launching networks like TNT and Turner Classic Movies. In his personal life, Ted was married and divorced twice with five children before he finally met his match, Jane Fonda.

[00:03:59]>> She agreed [music] to have dinner with me. For me, it was love at first sight.

[00:04:04]>> I can't ever forget the reasons that made me fall in love with him. I've never [music] met any human being that thinks the way Ted does.

[00:04:12]>> In 1996, he sold his networks to Time Warner. He got almost $8 billion. 5 years later, Time Warner merged with AOL and Ted was out. But Ted never gave up.

[00:04:25]His final act, Saving the Planet. He created the UN Foundation and the Nuclear Threat Initiative.

[00:04:34]>> On his Montana ranch, he made it his mission to save the bison.

[00:04:38]>> Hi. Well, you never go home, do you?

[00:04:41]>> And he opened restaurants to ensure their survival. Ted's love of the outdoors [music] has made him perhaps the number one environmentalist that I've ever known.

[00:04:51]>> Before his 80th birthday, Ted revealed he had Louis body dementia, a progressive disease. He spent his final years treasuring private moments, his ranch, and his family. We have [music] never seen a man quite like Ted Turner before on this planet and I don't think we'll ever [music] see another one like him again.

[00:05:19]This morning, the Atlanta Braves also remembering the legend, saying our good friend and former owner Ted Turner was one of a kind, a brilliant businessman, consmate showman, and passionate fan of his beloved Braves. Ted's visionary leadership and innovative approach to broadcast television transformed the Braves into America's team. Under his stewardship, the ball club experienced one of the greatest runs of sustained excellence in Major League Baseball history and brought a World Series championship to Atlanta in 1995. Ted was also a legendary philanthropist whose compassion and gener whose compassion and generosity extended across the globe. The Braves go on to say, "We will miss you, Ted. You helped make us who we are today." and the Atlanta Braves are forever grateful for the impact you made on our organization and in our community.