Ted Turner, CNN founder and media pioneer, dies at 87

The cable news pioneer died at 87

Ted Turner made his mark across media and entertainment as a trailblazing entrepreneur. Nowhere was his impact more profound than in journalism with the launch of CNN. Ted Turner was also nothing short of a gift to the journalists who covered his long run in the public eye. Turner, the media mogul who died May […]

Ted Turner, the brash, visionary entrepreneur who founded CNN, transformed cable television, raced yachts in the America's Cup, and became one of America's leading conservationists, died May 6 at 87. "Sunday Morning" correspondent Lee Cowan looks back at the outsized life and restless ambition of a true American original – a man who reshaped the media landscape, helped restore the American bison, and poured his fortune into conservation, philanthropy, and global causes.

Ted Turner was called many things during his 87 years on earth, including "cable pioneer," "Mouth of the South," "Captain Courageous," and, of course, "CNN founder."

In 2008, 60 Minutes correspondent Morley Safer traveled to Ted Turner's ranch in Montana, a small part of the billionaire's vast U.S. land holdings, to profile the pioneering media mogul. Turner, who died Wednesday at age 87, created CNN and launched the format of 24/7 cable news.

Turner’s original vision is under serious threat these daysTed Turner, who died on Wednesday aged 87, was many things – a philanthropist, a conservationist, the one-time husband of movie star Jane Fonda, a yachtsman, and the owner of the Atlanta Braves and the Atlanta Hawks.He thought big and lived large.Margaret Sullivan is a Guardian US columnist writing on media, politics and culture Continue reading...