Ted Turner Obituary May 6, 2026
Ted Turner, the audacious cable pioneer, arguably best known for creating CNN and Turner Broadcasting, Inc., died on May 6, 2026, at his home in Lamont, FL at the age of 87.
Ted Turner was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on November 19, 1938, to Robert Edward Turner, Jr. and Florence Turner (née. Rooney). At the age of nine, Turner’s parents moved him and his younger sister Mary Jean to Savannah, GA, so that his father could pursue a career in billboard advertising. At the age of 12, Turner was sent to board at McCallie, an all-boys school in Chattanooga, TN, with whom Turner maintained a lifelong relationship.
After graduating from McCallie, Turner continued his studies at Brown University in Providence, RI and later served in the U.S. Coast Guard. Upon leaving Brown, Turner began his professional career at his father’s billboard company, Turner Advertising Company, eventually taking over as president following his father’s death.
Turner Advertising Company proceeded to acquire five radio stations in the Southeast, ultimately selling them in order to purchase television station channel 17 in Atlanta, GA which Turner aptly named “WTCG” (Turner Communications Group, now known as Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.). It was WTCG that acquired the rights to air Atlanta Braves baseball game, a move that quickly expanded its audience and popularity among viewers. Upon transmitting Channel 17 content to local cable providers, WTCG’s subscribers grew profoundly. A groundbreaking decision at the time, Turner put WTCG, which was renamed WTBS, on satellite, thus competing with national heavy hitters like NBC and CBS.
But Turner was far from finished leaving his mark on the cable and news industry. In the late 1970s, several years after first envisioning the idea of an around-the-clock news channel, he began seriously pursuing what many believed could never work. At the time, no one had ever created a 24-hour news network. Turner’s vision was bold and ambitious: a global news operation dedicated to serious journalism, delivering news around the clock in an unbiased manner while promoting truth in media and, ultimately, greater understanding and world peace. In 1980, Turner officially launched the Cable News Network (CNN), the world’s first live 24-hour global news network. In doing so, he forever transformed the news industry, redefining how news is gathered, delivered, and consumed across the globe, and setting a new standard for modern journalism that continues to influence global media today.
Over the next two decades, Turner Broadcasting, Inc. built a portfolio of unrivaled cable television news and entertainment brands, including CNN Headline News (HLN), CNN International, Turner Network Television (TNT), Cartoon Network, and Turner Classic Movies (TCM). In 1996, the company merged with Time Warner, Inc. and in 2001, Time Warner merged with AOL, becoming AOL-Time Warner. The company would later change its name back to Time Warner. Turner ultimately departed the company in 2003 and stepped down from the board in 2005. The former networks and assets of Turner Broadcasting System are now under the ownership of Warner Bros. Discovery.
For many, Ted Turner’s name is synonymous with Atlanta sports. In 1976, Turner purchased the Atlanta Braves baseball team from his friend Bill Bartholomay, who was responsible for moving the franchise from Milwaukee to Atlanta. Under his leadership, the Braves climbed from ‘worst to first,’ winning five pennants and the 1995 World Series. In 1996, in recognition of Turner’s achievements and commitment to the Braves organization, the team’s new stadium in Atlanta was given the name “Turner Field”. The Braves went on to play 21 seasons at Turner Field.
