BIZ Who Is - CNN FOUNDER TED TURNER - January, 2007

Ted Turner

James Loving

After launching CNN he bought the NBA's Atlanta Hawks. He televised them nationally in the USA over his WTBS channel. It was a local channel in Atlanta, Georgia that he put up on a satellite when cable first started. Turner then negotiated a deal with NBA commissioner David Stern to televise some of the NBA games nationally on a so many games per week basis.

Tuesday January 30, 2007

TED TURNER The King of Cable TV

When it comes down to who did the most to bring cable TV to the world you can get down on your knees and bow to Ted Turner. Turner founded CNN (Cable News Network).

As they say he was into country when country wasn't cool. We're not talking music we're talking going to Russia and other foreign nations that were deemed by the US government as not being the best of friends. Turner had the balls of an elephant and was as stubborn as a donkey. When he wanted something done it was mostly done. When he failed he gave it one hell of a try.

When Turner announced at a cable TV trade show in 1979 that he was going to launch a 24-hour all news channel he was mocked and dismissed as being crazy. Who in the world would watch a 24-hour news channel his detractors challenged. At the time cable TV had only a 5% share of the television viewers in America. But the good old southern boy went on about his business and proved that he was right. Not only was he right that people would watch a 24-hour news channel he took the giant step and was right that people all over the world would watch. He more than proved that it was a viable idea.

Turner was a fighter and a sports fan. He won the sailboat racing title the America's Cup with his boat named the Courageous in 1977. After his win he was shown on the TV news drunk after celebrating his crews victory. Of course this was before he founded CNN.

After launching CNN he bought the NBA's Atlanta Hawks. He televised them nationally in the USA over his WTBS channel. It was a local channel in Atlanta, Georgia that he put up on a satellite when cable first started.

Turner then negotiated a deal with NBA commissioner David Stern to televise some of the NBA games nationally on a so many games per week basis. He also purchased the MLB's (Major League Baseball) Atlanta Braves and televised them nationally on WTBS calling them America's team since they were available to be seen throughout the country.

Not one to shy away from controversy Turner took the ownership of a professional sports team to the next level by managing the Braves for a day after giving the regular manager the day off. In doing so he became the first owner/manager of a MLB baseball franchise since Connie Mack managed his then Philadelphia Athletics (now Oakland) in the early fifties.

Turner created a sports competition and television programming for his channel when he founded the Goodwill Games in 1986. At the time I joined the he's crazy club thinking it would never work.

The mouth from the south kept jumping into my privates life as well. After a failed attempt to acquire the CBS television network in the USA, Turner purchased the legendary but struggling Hollywood film studio MGM/UA Entertainment Co. from Kirk Kerkorian in 1986 for $1.5 Billion. He then sold off the hardware and kept the film library for more programming for his then TNT (Turner Network Television) movie channel.

How did that experience cross paths with my life? At the time I was also moonlighting as a chauffeur at the Beverly Hills hotel in Beverly Hills, California. I was the requested chauffeur for Dodi Fayed who at the same time was also negotiating to purchase MGM. I drove him to those meetings.

Turner was the king of negotiators and colorful to listen too evidenced by the fact that he usually was the keynote speaker for Cable television conferences attracting an overflow crowd. He was outspoken. He was against those who opposed abortion. "I'm not going to have anyone tell me what to do," he lashed out at a television conference.

He denounced Jane Fonda when he spoke again at another cable conference calling her Hanoi Jane. It brought laughter but I immediately recognized his comments as a street hustle being that when someone liked someone they put them down (negative comments) to get their attention. He did as he and Fonda later married.

Well you can get off your knees now since Turner is out of the cable business having been bought out by Time Warner. But don't feel sorry for the now 68-year-old. He has millions of dollars and plenty to eat. You see he bought a ranch years ago and raised Buffalo. Now he's selling them to be eaten at his Montana Grill chain across America.

He is America's largest private landowner, owning approximately two million acres (8,000 km²), which is greater than the land areas of the two smallest states of Delaware and Rhode Island combined. He also has the largest private bison herd in the world, with 40,000 head.

In 1998, Turner gave $1 billion in Time Warner stock to United Nations causes, founding the United Nations Foundation. Robert Edward "Ted" Turner III was born November 19, 1938 and has a lot of miles left in his tank to add to the spice of life for people all over the world.

But… remember this… there is no other person as colorful and adventurous as Ted Turner.

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