Biography On Ted Turner

Ted Turner

Ted Turner is one of the premier people that have made society the way it is today through television, movies, and sporting events. Turner's achievements are almost an endless conversation. With all that he has created and once owned, Turner's legacy will have an impact for generations well into the future.

Robert Edward Turner III was born on November 19, 1938, to Ted and Florence Turner, in Cincinnati, Ohio. His childhood years were mainly focused on his schooling. By attending a boarding school in Cincinnati, and a Presbyterian military academy in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the McCallie School, both of his parents were focused on his positive upbringing. Later, he enrolled at Brown University, in Providence, Rhode Island, where he studied Economics.

At the age of 24, Ted Turner inherited his father's billboard company, Turner Advertising Company; this marked the beginning of his media empire. In 1970, he entered the television business by purchasing an independent UHF television station in Atlanta. It is known today as Turner Broadcasting System, or TBS. During 1976-77, he purchased the Atlanta Braves, a Major League Baseball team, and the Atlanta Hawks, a National Basketball Association team. Later that year, TBS launched the "superstation" concept, by transmitting the TBS signal to cable systems nationwide through satellite. On June 1, 1980, Turner launched Cable News Network (CNN), which became the world's first 24-hour television news network. The network later expanded to create CNN Headline News and CNN Radio in 1982; CNN International, offered in 210 countries and territories worldwide, in 1985; CNN Airport Network, providing programming for airline travelers in 29 U.S. Airports, in 1992; CNN Interactive, providing multimedia/online news for internet users, in 1995; and CNNSI, offering a 24-hour sports news network with the partnership of Sports Illustrated, in 1996. Throughout all this time, he also launched several television networks such as, Turner Network Television, or TNT, in 1988; Cartoon Network in 1992; and Turner Classic Movies, or TCM, in 1994 - all of these were later offered all over the world in many different languages. Some other various organizations he originated were the Goodwill Games, which are held every four years throughout the world, in 1986; World Championship Wrestling