Pioneering CNN founder Ted Turner dead at 87
America
By
AFP
| May 06, 2026
Ted Turner, the flamboyant US entrepreneur who transformed television news with the creation of CNN in 1980, has died at the age of 87, the network said Wednesday.
The mustached southerner, yachting enthusiast and philanthropist, whose empire also included sports clubs, had been suffering from the degenerative disease Lewy Body Dementia.
Cable News Network upended established broadcasting with its dedication to around-the-clock breaking news and shot to global recognition with its coverage of the Gulf War in 1990-91.
The 24-hour network was the first in the United States to run non-stop news and quickly built a worldwide footprint.
Correspondents brought live coverage from major events ranging from the collapse of the Soviet Union to the Chinese crackdown on the Tiananmen Square protests. CNN's decision to keep reporters in Baghdad amid US bombing on the Iraqi capital cemented the network's reputation as an indispensable source of breaking news.
READ MORE
KCB determined to stop Kabras Sugar Kenya Cup dominance
Gulf Energy at the centre of yet another 'dirty fuel' drama
Vodafone to take control of UK operator
Germany firm BioNTech to cut up to 1,860 jobs as Covid jab sales drop
Ruto allocates more funds to sectors likely to win him votes in 2027
Revealed: Consumption outpacing recycling of waste
Packaged Githeri? The rise of ready-to-eat meals
Firm bets on financial inclusion to unlock boda boda sector growth
Leave Nganyas alone: They define Kenyan culture and creativity
"Ted is the giant on whose shoulders we stand, and we will all take a moment today to recognize him and his impact on our lives and the world," Mark Thompson, chairman and CEO of CNN Worldwide, said in a statement.
"He was and always will be the presiding spirit of CNN."
Born in Cincinnati, Ohio in November 1938, Robert Edward "Ted" Turner III went to a military boarding school in Tennessee, and then attended Brown University, but was expelled before graduating.
Turner took over a faltering family advertising business after his father, despondent over financial problems, committed suicide.
After buying several radio stations, Turner's 1970 purchase of a struggling Atlanta station was his first move into television.
Ten years later, that became the flagship of his nationwide Turner Broadcasting System, the profits from which he parlayed into the launch of CNN.
CNN's success inspired the creation of other 24-hour news channels, including Fox News by longtime Turner rival Rupert Murdoch, MSNBC and countless networks worldwide.