Ted Turner, the media maverick and philanthropist who founded Cable News Network (CNN), a pioneering 24-hour network that revolutionized television news, died Wednesday, according to a news release from Turner Enterprises.
Aged 87, Turner launched Cable News Network as the first dedicated rolling news channel, in 1980, which soon became a central part of the media landscape.
“Ted was an intensely involved and committed leader, intrepid, fearless and always willing to back a hunch and trust his own judgement,” CNN CEO and chairman Mark Thompson said in a statement.
“He was and always will be the presiding spirit of CNN. 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,” BBC quoted Thompson as saying.
