# Ted Turner, CNN founder, dead at 87  
**Published:** 2026-05-06T22:50:20.000Z  
**Source:** [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/06/repub/ted-turner-founder-of-cnn-remembered-for-reimagining-the-news-cycle/)  
**AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001)  
**Canonical:** https://lincolne.news/article/ted-turner-cnn-founder-dead-at-87

Ted Turner, the media maverick and philanthropist who founded CNN, a pioneering 24-hour network that revolutionized television news, died peacefully Wednesday, surrounded by his family, according to a news release from Turner Enterprises. He was 87.

Turner launched the Cable News Network out of a converted country club in Atlanta on June 1, 1980, creating what many considered an impossible venture. Before the network became an institution, a shorthand for 24/7 breaking news around the world, it was a dare that many people considered unserious and some derided as "Chicken Noodle News."

Born in Ohio but based in Atlanta, the Ohio-born Atlanta businessman, nicknamed "The Mouth of the South" for his outspoken nature, built a media empire that encompassed cable's first superstation and popular channels for movies and cartoons, plus professional sports teams like the Atlanta Braves. Turner's creation of never-ending news paved the way for MSNBC and Fox News.

CNN was the only news outlet able to broadcast live telephone voice reports of the attacks as the first allied bombing raid on Baghdad began during the 1991 Gulf War, marking the first time a war had been televised live for a worldwide audience. Turner was named Time magazine's Man of the Year in 1991, recognized for "influencing the dynamic of events" and turning viewers in 150 countries into instant witnesses of history.

Beyond broadcasting, Turner was also an internationally known yachtsman; a philanthropist who founded the United Nations Foundation; an activist who sought the worldwide elimination of nuclear weapons; and a conservationist who became one of the foremost landowners in the United States. Turner left behind a media and conservation legacy that spanned more than 2 million acres in the U.S.

Turner disclosed in September 2018 that he was suffering from Lewy body dementia, a brain disorder that affects memory and other cognitive functions. He is survived by his five children, 14 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

[Nebraska Examiner reported](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/06/repub/ted-turner-founder-of-cnn-remembered-for-reimagining-the-news-cycle/) on the pioneering broadcaster's life and impact on American media.

## Sources

- [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/06/repub/ted-turner-founder-of-cnn-remembered-for-reimagining-the-news-cycle/)

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This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Nebraska Examiner, enriched with 2 web searches. The original source is available at https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/06/repub/ted-turner-founder-of-cnn-remembered-for-reimagining-the-news-cycle/.