Ted Turner, the brash mogul once known as 'the mouth from the south,' took on established broadcasters and changed television forever with the launch of CNN, the world's first 24-hour news network. In February 1982, the startup cable news channel was bleeding $2 million a month, not yet two years old. To make payroll, Turner cashed in krugerrands stashed in his private safe, with concession sales from the Atlanta Braves also helping. ABC, one of the three broadcast networks he aimed to run out of business, announced plans for a rival all-news service with more viewers and resources. The situation was so dire that Turner even considered an alliance with CBS, which he called a 'cheap whorehouse.'
A Surprising Invitation from Fidel Castro
Then, Fidel Castro, an avowed enemy of the United States, issued Turner a private invitation. Castro had been pirating CNN's signal in Havana and was an OG fan. 'I just wanted to let you know that I think CNN is the most objective source of news,' read the missive hand-delivered by CNN's lone field reporter, Mike Boettcher. 'And if you want to come down to Cuba...' Turner's businessman father had raised him to revile communism, but Turner was no dummy. He commanded Boettcher to set up the visit.
Duck-Hunting and Cigar-Smoking with Fidel
Duck-hunting and cigar-smoking with Castro was Turner's first indication that his all-news channel could unify the world and bring peace. Before CNN's debut, even Turner was skeptical. 'I hate the news,' he would say. 'The news is boring.' His ad salesmen worried, 'Will we have to blow buildings up to fill the time?' It wasn't a passion for journalism that propelled Turner to invest in CNN; his co-creator, Reese Schonfeld, brought that. Nor did CNN's origins involve score-settling politics, as with Fox News Channel 16 years later. At the start, Turner simply aimed to capitalize on cable-satellite technology that had catapulted his small Atlanta station onto the national stage.
The Birth of a Media Revolution
The fearless zeal with which Turner plunged into the venture mirrored his gumption as a wave-defying yachtsman. It's hard to remember a time when the universe wasn't wired for 24/7 everything, when 'breaking news' was truly that. We can thank Turner for turning on the TV spigot. When he bought Channel 17 in 1970, he was appalled that the station went dark after the late-night movie. All stations did. Keeping the lights on was his first act of genius. Buying a faltering baseball team and beaming it around the country created 'America's Team.'
From 'Chicken Noodle News' to Global Influence
On 1 June 1980, CNN began beaming into a little over a million homes. The channel, derided as 'Chicken Noodle News,' would someday make or break presidents, sway public opinion on wars, and rivet the world during the space shuttle explosion or a girl trapped in a well. Over time, we learned to expect news delivered instantly anywhere. That unifying sense of a plugged-in world revved up Turner's poetic self, but he didn't bargain for how unity, amplified by competition and the internet, could spin out of control, turning news from straight reporting into a weapon.
A Legacy Beyond Comparison
When a mogul dies, people search for comparisons, but Turner's moment in time is unparalleled. Imagine a modern titan posing in Castro's office with a video camera rolling. Castro said, 'We receive a very important service by the CNN,' and apologized for 'smuggling' the signal, adding, 'One cannot smuggle the news. Space is universal and news is universal, too.' Turner believed those words and pushed executives to run the tape, but they refused, deeming it bad business. Chagrined, Turner went back to work, infused by the holy spirit of a meeting with an enemy become friend. Just imagine what any network would do with such footage today.
