Ted Turner

The CNN founder who bought the Braves in 1976 and beamed them into homes across North America.

via Wikipedia: Ted Turner · see source

Ted Turner, born Robert Edward Turner III (November 19, 1938 - May 6, 2026), was an American media owner, producer and philanthropist who owned the Atlanta Braves. He built the Turner Broadcasting System, founded CNN as the first 24-hour cable news network, and launched TBS, TNT, The Cartoon Network, Inc. and Turner Classic Movies. For Braves fans his impact was direct: he bought the club in 1976 and used his superstation to broadcast its games nationwide, turning a local team into a franchise with followers across the country. The Braves won the 1995 World Series during his ownership.

Quick Facts

Birth name

Robert Edward Turner III

Born

19 November 1938

Birthplace

Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.

Died

6 May 2026

Place of death

Lamont, Florida, U.S.

Education

Brown University (expelled)

Occupation

Businessman
television producer
media proprietor
philanthropist

Years active

1960–2018

Facts from the source article.

Background

Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Turner grew up in Savannah, Georgia, attended The McCallie School and later Brown University, where he captained the sailing team before being expelled. After his father's suicide in March 1963 he took charge of the family billboard firm at age 24. In 1970 he bought an Atlanta UHF station, renamed it WTCG, and in 1972 secured rights to televise Braves and Atlanta Hawks games. On December 17, 1976, the station began reaching cable viewers nationwide by satellite. That same year he purchased the Braves, adding the Hawks in 1977, partly to fill his schedule. As WTBS, the station carried Braves games into almost every home in North America, making them a household name before their run of success in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Did You Know?

Turner's station bought the WTBS call sign from an MIT student radio station for $50,000 in 1978.
He was once the largest private landowner in the United States, until John C. Malone passed him in 2011.
He created the environmental cartoon Captain Planet and the Planeteers.
He built the largest privately owned bison herd in the world for his Ted's Montana Grill chain.