Posted on 05/06/2026 7:22:52 AM PDT by V_TWIN
The billionaire died on Wednesday, according to the cable news network he founded.
Turner was nicknamed the 'Mouth of the South' for often being outspoken, and built a media empire that included movies and sports channels, as well as owning the Atlanta Braves.
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I never had much use for the blowhard. Then he mocked his own employees on Ash Wednesday for ashes on their forehead and willed all his money to the UN. He was never faithful to any of his wives. I’d say a totally selfish hedonistic personality. I refuse to eat at his restaurant.
RIP. The man who made it possible for anybody to watch ‘Road House’ at almost anytime on TBS, before on demand.
As an anon on Twitter put it: “Ted Turner was the gold standard for that breed of quasi-insane but generally harmless rich guys America used to have but don’t really exist anymore.”
Rest in peace.
Agreed. Headline News was the best when it came out since we didn’t have to wait until the evening national news.
Before CNN, he owned a UHF station in Atlanta. He ran a late night rip and read news program to satisfy public service programming. At one point, they used a German Shepherd as the on-air personality to present the news. As I recall they gave it peanut butter and filmed it moving its mouth while the news director read off screen. So the grandfather of CNN was an actual joke of a news broadcast.
I might actually watch that news broadcast!
It proves that Ted Turner had a sense of humor. At least before he married Jane Fonda.
Did they give the German Shephard a name? So many inspirations to choose from. I suppose it would have been prudent to camouflage the name. Waldan Rathkite maybe?
I recall the name but barely. :-(
That looks like a blue, Union uniform. Confederates wore either gray or butternut colors, and a different kind of hat.
68 billion acres of prime real estate about to come on market.
He was a big proponent of pro wrestling.
Not true. Some Confederates wore blue early in the war.
Before CNN, Channel 17/the Superstation was awesome.
Call sign WTCG, for Watch This Channel Grow.
Looked it up on the Internet. The dog was named Rex, the Wonder Dog. The newsreader was Bill Tush who made the transition to CNN.
The channel had four or more names; I didn’t recall what it was named at the time (WTCG). WJRJ (pre-Turner) WTCG, WTBS, WPCH (post Turner).
So today he faced the biggest “loser’ of them all for judgment. I wonder how that went?
Last time I seen him he looked like he was already dead, and that was years ago.
Despite his leftist billionaire leanings, he was a bit of a Neo-Confederate back when that movement was broader based.
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