Turner Calls Rival Media Mogul Murdoch 'Warmonger' (CNN Ratings Envy Alert)

Reuters/Yahoo ^ | 04-25-03 | Duncan Maretll

[Tall_Texan]

SAN FRANCISCO, April 24 (Reuters) - Ted Turner said on Thursday too few people owned too many media organizations and called rival media baron Rupert Murdoch a warmonger for what he said was Murdoch's promotion of the U.S. war in Iraq.

"He's a warmonger," Turner said in an evening speech to the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco of Murdoch, whose News Corp. Ltd. owns the fast-growing Fox News Channel. "He promoted it."

Fox News Channel has been the most popular U.S. cable news network during the conflict, trumping AOL Time Warner Inc.'s CNN, which Turner started more than two decades ago and came to prominence with its blanket coverage of the 1991 Gulf War.

Asked by an audience member for his thoughts on Fox's larger ratings share than CNN's, Turner said, "Just because your ratings are bigger doesn't mean you're better."

"It's not how big you are, it's how good you are that really counts," Turner said, drawing hoots from the audience.

Turner, who has pledged to give $1 billion to the United Nations and is a vocal proponent of population control and nuclear-arms elimination, criticized the concentration of ownership of the vast majority of U.S. television networks, radio and TV stations and newspapers in a few corporations.

"The media is too concentrated, too few people own too much," Turner said.

Asked whether he would again try to launch a new network, Turner, who is the vice chairman of AOL Time Warner and has been critical of the merger of AOL and TimeWarner, said: "No. I think the space is filled with the people already there.

FIVE COMPANIES

"There's really five companies that control 90 percent of what we read, see and hear. It's not healthy."

Earlier on Thursday, BBC Director General Greg Dyke said U.S. broadcasters' coverage of the Iraq war was so unquestioningly patriotic and so lacking in impartiality that it threatened the credibility of America's electronic media.

Dyke singled out for criticism Fox News Channel and Clear Channel Communications Inc., the largest operator of radio stations in the United States.

"Personally, I was shocked while in the United States by how unquestioning the broadcast news media was during this war," Dyke said in a speech at a University of London conference.

After Turner's initial remarks, the moderator for the question and answer session noted that Turner would not be able to comment on the ongoing federal investigations into AOL Time Warner.

The moderator had scarcely finished her statement when he leaned into the microphone and said: "I can say one thing. As the largest shareholder and the biggest shareholder (of the company), it's been brutal."

Turner said he also liked bison.

"I got 35,000 of them," Turner said in response to a question about bison. "I do eat them. You've got to eat."

The final question of the evening to Turner: What will be his epitaph.

"I have nothing more to say," Turner said. "And that's what it is."

[Tall_Texan]

...and I guess lying for 12 years to retain access in Baghdad is better? Go kiss Fidel again, Ted.

[retrokitten]

Here, Ted. Dry your angry, jealous tears...

[Search4Truth]

Sour grapes rant BUMP.

[Abynormal]

And someone was actually interested in getting Ted's opinion on anything?

[hapy]

boy rich liberals are such babies!

Fox is my number one news show, so Teddy go over to DU
and cry with them

These guys really are having a hard time being powerless.
christ were we this angry and mean when they were in charge?

[skinkinthegrass]

Concur... :)

[Tall_Texan]

The left just can't stop wetting their pants over Fox News' success.

[anniegetyourgun]

Yep...while Ted thinks Rupert is a 'warmonger', the rest of us know that Ted's network was paying for access, submitting to censorship, and furthering the reign of torture, maiming, and murder of Iraqis and others. Ted's the one with blood on his hands.

[Hugin]

This guys sold his network to Time/Warner to create the largest media conglomerate in the world, then complains the media ownership is too concentrated.

[Scothia]

The left just can't stop wetting their pants over Fox News' success.

They can't stop wetting their pants over the fact that we, the people of the United States, don't have them as gatekeepers anymore.

[RetiredArmy]

Ted Turner and Hanoi Jane, has-beens, never-wuzzes, Commie liberal/leftist slimeball Stalinist. They both should be hung for treason. Her for what she did to our POWs in Nam at the hilton and him for marrying the bitch.

[hgro]

Mr. Hanoi Jane Turner needs to go to commie country, where he will feel more at home.

[alloysteel]

Exactly how do you "mong" war? There can be arguments for and against taking up arms, all of which can be stated objectively and rationally, if not always defensibly. If the facts in favor of going to war outweigh the opposing view, then the conclusion of the debate should be accepted, and preparations made accordingly. If the case cannot be made for going to war, then other means of conflict resolution should be applied. Unending conflict is just too destabilizing, because of all the other ways it spills over. Peace and freedom are the outcome of conflict resolution, but the failure to resolve the differences inevitably destroy all chance for either peace or freedom.

[wcentrella]

After what happened to his AOLTW stock it might not be the best of ideas for Ted to give away money to the UN...

[Mister Baredog]

"It's not how big you are, it's how good you are that really counts,"

An obvious referral to Ted's Tiny Dick

[ibbryn]

At one time Ted owned more US land than any other citizen alive. Anyone know if this is still true?

I also hear he's taken back his 1 bill pledge since his fortunes have shrunk.

[Sonny M]

Just to note, well before CNN became a part of Time Warner, it was noted that Saddam Hussein's favorite news station was CNN (castro also said this), and as a result in the first gulf war, they were given favorable coverage and special treatment (the HBO movie was total bull, even according to people that worked at CNN).

[zerosix]

I'm having a difficult time trying to put Ted's comments into the proper perspective:
CNN lied, distorted and skewed their "reporting" from Iraq, and in the end has lost viewers/money.
FOX News gives honest reporting and their commentators wear American flags and root for Saddam's evil regime to lose, and in the end gain viewers/money.

Turner to audience - "Murdoch is a pro-American warmonger."
Turner/CNN supports a despotic leader and murderous regime.

Does that make Turner/CNN "Anti-American Despot-supporting, Peacemongers?"

[John Lenin]

This guys sold his network to Time/Warner to create the largest media conglomerate in the world, then complains the media ownership is too concentrated.

That's what I was thinking.