CNN's Ted Turner

When you first think of television stations what first comes to mind? FOX? CNN? ABC? NBC? Each of these broadcasting stations is constantly in competition with each other, striving to the station with the most viewers. As one of the largest networks on television, CNN has always been considered a large competitor, as it has held the number one slot amongst all other stations.

As founder of CNN, Ted Turner used innovation (such as the idea of creating the first 24-hour news channel) to keep his network at the top. Although known most commonly for starting CNN, Ted Turner also founded Turner Broadcasting, which includes networks such as TBS, TNT, and TCM. At first, Turner struggled with starting CNN, as it cost twice what he originally anticipated and was not generating enough revenue. Although CNN is now considered the top cable news channel, it struggles to top Fox News in having the highest number of average viewers. In order to keep competition high against Fox, CNN uses “star anchors,” a practice in which Turner does not advocate. Outspoken and proactive, Turner is known as “the mouth of the south” in his interactions with the media. He once claimed in a question-and-answer session it was “ "not necessarily a bad thing" that Fox ratings top CNN and other cable news networks. "Adolf Hitler was more popular in Germany in the early '30s than the people that were running against him… So just because you're bigger doesn't mean you're right."” This demonstrates Turner’s blunt style, which has, in turn, given him a slightly controversial reputation. Although he was not always looked positively upon because of these types of comments, Turner communicated often with the media and his company in order to discuss his business affairs.

Turner effectively led his company through two mergers, first with Time Warner in 1995 and also with AOL in 2001. In 2004, Turner published an article entitled, “My Beef With Big Media,” in which he publicly denounces other large networks that try and push out other entrepreneurs, such as himself, from succeeding. He stated: “To get a flavor of how consolidated the industry has become, consider this: In 1990, the major broadcast networks--ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox--fully or partially owned just 12.5 percent of the new series they aired. By 2000, it was 56.3 percent. Just two years later, it had surged to 77.5 percent.” Throughout the rest of his article, Turner exemplifies how he was able to lead his company into one of the most World-wide recognized names, but as the industry has changed over time, he worries that others following in his footsteps won’t have the room to succeed as he did.

As a pioneer in the broadcasting network field, Ted Turner has communicated effectively the status of his company since the beginning. Although often considered crude and controversial, his remarks are always upfront and honest. CNN and his other networks continue to prosper and be regarded as the one of the nation’s top news channels.



http://money.cnn.com/2003/02/20/news/companies/aol_turner/index.htm
http://www.japantoday.com/jp/news/326053
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Turner
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2004/0407.turner.html