Ted Turner hailed as ‘Visionary’ and ‘Trailblazer’ by WBD CEO Zaslav
David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, praised cable television pioneer Ted Turner as “a fundamental force” behind many of the brands at the heart of the company today, including CNN.
Turner died Wednesday at the age of 87, according to his company Turner Enterprises. He founded a series of television networks in the 1970s, including the “superstation” WTBS, and spearheaded the launch of CNN in June 1980 as the first 24-hour news channel. Turner sold its Turner Broadcasting System to Time Warner (a predecessor of Warner Bros. Discovery) in 1996.
“Ted’s entrepreneurial spirit, creative ambition and willingness to take risks changed the media industry forever,” Zaslav wrote in a memo sent to WBD employees Wednesday morning. “He believed deeply in the power of ideas, in doing things differently and in building platforms that could inform, inspire and connect people around the world. That belief inspired generations of leaders, including myself. He didn’t just disrupt the media. He transformed it.”
Zaslav also wrote: “CNN fundamentally changed the way the world experiences history in real time, and its impact on journalism continues to be felt every day through the work of our teams.”
Currently, Warner Bros. Discovery has entered into a merger agreement with David Ellison’s Paramount Skydance, currently pending regulatory approval. Under the $111 billion deal, Paramount will acquire WBD’s properties, including CNN, TNT, TBS, Food Network and more, as well as HBO Max and Warner Bros.’ studio operations.
Paramount has claimed that its merger with Warner Bros. Discovery could save more than $6 billion in costs, pointing to the likelihood of mass layoffs if the deal closes. The pending takeover has raised significant concerns among CNN staffers about Ellison’s friendly dealings with President Trump and how that could affect perceptions of CNN’s reporting, and even whether they will receive marching orders from the new management to be less critical of Trump.
Zaslav is expected to leave the company if the Paramount-WBD deal goes through, with an exit salary of more than $550 million.
Read Zaslav’s full memo to staff:
Team,
As many of you know, we lost Ted Turner today. Ted was a visionary, a pioneer and a fundamental force behind many of the brands at the heart of Warner Bros. today. Discovery.
Ted’s entrepreneurial spirit, creative ambition and willingness to take risks changed the media industry forever. He believed deeply in the power of ideas, in doing things differently and in building platforms that could inform, inspire and connect people around the world. That belief inspired generations of leaders, including myself. He didn’t just disrupt the media. He transformed it.
In 1980, many questioned the logic of the launch of CNN, the world’s first 24-hour news network. Ted believed that the world deserved access to news as it happened, and he acted on that belief. CNN fundamentally changed the way the world experiences history in real time, and its impact on journalism continues to be felt every day through the work of our teams.
With the launch of TNT in 1988, and through the sports legacy he built at Turner Sports, he helped redefine sports television and created a platform that brought iconic moments to millions of homes. When founding Turner Classic Movies in 1994, Ted was committed to preserving and celebrating great films and the history of cinema. TCM is a testament to its belief that great stories have no expiration date and that honoring the past is essential to shaping the future.
One of the moments I think about most was meeting Ted in Washington, DC, following the closing of the WarnerMedia-Discovery merger in April 2022. We talked about the opportunities and challenges ahead, the responsibility that comes with managing these extraordinary brands, and the need to continue to innovate in an ever-changing world. I often think about that conversation.
Ted’s influence is woven into Warner Bros. Discovery. The brands he built and championed remain central to who we are, and they continue to reflect his belief in creative risk, cultural impact and global reach. Through CNN, TCM, Turner Sports and across our portfolio, his vision remains in the work our teams do every day.
Outside of the media, Ted was a committed philanthropist who believed that success should serve a broader purpose. He cared about journalism, culture, the environment and future generations, and he acted on these values throughout his life.
On behalf of our entire company, we extend our deepest condolences to Ted’s family and to the many colleagues and partners whose lives and careers were shaped by his vision. It is our responsibility to honor and continue the legacy he built.
Ted Turner changed our industry forever. I am grateful for his courage, his imagination and the lasting mark he leaves on Warner Bros. Discovery and the world.
David
