Ted Turner; Dead at 87

What Ted Turner brought to billions of viewers included news, sports, and entertainment. And more. Though he had made the mistake of encouraging more “environmental” concerns and tried to tie his brand to altruism, he still stood at the helm of what kind of man he was.

Ted Turner showed his diamond in the crown of interests, CNN. He wanted it to be a beacon amongst a wasteland of television journalism, but the truth is the network leaned to the left more often than not. It attempted to be an objective and unbiased place for the news, but it had shown that no network without a proper mission statement can ever be completely impartial.

Seen as a titan in the world of political coverage and the epicenter for representing the events of the day. He created the world of making satellite television and purchased a two-bit radio station that became a new one.

He sold his prize to Time Warner like an old Virginia slave.

His amount of power that he wielded made him a person of great understanding and keen vision. If only he had used his powers for good. He became entrenched in the ecology and wanted to spread his horrific message about how humans are destroying the planet.

He chose to become a great man and maybe a good man, but misguided. His idealism appeared to be too much to prove to be excellent.

The first Persian Gulf War launched CNN as a global force for disseminating information.

With TBS, TNT, and Turner Classic Movies, among other properties, these channels launched Mr. Turner’s legacy further into the world. He even helped birth the Cartoon Network.

But his achievements in winning the America’s Cup in sailing and even being part of the Atlanta Braves 1995 World Series Championship.

But it all comes down to the news. His ability to show the issues of the day through top ranked journalists permitted him to become the mogul he had fashioned himself. He often shot down suggestions to become president of the United States. He felt that he could make a bigger impact with his ability to lead the scrappy young new people to strive for excellence.

While there have been failures over time, the successes of CNN often make for lunch counter conversations pertaining to the hard hitting moments amidst the blunders.

Ted Turner was an American badass in more ways than one. He used the advice from his father to “dream so big you won’t be able to [realize] it in your lifetime.” He certainly took his powers and showed that his life had enough thrust to it and power that he showed his abilities on the world stage.

What he displayed over time was his opportunities and risks he took in order to see the great life he wanted. He lived on his own terms and gave way to the cable channels from BET to MTV Lifetime amongst a slew of others.

As he used his mind to the sphere he wanted to engage in, he became an Atlas who could carry the criticism on his back. He may not have had the wherewithal of the Big Three (ABC, CBS, NBC) he placed cameras and television journalists in the field. The revolution would go on to shove CNN directly into the spotlight. The legendary moment allowed Turner to throw all his imagination to take root and push for his crew and colleagues to do their best.

So, while I can’t shed a tear over a white man in America who had made the world a little better, I salute Ted Turner for his resolve, his inspiration.