Ted Turner launched CNN, the world’s first 24-hour news network, on June 1, 1980, pioneering a continuous cable format that reshaped television journalism and established Atlanta as a global media capital.
According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the idea originated during a walk in the woods, as recalled by former Turner Broadcasting chief operating officer Steve Korn. Facing the rise of cable and satellite TV, Turner—already a media innovator—debated whether to focus on news or sports.
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| Ted Turner, June 1, 1980 |
After roughly five years of development, Turner publicly announced plans for the Cable News Network in summer 1979. He recruited Reese Schonfeld, president of the Independent Television News Association, to help build the operation on a tight budget.
The team constructed everything from scratch: purchasing cameras, lights, tape machines, satellite dishes, and acquiring the former Progressive Club building in Midtown Atlanta (now part of Turner’s Techwood campus) to house the network.
Turner, who admitted in his 2008 autobiography Call Me Ted that he hadn’t watched much TV news but had strong opinions about the format, wanted the news itself—not the anchors—to be the star. He even attempted to recruit Walter Cronkite at one point.
Skeptics widely doubted the concept, questioning whether audiences wanted 24-hour news or a fourth major network beyond CBS, NBC, and ABC.
“Who goes and walks in the woods and comes up with an idea that no one has ever had before, and everyone derides it, saying no one wants to watch 24-hour news?” Korn said. “Well, he was right, and everybody else was wrong.”