Ted Turner Praised as ‘Visionary’ and ‘Trailblazer’ by Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav

Home TV News May 6, 2026 8:22am PT Ted Turner Praised as ‘Visionary’ and ‘Trailblazer’ by Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav By Todd Spangler Plus Icon Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor xpangler Latest Disney+ Will Become ‘Immersive, Interactive Digital Centerpiece’ of the Company, CEO Josh D’Amaro Says 2 hours ago Disney Revenue Rises 7% in Earnings Beat, Disney+ and Hulu Streaming Income Pops 88% to $582 Million 5 hours ago Mark Zuckerberg ‘Personally Authorized and Actively Encouraged’ Meta’s Massive Copyright Infringement to Train AI Systems, Publishers and Scott Turow Allege in Lawsuit 22 hours ago See All Ben Rose/Getty Images David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, lauded cable TV pioneer Ted Turner as “a foundational force” behind many of the brands central to 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, including the WTBS “superstation” in the 1970s, and led the launch of CNN in June 1980 as the first 24-hour news channel. Turner in 1996 sold his Turner Broadcasting System to Time Warner (the predecessor company to Warner Bros. Discovery). Related Stories Meryl Streep Sides With Jimmy Kimmel in Trump War of Words: 'You’re Carrying the Banner of Freedom of the Press'