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Ted Turner, For other people named Ted Turner, see Ted Turner (disambiguation).Robert Edward Ted Turner III (born November 19, 1938) is an American media mogul and philanthropist. As a businessman, he is known as founder of the cable news network CNN, the first dedicated 24-hour cable news channel. In addition, he founded WTBS, which pioneered the superstation concept in cable television. As a philanthropist, he is known for his $1 billion gift to support UN causes, which created the United Nations Foundation, a public charity to broaden support for the UN. Turner serves as Chairman of the United Nations Foundation board of directors.Turners media empire began with his fathers billboard business, which he took over at 24 after his fathers suicide. The business, Turner Outdoor Advertising, was worth $1 million when Turner took it over in 1963. Purchase of an Atlanta UHF station in 1970 began the Turner Broadcasting System. Cable News Network revolutionized news media, covering the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster in 1986 and the Persian Gulf War in 1991. Turner turned the Atlanta Braves baseball team into a nationally popular franchise and launched the charitable Goodwill Games.Turners penchant for controversial statements earned him the nicknames The Mouth of the South and Captain Outrageous.Turner has also devoted his assets to environmental causes. He was just recently surpassed as the largest private landowner in the United States by John C. Malone. He uses much of his land for ranches to re-popularize bison meat (for his Teds Montana Grill chain), amassing the largest herd in the world. He also created the environmental-themed animated series Captain Planet and the Planeteers.