R. E. Ted Turner

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This article is part of the Tobacco portal on Sourcewatch funded from 2006 - 2009 by the American Legacy Foundation.

R. E. "Ted" Turner

From the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) web pages:[1]

"R. E. Turner, co-chairman of the Nuclear Threat Initiative, is Vice Chairman of AOL Time Warner and the founder of CNN, the world's first live, in-depth, round-the-clock news television network. Mr. Turner spent nearly 30 years building Turner Broadcasting System into one of the nation's largest media conglomerates. The company merged with Time Warner in 1996.

"Mr. Turner began his career as an account executive for Turner Advertising Company, later to become Turner Broadcasting System. He bought his first television station in 1970 and later purchased Major League Baseball's Atlanta Braves. Mr. Turner pioneered the 'superstation' concept, transmitting a station's signal to cable systems nationwide via satellite.

"He founded the cable channels TNT, Cartoon Network and Turner Classic Movies (TCM), a 24-hour commercial-free network. He expanded Turner Broadcasting's news division with the creation of CNNRadio, CNN Airport Network and a 24-hour sports network.

"A philanthropist and supporter of a number of humanitarian causes, Mr. Turner founded the United Nations Foundation with a $1 billion grant over 10 years and the Goodwill Games, an international, world-class, quadrennial, multi-sport competition. Mr. Turner is the recipient of numerous honorary degrees, industry awards and civic honors, including being named Time magazine's 1991 Man of the Year and Cable and Broadcasting's Man of the Century in 1999."

"In 1985 he founded the Better World Society, which petered out late last fall [1991] but until then was meant to educate people about pollution, hunger and the arms race by producing documentaries." [1] Further information.

Affiliations

His daughter is Laura Turner Seydel.

Criticism

Tobacco documents information on Turner

A 1990 Tobacco Institute memo shows that the public affairs firm Ogilvy Mather proposed Ted Turner as a possible "celebrity spokesperson" who might be willing to speak publicly on tobacco issues on behalf of the Tobacco Institute. A memo sent from Ogilvy Mather to Susan Stuntz of the Institute said (of Turner),

He seeks publicity and is a defender of freedom of speech...He may be too high profile and difficult to control (since money is probably not a concern).[10]

In 1999, Turner's network told the Lorillard Tobacco Co. to strengthen their youth smoking prevention ads if they wanted them shown on the network. Lorillard's slogan for the ads was "Tobacco is Whacko if you're a teen." Turner ad reps insisted Lorillard strengthen it by adding, at least, "Don't smoke." Lorillard refused.[11]

Resources and articles

Related Sourcewatch articles

References

  1. The Taming of Ted Turner, Time, accessed August 28, 2008.
  2. Board, Environmental Media Association, accessed January 16, 2011.
  3. Leadership, Initiative for Global Development, accessed December 11, 2007.
  4. Honorary Board, Green Cross International, accessed August 3, 2008.
  5. Members, OceanElders, accessed November 28, 2011.
  6. Margaret Sanger Award, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, accessed November 25, 2011.
  7. Lindbergh Award, Charles A. and Anne Morrow Lindbergh Foundation, accessed November 20, 2009.
  8. David Rockefeller Bridging Leadership Award Honorees, Synergos Institute, accessed December 4, 2011.
  9. Earth Day Network Global Advisory Committee, organizational web page, accessed December 21, 2013.
  10. Moeller, J. Ogilvay & Mather Possible Celebrity Spokespeople Memorandum.. 2 pp. April 20, 1990. Tobacco Institute Bates No. TIMN0408832/8833
  11. John Roth, New York Bozell Confidential Read This 1st on Mon Email. 2 pp. October 15, 1999. Bates No. 80318140/8141

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