Warner Bros. Discovery held its annual upfront presentation Wednesday morning, but before it began, CNN anchor Anderson Cooper took to the stage at the Madison Square Garden Theater to pay tribute to the late Ted Turner.
After introducing a clip of Turner introducing CNN to the world in 1980 (“To the employees of Turner Broadcasting, whose total dedication to the company has united us, today I dedicate America’s news channel, Cable News Network”), Cooper came out and said a few words about Turner, who died last week at age 87.
“Businessman, yachtsman, media maverick, conservationist. Ted Turner was many things, but I knew him as the founder of CNN and Turner Broadcasting, a bold visionary with an unparalleled work ethic,” Anderson said. “He believed in the value of people having access to information, and he built a company that influenced not only everyone in this room, but everyone who has ever watched television. His legacy continues to inspire our industry every day and will continue to do so for years to come. So before we begin today’s presentation, I’d like to leave you with this famous Ted quote that seems appropriate for today: ‘Early to bed, early to rise, work hard, advertise!’
It was fitting that WBD’s top front began with a tribute to Cooper, as he was actually Turner’s top for many years. Although the merger eventually consumed Turner within the combined Warner Bros. Discovery, which became the top front for WBD, Turner networks such as CNN, TNT, and TBS remained an important part of the presentation to advertisers.
Turner, who revealed in 2018 that he has Lewy body dementia, a brain disorder that affects memory and other cognitive functions, revolutionized television by inventing 24-hour news on CNN and pioneering national basic cable. To feed his “superstation,” he struck a deal that rewrote the rules of sports broadcasting. He was also an athlete himself, winning the America’s Cup and becoming the owner of the Atlanta Braves when they won the World Series.
