Ted Turner, maverick media mogul and CNN founder, dies at 87

[ZLoth]

• CNN
• MSN
• AP News

[bing101]

https://uhfhistory.com/articles/wjrj.html

Here is an article on how Ted Turner made WJRJ/WTCG-TV/WTBS-TV Atlanta as a nationwide channel in the 1970's and 1980's. This sparked a boom on Cable TV back then.

[1995hoo]

And regarding his TV station, don't forget the time he signed a free-agent pitcher and introduced him as Andy "Channel" Messersmith. The reason for the nickname became apparent once his jersey number became known:

[hbelkins]

I blame Ted Turner for an entire generation of baseball fans pledging allegiance to the Atlanta Braves instead of their home-area teams.

[SP Cook]

This.  For all his supposed genius, the source of the Turner found a loophole that allowed cable companies, and at that time the only people that had cable were rural people that could not get TV OTA and were thus at the mercy of one of the most evil industries ever, but I digress, to show WTCG, later WTBS as if it were just like picking up a station from the next town over with a great antenna.  Thus paying local Atlanta rates for the reruns and old movies, and nothing at all for the Braves.

As usual, baseball had no leadership.  Of course, they should have cut power to his truck the first time he tried to show a Braves game nationally, and then sold a new rights package to some upstart channel.  Baseball still suffers from this huge mistake.

As to Turner himself, typical one good idea rich guy who went off the rails. 

[kphoger]

For all his supposed genius, the source of the Turner found a loophole that allowed cable companies (and at that time the only people that had cable were rural people that could not get TV OTA and were thus at the mercy of one of the most evil industries ever, but I digress) to show WTCG, later WTBS, as if it were just like picking up a station from the next town over with a great antenna.

What is "the source of the Turner" supposed to mean?

[vdeane]

For all his supposed genius, the source of the Turner found a loophole that allowed cable companies (and at that time the only people that had cable were rural people that could not get TV OTA and were thus at the mercy of one of the most evil industries ever, but I digress) to show WTCG, later WTBS, as if it were just like picking up a station from the next town over with a great antenna.

What is "the source of the Turner" supposed to mean?

Unlike most people, Ted Turner was not born; his essence rained down on the Earth and took form in him, and its point of origin was none other than The Source.

[ClassicHasClass]

Unlike most people, Ted Turner was not born; his essence rained down on the Earth and took form in him, and its point of origin was none other than The Source.