CNN
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Ted Turner turns 86 later this month, however his legacy is already being celebrated in a brand new docuseries.
“Name Me Ted” explores the media mogul’s life in six episodes, starting from Turner’s childhood, the founding of his cable companies and CNN and his later work as a philanthropist.
On Tuesday evening, a crowd gathered on the Atlanta Historical past Middle for a particular preview. These in attendance included civil rights icon and Former UN Ambassador Andrew Younger and CNN chairman and chief govt officer Mark Thompson.
David Zaslav, chief govt officer of Warner Bros. Discovery, which now owns the networks Turner based, led these in attendance in a rendition of “Joyful Birthday” for Turner, who appeared briefly by way of Zoom and was surrounded by a few of his household.
In his remarks, Zaslav hailed Turner as “somebody that many people, virtually each one among us on this enterprise, owe our careers to.” He mirrored on Turner’s imaginative and prescient to deliver the world collectively, remarking on the historic nature of CNN’s protection of the 1991 Gulf War on a 24-hour information community, the primary of its sort.
“He actually modified the world,” Zaslav stated. “He modified the lives of so many people that bought to align with him and reside this nice journey within the cable and media enterprise.”
Turner revealed in 2018 that he’s residing with Lewy body dementia and presently resides on his ranch property in Montana.
Legendary broadcaster and civil rights activist Xernona Clayton was additionally current at Tuesday’s occasion. She praised Turner, who within the Eighties made her the primary Black girl company govt at TBS after he appointed her director and vp of public affairs.
Clayton instructed CNN that he was invaluable when she based the Trumpet Awards in 1993 and that Turner aired the present on his TBS community.
“I simply love him,” she stated. “He was all the time obtainable for folks in want, and he was very sincere along with his solutions. If you went to him for questions, he would offer you an sincere reply, even in case you didn’t like the reply.”
Viewers of the docuseries will get to witness a few of that bluntness as Turner serves as each the topic and a narrator. His youngsters and actress Jane Fonda, who was as soon as married to Turner, additionally seem.
“Name Me Ted” was written and directed by Keith Clarke and produced by Joni Levin. The sequence debuts Wednesday on Max and HBO, which like CNN are a part of Warner Bros. Discovery.