another book review ... (2009)

CALL ME TED, BY TED TURNER.

This very eventful text, which is couched in ordinary language, is a classic portrait of a hands – on business person who came of age during the 1980’s, and who apparently eschewed the grandstanding of some of his colleagues and only lately did publish his remarkable story:  Born in Ohio to very enterprising parents, probably as people needed to be at the time, Ted Turner attended school in Tennessee and served in the Coast Guard.  He took over his Dad’s billboard advertising business in his 20’s after a bitter business battle with a then corporate raider.  He worked diligently in the billboards business and built it up to where he was bidding and bargaining for radio stations, classically dependent upon the advertising business, and then to television stations; all this just bit by bit, staring in the early 1960’s.  The distinguishing point of his crowning achievement, CNN, was he was already quite well – to – do in the television broadcasting business when cable television came around and he had decided to wager upon it.  The risks with CNN were quite serious and when one thinks of such a network as it was or is, one thinks of glitzy steel – and – glass high – rise structures in a concrete jungle, but the founding building was in a brickwork structure in Atlanta, Georgia.  

CNN went through various iterations depending upon the trends in the media – from Cable News Network, to CCN2, to others including ESPN and its related programming.  Unlike some of the staid productions from Hollywood and what appears to be the established image of network television, the CNN networks had a wild ride from the beginning.  Despite that many television viewers still preferred the networks when cable came along, CNN and Turner Broadcasting offered and delivered extremely entertaining programming and informative news and with a pay – per – view accent on everything, practically from the beginning.  Mr. Turner was also responsible for many pay – view athletic contests and their quality broadcasts and the creation and materialising of HBO, as well as popularizing satellite T.V.  He was sued several times by hickety – pickety television personalities and production companies who felt he was treading on their network television territories, including major networks.  He made a serious and era – changing bid to purchase CBS, and at the time continued to add to his already exhaustible corporate film and video production libraries.  Unmistakably, the apogee of CNN in the old television format without integration of the internet for the public was the coverage of the first Gulf War:  Policy – makers and commentators alike, when asked about the progress of the war as prosecuted, simply referred everyone to the CNN coverage of the conflict.  Now television is almost completely internet savvy and centers around the world wide web with integrated satellite know - how.

Turner was / is also an avid sailboat helmsman, and continued his sailing hobby throughout his career; participating in and winning major sailing races.  He also, and through the eyeglass (hourglass) of success, has become a generous philanthropist and funded many United Nations programs.  He has five children. 

What is so distinguishing about the text is the biographer (about himself) does not attempt to appear flawless, nor does he attempt as many have in their own way at righteous indignation at the vicissitudes of life.  The humanness and dignity with which he treated people during his rise to become a household term are remarkable, too, and remarkable as well is his technical comprehension of the business of advertising and working stellarly in the media business where new technologies have been de jure for some time.