Ted Turner, the visionary media entrepreneur who fundamentally reshaped television news by launching CNN in 1980, died at age 87. Turner's creation of the first 24-hour cable news network transformed how Americans consumed information and established the template for round-the-clock news coverage that dominates screens today.

Before CNN, broadcast news operated on a rigid schedule. Networks aired evening newscasts at fixed times. Turner saw an untapped market and launched his Atlanta-based network with the audacious promise of news whenever viewers wanted it. The network went live on June 1, 1980, with anchor David Walker delivering the first bulletin. Industry peers dismissed it as the "Chicken Noodle Network," but Turner's gamble paid off spectacularly.

CNN's reach expanded globally throughout the 1980s and 1990s. The network's coverage of the Challenger shuttle disaster in 1986 and the Gulf War in 1991 cemented its authority. Turner's empire eventually included Turner Broadcasting System, which merged with Time Warner in 1996, making him one of the world's wealthiest individuals at his peak.

Beyond news, Turner's fingerprints appeared across pop culture. He owned Turner Network Television (TNT) and Turner Classic Movies (TCM), preserving classic Hollywood films for future generations. He also owned the Atlanta Braves baseball team and brought professional wrestling to cable through WCW (World Championship Wrestling).

Turner's personal brand matched his business ambition. He sailed competitively, won the America's Cup, and later became a major philanthropist, pledging $1 billion to the United Nations in 1997. His aggressive, often combative personality made him as much a celebrity as the networks he built.

CNN's legacy extends beyond Turner's lifetime. The network he created defined modern news cycles, for better and worse, establishing conventions still followed by competitors like Fox News and MSNBC. Turner's vision of constant news availability proved prescient as social media now delivers information instantaneously.

THE TAKEAWAY: Turner didn't just build a network. He invented the news