Bob
SoWal Insider
Turner Lost CNN, Fonda, Fortune, Feels ‘Like a Dummy’ (Update1) - Bloomberg.com Oct. 16 (Bloomberg) -- Ted Turner, the cable television pioneer who became one of the richest Americans, recalls the pain of losing his job at Time Warner Inc., his wife, the actress Jane Fonda, and $7 billion of his fortune.
?It was like having my heart ripped out,? Turner said yesterday in an interview in New York. The founder of Turner Broadcasting System and the 24-hour cable news channel CNN, Turner said that he has ?a couple billion? dollars left, including $700 million in Treasury bills.
While contemporaries such as News Corp. Chief Executive Officer and Chairman Rupert Murdoch, Liberty Media Corp.?s John Malone and Viacom Inc.?s Sumner Redstone keep competing in the media industry, Turner says that he doesn?t have enough money to get back in the business. He now focuses on nuclear disarmament, global climate change, women?s rights, and the environment.
?I?m working on the issues that are life or death for us,? said Turner, 70, who co-chairs the Nuclear Threat Initiative along with Sam Nunn, a former Democratic Senator from Georgia. ?What I?m trying to do is stay relevant.?
The CNN founder, known for provocative comments in his 40- year career, has lost none of his passion for news. He says 24- hour coverage of fighting worldwide has made war tougher for people to stomach.
War ?Obsolete?
?War is obsolete,? Turner said. ?The last time someone surrendered was Japan and that was 60 years ago. The Afghans will never surrender. We will just get tired and come home. We?ve already given up on Iraq and there?s oil in Iraq, there?s no oil in Afghanistan.?
?It was like having my heart ripped out,? Turner said yesterday in an interview in New York. The founder of Turner Broadcasting System and the 24-hour cable news channel CNN, Turner said that he has ?a couple billion? dollars left, including $700 million in Treasury bills.
While contemporaries such as News Corp. Chief Executive Officer and Chairman Rupert Murdoch, Liberty Media Corp.?s John Malone and Viacom Inc.?s Sumner Redstone keep competing in the media industry, Turner says that he doesn?t have enough money to get back in the business. He now focuses on nuclear disarmament, global climate change, women?s rights, and the environment.
?I?m working on the issues that are life or death for us,? said Turner, 70, who co-chairs the Nuclear Threat Initiative along with Sam Nunn, a former Democratic Senator from Georgia. ?What I?m trying to do is stay relevant.?
The CNN founder, known for provocative comments in his 40- year career, has lost none of his passion for news. He says 24- hour coverage of fighting worldwide has made war tougher for people to stomach.
War ?Obsolete?
?War is obsolete,? Turner said. ?The last time someone surrendered was Japan and that was 60 years ago. The Afghans will never surrender. We will just get tired and come home. We?ve already given up on Iraq and there?s oil in Iraq, there?s no oil in Afghanistan.?
