EP 476: Lisa Napoli Celebrates 40 Years of CNN

On the 40th Anniversary of CNN, journalist Lisa Napoli discusses the founding and "wild west" early years of the upstart network that set out to change how the news gets delivered and consumed. Lisa reveals that few people to took Ted Turner seriously when he entered broadcasting and how Turner went from hating the news to founding the first all-news network in the basement of run-down former country club in Atlanta. She talks about the skeptics who questioned whether there was a enough news to fill a whole day and how being on the air 24-hours gave CNN a decided advantage over the big three networks. We also discuss Ted Turner’s political evolution, his flirtation with running for President, and his unlikely friendship with Fidel Castro. Then we look back on the lasting legacy of Ted Turner on the network and the impact of CNN on the world of broadcast journalism.

Order Lisa Napoli's book Up All Night: Ted Turner, CNN, and the Birth of 24-Hour News on Amazon, Audible, or wherever books are sold. Follow Lisa at www.lisanapoli.com or on Twitter at @LisaNapoli. Today's episode was sponsored by Capella University. Capella has created flexible doctoral programs that work with your schedule and can help you gain the skills you need to get where you want in your career. Visit www.capella.edu/doctorate to learn more.