Ted Turner, the visionary media entrepreneur who helped turn cable television into a national force and live sports into essential programming currency, died at age 87. The news was confirmed on May 6.

From transforming a struggling Atlanta UHF station into TBS, television’s first true superstation, to launching CNN and building Turner Broadcasting into a media empire, Turner reshaped how audiences consumed news, entertainment, and sports.

His use of the Atlanta Braves and Hawks as national cable programming helped prove the power of live sports on emerging distribution platforms and laid the groundwork that still echoes across today’s sports-media landscape.

NOTE: This video is a tribute that was produced in 2015 to celebrate Turner's induction into the Sports Broadcasting Fall of Fame.