Live data from Hacker News

Ted Turner has died

cnn.com

241–250 of 255 posts

Re: Ted Turner has died

#241

I remember when Ted Turner bought a scrappy Atlanta TV station, Channel 17. The channels refer to specific radio frequency allocations. Anything below Channel 12 is "Very High Frequency", and anything above that is "Ultra High Frequency". The Channel number was basically arbitrary, but went up in frequency in numerical order, so Channel 5 had a higher frequency than Channel 17. The higher the frequency, the shorter t…

> 1970s latchkey kid I am now administering the secret '70s latchkey quiz: - Ricky, I want to be... - This is Jim Rockford... - Ladies, please don't... - Bingo, Bango, Bongo, and... - Missed it by... - We can rebuild...

I guess the latchkey experience in the '70s wasn't as universal as I thought :-)

   1. ...in the show! -- I Love Lucy
   2. ...at the tone leave your name and number and I'll get back to you. -- Rockford Files opening.
   3. ...squeeze the Charmin! -- Charmin toilet paper commercials
   4. ...and Irving. -- The Mosquitos on Gilligan's Island
   5. ...that much! -- Get Smart
   6. ...him. We can make him faster... -- the Six Million Dollar Man

Re: Ted Turner has died

#242

Ted Turner owned the largest American Bison herd (~45k animals), supplying meat for his "Ted's Montana Grill" restaurants. I don't know much else about the man, but as a supporter of Bison I can commend that part of his legacy. An impressive vision and execution.

I asked a farmer once about if it was possible to switch from cows to bison. he said they need a special fence, because they are so massive (and temperamental) that they will just bust through a normal barbed wire fence. Not sure how true it is but seems plausible. I think he said they need a pen that is dug down, so the bison would have to climb up an incline to reach the fence.

That is absolutely true. They are also much more resistant to being handled for tagging or vaccinations. Cattle are docile and compliant, and bison are absolutely not.

Re: Ted Turner has died

#243

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Although Ted Turner’s net worth at the time of his death in May 2026 was estimated between $2.2 billion and $2.8 billion, his politics were very progressive. > In 1996, Turner admitted, "For the 10 years I ran [the team], it was a disaster. ... As I relinquished control of the Braves and gave somebody else the responsibility, it did well." When's the last time you heard a billionaire say something like that? > "We're…

>> In 2002, Turner accused Israel of terror That's a funny thing to mark as "progressive" as I don't think that'd have been considered progressive until fairly recently. Plus, he walked it back. > In 2002, Turner accused Israel of terror: "The Palestinians are fighting with human suicide bombers, that's all they have. The Israelis ... they've got one of the most powerful military machines in the world. The Palestinia…

I don't know if "anti-natalist" can be so simply placed on the conservative vs. progressive axis. Worrying about overpopulation means worrying about the quality of life of future generations, whereas "natalism" à la Musk is basically worrying about how they can keep making themselves richer, while not giving a damn about what happens to the world or humanity afterwards. So Turner's concern about population growth, if not necessarily progressive, strikes me as very fitting and in line with the humanist, philanthropic positions shown by the other points mentioned about him.

Re: Ted Turner has died

#244
It always seemed like Turner was the last media mogul with a conscience (there were never that many in the first place). As the article mentions, it's kind of surprising that he didn't turn into a villain given what he went through, both during his childhood and his massive success in business later. Proof that it's possible for people to stay grounded, empathetic, and true to themselves despite running into wealth and power.

No one can say he didn't live a full life.

Turner Classic Movies is, in my opinion, the only TV channel actually worth paying for. Curation, curveballs, and great commentary by fans and experts -- that's what you won't find on streaming servies.

Re: Ted Turner has died

#245

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He's why Atlanta got the 1996 Olympics. He's responsible for rejuvenating Atlanta. It grew into a reasonable city after he built the TBS, CNN, and Turner Broadcasting empire. Without him, Atlanta may have been closer to a Charlotte in size, and definitely could not have pulled the Olympic games. He gave Atlanta a media presence and those that came after him turned it into a media production hub. He also created Capta…

> He may have created the Georgia Guidestones Go on.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_Guidestones

It's an unsubstantiated local rumor:

https://rondougherty.com/photoalbum/2010/20101118EasternTrip...

https://people.howstuffworks.com/georgia-guidestones-monumen...

https://www.reddit.com/r/Georgia/comments/133x11v/the_fate_o...

Re: Ted Turner has died

#246
post #243

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> In 2002, Turner accused Israel of terror That's a funny thing to mark as "progressive" as I don't think that'd have been considered progressive until fairly recently. Plus, he walked it back. > In 2002, Turner accused Israel of terror: "The Palestinians are fighting with human suicide bombers, that's all they have. The Israelis ... they've got one of the most powerful military machines in the world. The Palestinia…

I don't know if "anti-natalist" can be so simply placed on the conservative vs. progressive axis. Worrying about overpopulation means worrying about the quality of life of future generations, whereas "natalism" à la Musk is basically worrying about how they can keep making themselves richer, while not giving a damn about what happens to the world or humanity afterwards. So Turner's concern about population growth, if…

> I don't know if "anti-natalist" can be so simply placed on the conservative vs. progressive axis.

That was kind of my point. I doesn't belong on that axis at all, especially trying to transpose a comment from decades ago onto the current political dividing lines between "left" and "right" when so many ideologies have shifted sides over that period.

> Worrying about overpopulation means worrying about the quality of life of future generations, whereas "natalism" à la Musk is basically worrying about how they can keep making themselves richer, while not giving a damn about what happens to the world or humanity afterwards.

One can be natalist or anti-natalist for a variety of reasons. There's no one ideology that leads a person to each conclusion. People have come to (anti-)natalism from both humanist and anti-humanist arguments (and a variety of other arguments).

> So Turner's concern about population growth, if not necessarily progressive, strikes me as very fitting and in line with the humanist, philanthropic positions shown by the other points mentioned about him.

Again, avoiding the left/right/conservative/progressive labeling as those terms are dynamic over time. He's essentially a Malthusian for humanitarian and environmental reasons. Which makes sense, given his age. He'd have been in his mid 20's through the 60s and that was a fairly popular viewpoint at the time.

Re: Ted Turner has died

#247
post #225
post #224

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My argument seemed pretty clear to me. Altruism, which is generally defined as helping others without expectation of benefit, is not at all specific to Christianity, despite that being your impression. I would be happy to discuss the topic in more detail but your responses have so far consisted of telling me I don’t understand what you’re saying, but without clarifying your position further.

I don't think that altruism is specific to Christianity. I clarified that in a sibling comment (which you seemed to indicate you had read?), and that what I meant was Christianity specifically requires that good deeds must be purely altruistic. It's not considered true charity to do something with the expectation of any kind of reward. Am I wrong in thinking this is distinctly Christian? I'm genuinely interested.

I’m trying to understand the distinction you are making. Pure altruism exists in animal communities. It is evolutionary. Are you contrasting belief systems with karma with Christianity?

Re: Ted Turner has died

#248
post #172
post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Jane Fonda was his last spouse. I hope he left it to her. She's a very cool lady with a great head on her shoulders. A recent interview (The Interview, NYT) is worth listening to. She talked very positive about Ted in this interview, which made me think they had a good relationship still.

She had a terrible influence against nuclear energy which retarded the industry by five decades! We would not be in the pickle we are if she didn’t mindlessly scare and misinform people undermining a whole industry based on her misunderstanding.

I agree she had a negative impact on nuclear, but I don't think it was just her.

Re: Ted Turner has died

#249
post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Jane Fonda was his last spouse. I hope he left it to her. She's a very cool lady with a great head on her shoulders. A recent interview (The Interview, NYT) is worth listening to. She talked very positive about Ted in this interview, which made me think they had a good relationship still.

[flagged]

I should have said the "Jane Fonda of today"... everyone does dumb things and I didn't agree with everything she did when young. Recent interviews have shown a lot of maturity.
Post reply on HN