R. Edward Turner is Vice Chairman and Senior Advisor of AOL Time Warner and a member of its board of directors. In his current role, Mr. Turner works closely with AOL Time Warner senior management across all of the company's operations. Ted Turner is also a philanthropist, environmentalist, bison rancher, and an avid outdoorsman.

    Mr. Turner became Vice Chairman of Time Warner in October 1996, with the merger of Time Warner Inc. and Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. Mr. Turner oversaw Time Warner's Cable Networks division, which included the assets of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., the CNN Newsgroup, HBO, Cinemax, Comedy Central and Court TV. He also oversaw New Line Cinema and the company's professional sports teams-Atlanta's Braves, Hawks, and Thrashers.

    On June 1, 1980, Turner inaugurated CNN, the world's first, live, round-the-clock news television network. Launched in September 1985, CNN International serves as the company's global news service and is distributed in more than 210 countries and territories worldwide. Combining the resources of CNN and Sports Illustrated to create a 24-hour sports news network, Turner launched CNN/SI in 1996.

    Turner is President of the Turner Foundation, which grants up to $50 million annually to organizations, which support the following efforts: 1) clean water and toxics reduction; 2) clean air through improved energy efficiency and renewables; 3) wildlife habitat protection; and 4) the development of equitable practices and policies designed to reduce population growth rates.

    In September 1997, Turner announced his historic gift of $1 billion over ten years to the United Nations Foundation. To date, the organization has granted more than $350 million in support of the goals and objectives of the United Nations to promote a more peaceful, prosperous, and just world.

    In January 2001, Turner teamed up with former Senator Sam Nunn to launch the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), which is a foundation dedicated to reducing the threat of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction around the world. Turner donated $250 million over five years to NTI.

    Turner was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Nov. 19, 1938. When he was nine years old, his family moved to Savannah, Georgia. He received a degree from Brown University, and, in 1999, was elected to Brown's board of directors. Turner is the recipient of numerous honorary degrees, industry awards and civic honors, including being named Time magazine's 1991 Man of the Year.

Back to Previous Page