Cable mogul Ted Turner, founder of CNN, TNT and Turner Classic Movies, died Wednesday at 87. His 24‑hour news concept forced rivals to redesign distribution and unlocked fresh advertising and carriage‑fee revenues. Executives from Fox, Warner Bros. Discovery, Comcast and Versant gathered to pay tribute to his industry‑shaping career and underscored his role as a visionary entrepreneur.

Warner Bros. Discovery chief David Zaslav recalled first meeting Turner in 1988 as a junior lawyer, noting that the founder’s conviction that audiences deserved live coverage birthed CNN’s global footprint and lifted its market value. Comcast chairman Brian Roberts, a former CNN board member, called Turner a “true pioneer” whose charitable work matched his business daring.

Fox Corporation chairman‑emeritus Rupert Murdoch, a longtime rival and friend, praised Turner’s willingness to gamble on untested formats, saying the 24‑hour news model gave viewers a front‑row seat to history. Versant CEO Mark Lazarus, who spent two decades at Turner Sports, said the former executive’s risk‑taking culture still informs how media groups negotiate sports‑rights deals today.

Turner’s legacy endures through Turner Sports, which continues to command premium broadcast contracts, and through the countless executives who cite his daring as a template for building content‑driven platforms. The outpouring of respect from today’s media chiefs underscores how his entrepreneurial blueprint remains a tangible asset for companies that rely on live, high‑value programming.