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CNN Live Saturday

CNN Co-Founder Ed Turner Dies

Aired March 30, 2002 - 22:44   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, a man who played a key role in bringing CNN to life has died. Ed Turner lost a long battle with cancer today. His legacy began long before CNN signed on. And it will be revered for years to come.

Reporter Jim Clancy has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM CLANCY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ed Turner defined the editorial heart of the 24-hour television news industry seen around the world today. CNN led a revolution. Ed Turner led NN.

BERNARD SHAW, CNN ANCHOR: You can almost reach out and touch Ed Turner's impact on CNN. His standards were so high, the things that this network does routinely day in and day out, and the kinds of people -- the kinds of women and men who work for CNN, I think are testament to what Ed Turner stood for.

CLANCY: Ed Turner built a team of journalists he trusted, so the audience could trust them, too. It wasn't just the faces seen on air.

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN MIAMI BUREAU CHIEF: He regarded everyone who picked up a camera, who edited a piece, who ran an assignment desk, who cut a package, who sound-teched with equal regard. Everyone was part of the process. And without everyone, that old saying about the cog in the wheel, Ed was a firm believer that it fell apart.

CLANCY: From the start, skeptics believed it was CNN that would collapse under the weight of its own ambition.

ED TURNER: There were those who didn't think the show would open out of town. And when it did open, when it did fly, it wouldn't stay up very long. And here, five years later, we're still playing sort of like "Chorus Line" or "South Pacific."

CLANCY: Ed Turner defied the critics every day for 20 years and defined his own reputation.

TOM JOHNSON, FMR. CNN CHAIRMAN: Ed will be remembered as real newsman's newsman. I mean, he could be so tough on his people in just the pursuit of getting it right and getting it first, that he also could be a wonderful teacher. CISSY BAKER, FMR. CNN COLLEAGUE: I would say Ed was the best newsman I've ever met. He always knew what needed to be covered, long before anyone else knew.

PETER ARNETT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: If you're still with us, you can hear the bombs now. They're hitting the shadow of this city.

CLANCY: The rolling live coverage of news events, the placement of hundreds of journalists to cover every aspect and angle of a major story from every location possible was Ed Turner's style. Make it live, make it real.

When he joined CNN in 1980, Ed Turner had already produced the CBS Morning News and developed Washington's top rated local newscast.

SHAW: My first impression of E.T., as we called Ed Turner affectionately is an impression that will always stay with me. In terms of journalism, he was Mr. Ethics. Ed Turner was a coach. He was a critic. He was a booster. He was a morale officer. He is the consummate news executive in my mind.

CLANCY: E.T. was how everyone inside CNN knew him. The newsman from Oklahoma named Ed Turner was always confused with his boss, Ted Turner. In the interest of accuracy and humor, he cast the clarification as his middle name.

ZARRELLA: My first impressions of Ed, I walked into his office, and on his desk he had matches. He used to have books of matches. And he had these right away. He'd pick them up. And the matches would say on the match, I may still have some of these somewhere, "Ed no relation Turner." The first thing I remember him was picking up those, "I'm not related to Ted. Here, have a book of matches."

SHAW: The man was a constant presence. He was not weighty. He had a sense of humor. He had wit. He had charm, a big smile, but he always had a helping hand and a kind word.

CLANCY: A broad smile, a helping hand. Ed Turner leaves behind one son, Chris, who was also a journalist, as well as a family of hundreds, who may not share his name, but learned to share his ideals.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: More than anything, he loved his people and he loved his profession.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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