The Stories Behind Media’s Biggest Moguls
Behind every media empire is a story of ambition, power, and relentless vision.
Hosted by longtime media operator Web Barr, Media Moguls tells the in-depth stories of the visionaries, entrepreneurs, and innovators who built and shaped the media industry—starting with Ted Turner.
Each season, we’ll explore a different mogul—their wins, losses, and lasting impact—while breaking down the game-changing innovations, paradigm-shifting strategies, and pivotal moments that shaped television, Hollywood, sports, and news over the last century. Along the way, we’ll tell the story of how we got to now.
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The Stories Behind Media’s Biggest Moguls
Behind every media empire is a story of ambition, power, and relentless vision.
Hosted by longtime media operator Web Barr, Media Moguls tells the in-depth stories of the visionaries, entrepreneurs, and innovators who built and shaped the media industry—starting with Ted Turner.
Each season, we’ll explore a different mogul—their wins, losses, and lasting impact—while breaking down the game-changing innovations, paradigm-shifting strategies, and pivotal moments that shaped television, Hollywood, sports, and news over the last century. Along the way, we’ll tell the story of how we got to now.
The Ted Turner Saga | Part 1: Signs of a Revolution
Media Moguls with Web Barr
1 hour 47 minutes
7 months ago
The Ted Turner Saga | Part 1: Signs of a Revolution
Season 1 begins with Ted Turner, the media maverick who revolutionized cable television, news, and sports. But before Turner built his media empire, he was just a young man shaped by ambition, discipline, and tragedy—driven by a relentless need to succeed.
In this debut episode, longtime media operator and host Web Barr unpacks the pivotal moments that set Ted Turner on his path—from a chaotic childhood to selling advertising for his father’s billboard company, and beyond. We also break down the broadcast TV revolution—how the birth of television changed everything, the slow rise of network news, and how a personal tragedy set Turner on his journey to transform media forever.
Media empires aren’t built overnight. They’re forged through ambition, unorthodox thinking, and relentless drive. This is Media Moguls with Web Barr: The Ted Turner Saga.
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Credits
Writing, research, and production by Web Barr.
Artwork by Dylan Lathrop.
Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com).
Chapters
(00:00): Opening Monologue
(06:48): Introducing Media Moguls
(08:42): Why Ted Turner
(13:34): Early Childhood - Discipline, Grit, & Hard Work
(25:08): The Birth of Television
(29:40): TV Cities
(33:05): Early Signs of TV Advertising Gold
(34:30): TV Changes Movie Theaters
(36:03): Early Network TV News
(43:00): Hollywood Shifts
(48:18): TV Changes Politics Forever
(50:30): News Doubles From 15 to 30 Minutes
(53:40): Ted Grows Up
(1:01:30): Ted Joins Turner Advertising
(1:05:00): The Deal of a Lifetime Turns Sour
(1:12:05): Tragedy
(1:15:13): Succession
(1:17:20): His Boldest Plan Yet
(1:26:00): Billboard Growth
(1:31:50): Radio Dreams
(1:39:30): Radio Nightmares
(1:41:40): On the Next Episode
Sources
Books used in Episode 1. Get em here!
It Ain't As Easy As It Looks: Ted Turner's Amazing Story
Lead Follow or Get Out of the Way: The Story of Ted Turner
Media Man: Ted Turner's Improbable Empire
Clash of the Titans: How the Unbridled Ambition of Ted Turner and Rupert Murdoch Has Created Global Empires that Control What We Read & Watch Each Day
Call Me Ted
Up All Night: Ted Turner, CNN, and the Birth of 24-Hour News
Ted Turner Speaks: Insights From the World's Greatest Maverick
Cable Cowboy: John Malone and the rise of the modern cable-TV business
The Powers That Be
Me and Ted Against the World: The Unauthorized Story of the Founding of CNN
Making News
Leadership in War: Lessons from Those Who Made History
Tube of Plenty: The Evolution of American Television
Hit Makers: How to Succeed in an Age of Distraction
Freedom's Forge: How American Business Produced Victory in World War II
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Media Moguls with Web Barr
The Stories Behind Media’s Biggest Moguls
Behind every media empire is a story of ambition, power, and relentless vision.
Hosted by longtime media operator Web Barr, Media Moguls tells the in-depth stories of the visionaries, entrepreneurs, and innovators who built and shaped the media industry—starting with Ted Turner.
Each season, we’ll explore a different mogul—their wins, losses, and lasting impact—while breaking down the game-changing innovations, paradigm-shifting strategies, and pivotal moments that shaped television, Hollywood, sports, and news over the last century. Along the way, we’ll tell the story of how we got to now.
