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 5: The Superstation Serves a Nation
Media Moguls with Web Barr
2 hours 35 minutes
4 months ago
The Ted Turner Saga | Part 5: The Superstation Serves a Nation
This episode follows the rise of the Superstation, the backlash it triggered, and the battles that helped shape the future of television.
Ted Turner takes WTCG Channel 17 from a scrappy Atlanta station to a national disruptor, beaming it across the country as America’s first Superstation. With a mix of old movies, classic TV reruns, and Braves baseball, Turner reached millions of viewers from Kansas to Hawaii and cracked the networks’ stranglehold on television—without asking permission.
But building a national audience was just the beginning. Facing mounting pressure from Hollywood studios, sports leagues, syndicators, and the Big Three networks, Turner went to war—on Capitol Hill and in the court of public opinion. He positioned TBS not just as a TV station, but as a true alternative to the system itself. And as his rivals scrambled to shut him down, Turner made one thing clear: the toothpaste was already out of the tube.
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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
(03:01): The Superstation Launches
(09:30): Ted’s Audience Data Fix
(17:00): Competitor Breakdown
(29:35): Superstation Schedule
(37:00): Sales & Advertising Troubles
(1:00:30): Cable’s Better Model
(1:14:11): Ted’s Media Star Rises
(1:25:30): A REAL Alternative
(1:35:00): Incumbents Strike Back
(1:58:00): Showdown in Congress
Sources
Books used in Episode 5. Get em here!
It Ain't As Easy As It Looks: Ted Turner's Amazing Story
Up All Night: Ted Turner, CNN, and the Birth of 24-Hour News
Ted Turner Speaks: Insights From the World's Greatest Maverick
Confessions of an Advertising Man
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
Cable Cowboy: John Malone and the rise of the modern cable-TV business
Me and Ted Against the World: The Unauthorized Story of the Founding of CNN
Tinderbox: HBO's Ruthless Pursuit of New Frontiers
Masters of Enterprise: Giants of American Business from John Jacob Astor and J.P. Morgan to Bill Gates and Oprah Winfrey
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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.
