Turner Broadcasting System

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This article is about the company. For the channel owned by this company, see TBS (TV channel).
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Turner Broadcasting System
Type Subsidiary of Time Warner
Industry Entertainment
Cable Television
Interactive Media
Founded 1970
Founder(s) Ted Turner
Headquarters CNN Center
Atlanta, United States
Key people Philip I. Kent (Chairman and CEO)
Gerhard Zeiler (President Turner International)
Parent Time Warner
Divisions

North America
beIN Sport
(Joint venture with Al Jazeera)
CNN
CNN International
HLN
TNT
TCM
Cartoon Network
Boomerang
Adult Swim
TruTV
TBS
Peachtree TV
NBA TV
Turner Sports

International
TBS Europe
TBS Asia Pacific
TBS Latin America
Subsidiaries Turner Entertainment Co.
Cartoon Network Studios
Cartoon Network Development Studio Europe
Website www.turner.com
Aerial view of the CNN Center, which houses the headquarters of Turner Broadcasting System

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (often abbreviated TBS Networks, TBS, Inc. or simply Turner) is an American media conglomerate and subsidiary of Time Warner, managing the collection of cable networks and properties initiated or acquired by Robert Edward "Ted" Turner starting during the 1970s. TBS, Inc. merged with Time Warner on October 10, 1996, and now operates as a semi-autonomous unit of Time Warner. This is Time Warner's second experience with advertiser-supported cable broadcasting, after co-owning the Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment Company through Warner Communications before selling it to MTV Networks during 1987.

The company's current assets include beIN Sport (Joint venture with Al Jazeera), CNN, HLN, TBS, TNT, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Boomerang, truTV, and Turner Classic Movies.

The current chairman and CEO of Turner Broadcasting is Philip I. Kent. The Turner properties are headquartered in both the CNN Center in Downtown Atlanta[1] and the Turner Broadcasting campus off Techwood Drive in Midtown Atlanta, which also houses Turner Studios.[2] Across Interstate 75/85 from the Techwood campus is the original home of Turner's WTBS superstation (now separated into the TBS cable network and Peachtree TV), which today houses Adult Swim production company Williams Street Studios.

Contents

History [edit]

 This section is in a list format that may be better presented using prose. You can help by converting this section to prose, if appropriate. Editing help is available. (December 2012)

1970s [edit]

During 1970, Ted Turner, then owner of a successful Atlanta-based outdoor advertising company, purchased WJRJ-Atlanta, Channel 17, a small, struggling Ultra High Frequency station, and renamed it WTCG, for parent company Turner Communications Group. By careful programming acquisitions, Turner guided the station to success. During December 1976, WTCG originated the "superstation" concept, transmitting via satellite to cable systems.

During 1979, the company changed its name to Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS, Inc.) and the call letters of its main entertainment channel to WTBS, now TBS.

1980s [edit]

During 1980, the company initiated CNN, the first 24-hour all-news network.

During 1984, Turner initiated Cable Music Channel, his competition for WASEC's MTV. The channel was short-lived, but helped influence the original format of VH1.

During 1986, Turner bought the pre-May 1986 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer library, the RKO Radio Pictures library, the Associated Artists Productions library (which included the complete library of pre-1950 Warner Brothers films and shorts) , and some United Artists material, some post-1952 UA material such as Gilligan's Island and its spinoffs, and Bugs Bunny Superstar) from MGM/UA. Turner Entertainment is begun.

During 1988, the company initiated TNT.

1990s [edit]

Turner expanded its presence in movie production and distribution, first with the 1991 purchase of the Hanna-Barbera animation studio.[3] New Line Cinema and Castle Rock Entertainment would be acquired three years later.[4][5] Turner initiated Cartoon Network on Thursday, October 1, 1992.

During 1994, the division Turner Classic Movies was organized.

On October 10, 1996, Turner Broadcasting merged with Time Warner, grew at a phenomenal pace and vended in more than 200 countries and territories around the world.

2000s [edit]

During 2003, Philip I. Kent succeeded Jamie Kellner as chairman. The WB Network was acquired during 2001 while Kellner was chairman, but returned to Warner Bros. during 2003 with the departure of Kellner.

During early 2006, the company sold Turner South to Fox Cable Networks creating SportSouth, a regional sports channel. Fox assumed control of the network on May 1, and at the beginning of the newest National Hockey League season, renamed it SportSouth, coincidentally the former name of FSN South when Turner owned the network in partnership with Liberty Media, from its beginning during 1990, until 1997.

During May 2006, Turner Broadcasting, which already owned 50% of Court TV, purchased the remaining half from Liberty Media. Also during May 2006, Ted Turner attended his last meeting as a board member of Time Warner and officially parted with the company.

During August 2006, Turner Broadcasting Europe volunteered to edit or stop broadcasting some Hanna-Barbera Tom and Jerry movies after Ofcom UK received a complaint that the cigar smoking in a Tom & Jerry short movie was inappropriate.[6]

Channels [edit]

U.S. domestic [edit]

News [edit]

Entertainment [edit]

Animation, Young Adults & Kids Media [edit]

Interactive/broadband sites [edit]

  • AdultSwim.com
  • CartoonNetwork.com
  • CNN.com
  • HLNtv.com
  • iReport.com
  • TBS.com
  • TCM.com
  • TNT.tv
  • truTV.com
  • TheSmokingGun.com
  • bleacherreport.com
  • thingx.com

International [edit]

Latin America [edit]

The channels in Latin America are controlled by Turner Broadcasting System Latin America, headquartered in Atlanta. It broadcasts Latin American versions of U.S. channels, and also channels that are exclusive for the region. TBS LA also handles advertising sales for Warner Channel (owned by fellow Time Warner division Warner Bros. Entertainment) and for the Brazilian action sports channel Woohoo.

General [edit]
News and Information [edit]
Kids and Teens [edit]
Lifestyle [edit]
Music [edit]
  • MuchMusic
    • MuchMusic Pan-regional
  • HTV
    • HTV Pan-regional
    • HTV México
    • HTV Venezuela
Documentaries [edit]
  • Infinito
    • Infinito Pan-regional
    • Infinito México
    • Infinito Argentina
Movies [edit]

Other regions [edit]

News [edit]
  • CNN International (4 Feeds: Americas (USA, Canada and Latin América), EMEA (Europe,Middle East and Africa) and Asia (South Asia & Pacific)
  • CNN Chile, a joint-venture between Turner Latin América and VTR Globalcom that is only aired in Chile.
  • CNN IBN, a joint-venture between Turner, TV18 and Global Broadcast News that is only aired in India.
  • n-tv, a joint-venture between Turner (32%) and RTL Group that is only aired in Germany.
  • CNN Türk, a joint-venture between Turner and Doğan Medya Grubu that is only aired in Turkey.
  • CNN+, a joint-venture between Turner (50%) and Sogecable that is only aired in Spain, closed down in late 2010.
Entertainment [edit]
Animation [edit]
Movies [edit]

Television Production/Distribution companies [edit]

Former assets [edit]

* Now owned by sister company, Warner Bros.)

See also [edit]

Portal icon Atlanta portal
Portal icon Companies portal

References [edit]

  1. ^ "Contact Us." Turner Broadcasting System. Retrieved on March 6, 2010.
  2. ^ http://www.turner.com/terms-of-use
  3. ^ Lippman, John (October 30, 1991). "Turner Is Buying Hanna-Barbera Film Library". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 8, 2010. 
  4. ^ Harris, Kathryn (August 7, 1993). "New Line Cinema holding merger talks with Turner". 
  5. ^ Citron, Alan (August 18, 1993). "Turner gets nod to buy New Line and Castle Rock". 
  6. ^ "Smoke's no joke for Tom and Jerry". BBC News. August 21, 2006. 

External links [edit]

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UK links [edit]
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