Ted Turner: The Man Behind CNN’s Legacy
Ted Turner ensured CNN would never go dark.
The media titan passed away on Wednesday at the age of 87. He had secretly commissioned a haunting “doomsday video” that, according to resurfaced footage, was meant to be aired only when the world was ending.
This eerie video has been somewhat of a legend within CNN, featuring military bands from the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines solemnly playing the hymn “Nearer, My God, To Thee” outside CNN’s Atlanta headquarters.
Turner ordered these recordings shortly after the network’s launch in 1980, insisting that his new cable network would stay on the air until civilization itself crumbled.
“If it weren’t for the satellite issue, we wouldn’t have a deal until the end of the world,” Turner asserted back then.
“We will continue and cover it live. It will be our last event.”
He even stated, “The national anthem will only be sung once, on June 1st.” And when the time comes, they would play “Nearer, My God, To Thee” before it ended.
This peculiar video lay hidden in CNN’s archives under the label “TURNER DOOMSDAY VIDEO,” with instructions to hold it for release until the end of the world was confirmed.
Its existence became known in 2015 when former CNN intern Michael Balaban leaked a copy he found during his internship in 2009.
The haunting footage quickly gained a cult status online, eliciting comments from YouTube users calling it “appalling” and “terrifyingly sad.”
“I got chills all over my body realizing what this video represented,” one commenter noted.
Another individual pointed out the hymn’s unsettling historical link to the Titanic disaster: “What’s chilling is that the song being played is ‘Nearer My God To Thee,’ which I believe was also played when the RMS Titanic sank.”
The resurfacing of this tape has coincided with a wave of tributes pouring in after Turner’s death.
Turner, who founded CNN and Turner Broadcasting, transformed television news with the launch of the first 24-hour cable news network in 1980.
Known by nicknames such as “Mouth of the South” and “Captain Ridiculous,” he built a vast media empire that included CNN, TNT, TBS, Cartoon Network, and Turner Classic Movies.
He also owned the Atlanta Braves and famously led the yacht Courageous to victory in the America’s Cup in 1977.
CNN Worldwide Chairman and CEO Mark Thompson referred to Turner as “the guiding spirit of CNN” in a statement on Wednesday.
“Ted was an engaged and committed leader, courageous and fearless, always willing to trust his instincts,” Thompson remarked.
Just before reaching 80, Turner disclosed that he had Lewy body dementia, a progressive neurological condition. He had been hospitalized for pneumonia earlier in 2025.
The response to Turner’s passing also drew attention from President Trump, who described him as “one of the all-time greats” while expressing disappointment about CNN’s direction post-sale.
