To Be Presented During Cable Hall of Fame Celebration
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 22, 2020
DENVER – The Cable Center announced today that Ted Turner, Environmentalist and Philanthropist, will be honored as the 2020 Bresnan Ethics in Business Award recipient. The award recognizes the late William J. Bresnan, founder and chairman of Bresnan Communications and longtime chairman of the board of The Cable Center. The award will be presented at the 23rd annual Cable Hall of Fame celebration, April 29, 2021 at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York City.
“It is an incredible honor to be recognized for accomplishments that were considered by many as genius and maybe a bit outrageous. Creating CNN, pretty much against all odds and with the support of my fellow cable pioneers, was a mission of pure joy and determination, surpassed only by my work and dedication to conservation and the environment,” said Turner. “Bill was a good guy, and I admired him for his integrity and good works that he upheld through every aspect of his life. My time in the cable industry was a big adventure and I treasure the lifelong friendships I made. I am humbled to receive this year’s Bresnan Award.”
“Ted’s passion for the cable industry and his commitment to philanthropy is at the core of the Bresnan Award,” said Michael Willner president and CEO of Penthera Partners and chairman of The Cable Center’s Board of Directors. “His entrepreneurial aptitude helped to form our industry and his dedication and support of numerous philanthropic and environmental causes is extraordinarily generous and unprecedented. We are honored to recognize him with this year’s Bresnan Award.”
Turner is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, sportsman, and environmentalist. He founded CNN, the first 24-hour cable news channel and TBS, the nation’s first “superstation” using satellite technology to carry its signal nationwide. Through Turner Broadcasting, he also purchased the Atlanta Braves major league baseball team and the Atlanta Hawks professional basketball team. Throughout his career, Turner also launched Cartoon Network, TNT, Turner Classic Movies and served as Vice Chairman of AOL Time Warner.
As a philanthropist and environmentalist, Turner is most noted for his $1 billion donation to establish the United Nations Foundation to support humanitarian work around the world. He also created the Nuclear Threat Initiative, which sought to prevent the use of weapons of mass destruction, and has provided extensive funding to conservation efforts through his Turner Foundation. He launched the charitable Goodwill Games and also signed The Giving Pledge, committing more than half his wealth to good deeds.
Turner is the recipient of numerous honors, including a Peabody Award and the Bower Award for Business Leadership from the Franklin Institute. He was inducted into the Cable Hall of Fame in 1999 and the Junior Achievement U.S. Business Hall of Fame in 2007. An endowed professorship at the George Washington University’s (GW) School of Media and Public Affairs is also being established in his honor, as well as the creation of the Ted Turner Exhibition Hall and Legacy Gallery at the University of Georgia
“Ted is a true industry trailblazer and his commitment to humanitarian, conservation and environmental causes is incomparable,” said Jana Henthorn, president and CEO, The Cable Center. “We are delighted to honor him with this year’s Bresnan Award.”
The Bresnan Ethics in Business Award was created to honor outstanding men and women in the cable industry who best exemplify Bill Bresnan’s longstanding commitment to ethics in business, and demonstrating societal, community, and philanthropic engagement.
The 23rd annual Cable Hall of Fame will be held on April 29, 2021, in New York City at the Ziegfeld Ballroom. Since 1998, 140 luminaries have been inducted into the Cable Hall of Fame. For more information on the celebration and to secure sponsorships, visit www.cablehalloffame.com or call 720.502.7513.
About The Cable Center
The Cable Center is an educational nonprofit organization serving the broadband, media, and telecommunications industry. We tell the story of the cable industry, highlighting for the global community the significant contributions made to technology, society, and culture. With our focus on intrapreneurship, we connect people and ideas to advance innovation. Based in Denver, Colorado, The Cable Center is the home of the Cable Hall of Fame, recognizing individuals for their outstanding contributions to the industry’s progress; and the Barco Library, the world’s largest collection of cable-related information and resources. Visit www.syndeoinstitute.org for more information.
About The Cable Hall of Fame Celebration
The industry’s best networking event, the Cable Hall of Fame honors those in media who have made a lasting contribution to the advancement of the industry. The official Cable Hall of Fame hashtag is #CableHOF and event Twitter handle is @CableHOF. For more information, visit www.cablehalloffame.com or call 720.502.7513.
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For more information, contact:
Geneva Rodriguez, Syndeo Institute
Email: grodriguez@cablecenter.org | Office: 720.502.7533
