On June 1, 1980, television (see entry under 1940s—TV and Radio in volume 3) journalism was changed forever with the premiere of the Cable News Network (CNN). Ted Turner (1938—), a flamboyant Southern businessman and sportsman, founded the twenty-four-hour cable-news service on the belief that the growing cable-TV (see entry under 1970s—TV and Radio in volume 4) audience would support an all-news channel. Most in the mainstream media predicted the enterprise was doomed to failure and labeled Turner's creation the "Chicken Noodle Network." However, Turner proved his detractors wrong, and CNN emerged as one of the most influential and important networks in television history.

It is estimated that approximately fifteen million Americans watch CNN at least once a day. That number of viewers further increases if CNN's foreign viewership is included. The network's main attraction is the immediate and continuous coverage of the day's most important events that it offers its...