Did Society Die With Ted Turner?

Ted Turner died at the age of 87. Anyone under 50 may not know who he was — or care. I mourn today, not so much the loss of Turner, though I admired him in his heyday, but how his death marks the expiration of an era. Society is dismissing its past and the future will be just as unkind when it reflects upon us.

The terms, people, events, and references associated with his career peek are becoming outdated, dead, obscure, and irrelevant. As the years go by, fewer people will remember or care about him, and the context in which he thrived will also be lost. It is so weird to live long enough to see how someone once so significant and popular is reduced to shrugs and blank stares by the masses. It is a little like being the prom queen in high school, only to be a nobody before you hit age 30.

Some names endure the test of time: Babe Ruth, Albert Einstein, Beethoven, Ben Franklin, George Washington, Jesus, Cleopatra, Rosa Parks, and Harriet Tubman. But most people, regardless of their accomplishments or popularity, are a footnote by the time two or three generations pass after their death. The world changes too much, and so many more stars, villains and heroes, inventors, and politicians come and go. Who can keep track?

Turner, by the way, was at one time, for a few decades, one of the most popular, powerful, and richest people in America and the world. He founded the first all-news, 24-hour news network, CNN, and rewrote the news media landscape, influencing politics, finance, sports, and culture. His mega-network, TBS, changed television. His colorization of classic movies was also controversial. He owned a Major League Baseball team (Atlanta Braves), won America's Cup (sailing), launched a chain of steakhouses (Ted's Montana Grill), and was a big rancher and conservationist, and owned over two million acres of land in America. Oh, and he was married to Academy Award-winning actress Jane Fonda. 

Y,eah, I know, who?

In 1992, he was TIME Magazine’s man-of-the-year. I know, I know. What is TIME Magazine, you ask? See what I am saying.

Everything comes and goes. A cable-TV pioneer’s world is diminished by streaming and social media. An international media powerhouse like TIME is a shadow of itself, where so many influencers and other media outlets hold so much more power today. And CNN, once a provocative jewel that literally helped spread democracy while we witnessed it, is now a garbage wasteland of biased commentary, little news, and low ratings.

A piece of my life is already buried with Turner, and as time goes by, there will come a day where his name — and yours or mine — will not be uttered, our accomplishments to be shrugged at if even discovered, and the setting of our lives will barely be understandable. It is as if we are reading a futuristic sci-fi novel when we discuss history or Turner — both worlds lack familiarity, understanding, or appreciation.

But trust me, Turner was a big deal who helped shape the world of yesterday. And one day, his name will be spoken of no more.

Do You Need Book Marketing Help?

Brian Feinblum can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com  He is available to help authors like you to promote your story, sell your book, and grow your brand. He has over 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres. Let him be your advocate, teacher, and motivator! 

 

About Brian Feinblum

This award-winning blog has generated over 6,200,000 page views. With 5,600+ posts over the past 15 years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs  by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.”  Copyright 2026.

 

For the past three decades, Brian Feinblum has helped thousands of authors. He formed his own book publicity firm in 2020. Prior to that, for 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and as the director of publicity at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler.

 

His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully) and (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/10-things-my-dog-taught-me-about-marketing-books). He was recently interviewed by the IBPA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0BhO9m8jbs

 

He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, three times at BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association, Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, five times at Morgan James Publishing Red Carpet, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. He served as a judge for the 2024 IBPA Book Awards.

 

His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.

 

Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog.

 

You can connect with him at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum/ or https://www.facebook.com/brian.feinblum