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Monday, July 7, 2008
Ted Turner, Murdoch have ‘buried the hatchet’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Arch rivals in the media world — Ted Turner and Rupert Murdoch — are no longer at war.
When Murdoch announced that he was going “green” with his media empire by buying carbon offsets and instituting stronger environmental practices, Turner sent Murdoch a letter.
‘I had to congratulate him for it,” Turner told a luncheon crowd today at Atlanta’s Rotary Club. “Not many people take the time to write letters any more. I haven’t sent George Bush many notes.”
When Murdoch received Turner’s letter, he reached out to Turner and invited him to lunch, which happened a couple of months ago.
“I have buried the hatchet with him so I’m officially not at war with anybody,” Turner said.
Turner and Murdoch had been arch rivals with major philosophical differences.
Turner ran CNN, a 24-hour cable news network that some critics have said has a liberal bent, but one that Turner saw as a channel to increase global understanding.
Murdoch started Fox News, also a 24-hour cable news network, that often provided a conservative slant on its channel and described itself as a fair and balanced source of information.
Their competition did get personal. But as Murdoch’s empire grew (it now includes the Wall Street Journal), Turner lost control of Turner Broadcasting System and CNN after the acquisition by Time-Warner and merger with AOL.
At today’s lunch, Turner was asked what he would do differently if he was still running CNN.
“I would make Lou Dobbs shut up,” Turner quickly responded. After he thought about it some more, Turner said: “They don’t run as much international news as I’d like.” He also said the news is “lighter” and more “frivolous.”
Turner did say he misses the sports scores on the ticker of Headline News. And then he acknowledged: “I’m an old fuddy duddy now.”
As has become customary in his talks, Turner mentioned his estrangement with Time Warner. He got quite a laugh when he said: “A Time Man of the Year (Turner) got let go by Time.”
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What should we do to strengthen our megaregion?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Shifts in population are contributing to the emergence of megaregions.
We are no exception. Metro Atlanta is part of the Piedmont-Atlantic Megaregion, which links Raleigh-Durham, Charlotte and Birmingham. Our megaregion actually includes areas in six states that form a common economic and commercial center.
Urban experts believe the economic viability of the world’s megaregions will be critical in the age of global competition.
So what can we do to make sure our own Piedmont-Atlantic Megaregion is globally competitive?
How can we work with our neighboring states to adopt policies that foster sustainable growth?
What is the role of the federal government in encouraging such growth in our megaregion?
