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When the world’s first 24-hour television news network debuted on June 1, the initial channel subscribers only numbered 1.7 million, a number well below the minimum needed to cover operating costs1. Despite the rough start and financial struggles, Ted Turner and his news empire quickly became recognized as a tenacious venture, appearing with the headline "Ted Turner Shakes Up the Networks", just two years after CNN's launch on the August 9, 1982 issue of Time Magazine2.
Three years later, due to the increasing saturation of cable in homes, the number of households with access to CNN grew to over 33 million viewers; 20 percent of U.S. homes with televisions3. Now accessible by over 90 million homes in the United States and 160 million households worldwide4, CNN has become a household name and a global organization.
Initial domestic news bureaus existed in Washington DC, New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago and San Francisco5 in addition to the headquarters in Atlanta. As of 2021 CNN runs 36 editorial operations around the world with 27 bureaus outside of U.S.6
Founded by television mogul Ted Turner over four decades ago, CNN has firmly established itself as "The Most Trusted Name in News", round the clock and worldwide.
In the early days of the channel, it was called the 'Chicken Noodle Network' due to financial losses and by critics who believed the station would not last.7
Ted Turner, founder of CNN, also founded Turner Broadcasting System which has spawned a number of other popular domestic and international television stations: TBS, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Turner Classic Movies, TNT and TruTv.8
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The following titles link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to digital content are provided when available.
Built for Success: the Story of CNN by 
CNN: Making News in the Global Market by 
Inside the BBC and CNN: Managing Media Organisations by 
Me and Ted Against the World: the Unauthorized Story of the Founding of CNN by These freely available online resources provide additional information on the topic.
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