Call Me Ted » (Bargain)

"Early to bed, early to rise, work like hell and advertise!"

These words of fatherly advice helped shape Ted Turner's remarkable life, but they only begin to explain the colorful, energetic, and unique style that has made Ted into one of the most amazing business executives of our time. Along the way - among his numerous accomplishments — Ted became one of the richest men in the world, the largest land owner in the United States, revolutionized the television business with the creation of TBS and CNN, became a champion sailor and winner of the America's Cup, and took home a World Series championship trophy in 1995 as owner of the Atlanta Braves.
An innovative entrepreneur, outspoken nonconformist, and groundbreaking philanthropist, Ted Turner is truly a living legend, and now, for the first time, he reveals his personal story. From his difficult childhood to the successful launch of his media empire to the catastrophic AOL/Time Warner deal, Turner spares no details or feelings and takes the reader along on a wild and sometimes bumpy ride.
You'll also hear Ted's personal take on how we can save the world...share his experiences in the dugout on the day when he appointed himself as manager of the Atlanta Braves....learn how he almost lost his life in the 1979 Fastnet sailing race (but came out the winner)...and discover surprising details about his dealings with Fidel Castro, Mikhail Gorbachev, Jimmy Carter, Bill Gates, Jack Welch, Warren Buffett, and many more of the most influential people of the past half century.
Ted also doesn't shrink from the darker and more intimate details of his life. With his usual frankness, he discusses a childhood of loneliness (he was left at a boarding school by his parents at the tender age of four), and the emotional impact of devastating losses (Ted's beloved sister died at seventeen and his hard-charging father committed suicide when Ted was still in his early twenties). Turner is also forthcoming about his marriages, including the one to Oscar-winning actress, Jane Fonda.
Along the way, Ted's friends, colleagues, and family are equally revealing in their unique "Ted Stories" which are peppered throughout the book. Jane Fonda, especially, provides intriguing insights into Ted's inner drive and character.
In CALL ME TED, you'll hear Ted Turner's distinctive voice on every page. Always forthright, he tells you what makes him tick and what ticks him off, and delivers an honest account of what he's all about. Inspiring and entertaining, CALL ME TED sheds new light on one of the greatest visionaries of our time.

Publishers Weekly

Turner's straightforward yet surprisingly charming delivery makes this a must-hear. Famous for his triumphs (defending the America's Cup; creating CNN; marrying Jane Fonda; buying the Atlanta Braves; starting the Goodwill Games; donating $1 billion to the U.N.), it's the telling in his own voice of his life's tragedies (his father's suicide; the protracted, painful death of his beloved only sibling; the failure of three marriages; his ouster from CNN) that is not only riveting, but proves that it's possible to feel sorry for the country's largest landowner. "Ted Stories"-short entries contributed by friends and foes alike and read ably by Nick Sullivan, Richmond Hoxie, Sherman Howard and Maggie-Meg Reed - vary from the comedic (an up-tempo rendition of a Brown classmate's piece, "We Didn't Know Shit") to being so beautifully written and recited as to bring tears (Fonda's two essays). There's also an audiobook bonus: a conversation between Wolf Blitzer and his former CNN boss. A Grand Central hardcover (Reviews, Nov. 10). (Oct.)

Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

1 Early Years 1

2 McCallie 11

3 College and the Coast Guard 23

4 Billboards 41

5 Tragedy 53

6 Picking Up the Pieces 59

7 On My Own 67

8 Sailing Gets Serious 79

9 WTCG: "Watch This Channel Grow!" 91

10 The Braves 109

11 The SuperStation 125

12 The America's Cup 145

13 Cable News Network 159

14 Fastnet 169

15 CNN Launch 181

16 A Dagger Pointed at Our Heart 191

17 World Citizen 207

18 The Goodwill Games 215

19 CBS 223

20 MGM 237

21 The Cable Operators 249

22 Meeting Jane Fonda 259

23 "Give Me Land, Lots of Land" 269

24 The Gulf War 277

25 Movies and Cartoons 289

26 Networking 303

27 Time Warner Merger 315

28 The New Time Warner 327

29 Billion-Dollar Gift 343

30 Transitions 355

31 AOL: Phased Out and Fenced In 367

32 Stepping Away 383

33 Onward and Upward 399

Appendix 415

Index 419