The Improbable Success of CNN in the 1980s

People in the industry said it wouldn't even last six months... but somehow, CNN, a station devoted to the unorthodox concept of 24-hour news, not only survived, but changed the face of cable TV in the 80s.

This is part 2 of a three-part mini-series looking back at the rapidly changing world of television in the 1980s. In this episode, we look at another huge risk by Ted Turner, and the technical mountain that needed to be climbed to make CNN happen.

The improbable rise of CNN in the 80s not only changed the way we consumed media and news, but it also laid the groundwork for many of the other speciality cable channels that dominated TV viewing in the 80s.