A chilling video intended to air on CNN in the event of the apocalypse has resurfaced following the death of the network's founder, Ted Turner. Turner passed away at the age of 87 on Wednesday, as confirmed by the network.
The Doomsday Tape
The 53-second clip was originally brought to light in 2015, when Turner revealed that CNN would broadcast continuously until the end of the world. The footage has now reappeared across social media as news of Turner's death spread. It is believed that Turner created this segment to be played as the cable channel signed off for the final time.
The video, which would supposedly be shown to the last viewers, is a minute-long rendition of the 19th-century hymn 'Nearer My God, to Thee,' performed by the Armed Forces marching bands. It is stored in CNN's MIRA archives, having been produced in the 1980s. The file is reportedly kept alongside bold red letters reading: 'HFR (hold for release) till end of the world confirmed.'
Discovery of the Footage
Michael Ballaban, an intern in 2009 for Wolf Blitzer's program Situation Room, recounted in 2015 that he first learned of the video from a college professor who had worked at CNN for two decades. According to an article he wrote for Jalopnik, the clip appeared in a database when he searched for 'Turner Doomsday Video.' He managed to obtain the footage and posted it online.
Rumors of the doomsday tape's existence have circulated for over 25 years. In 1988, it was mentioned in The New Yorker, and as recently as 2001 in the New York Daily News.
Turner's Vision
Ted Turner explained to The New Yorker: 'Normally, when a TV station begins and ends the broadcast day, it signs on and off by playing the National Anthem. But with CNN—a 24-hour-a-day channel—we would only sign off once, and I knew what that would mean. So we got the combined Armed Forces marching bands together—the Army, Navy, Marine, and Air Force bands—and took them out to the old CNN headquarters, and we had them practice the National Anthem for a videotaping. Then, as things cranked up, I asked if they'd play 'Nearer My God, to Thee' to put on videotape just in case the world ever came to an end. That would be the last thing CNN played before we—before we signed off.'
He added: 'I can't watch this without getting tears in my eyes. I keep this tape around because when the world ends, it'll be over before we can say what we wanted to say. Before we can leave any final messages.'
Legacy of Ted Turner
Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in November 1938, Turner took over a struggling family billboard business after his father's suicide and transformed it into a media empire. He launched his television career by purchasing several radio stations and a struggling Atlanta station in 1970. Within ten years, he turned the channel around and used the profits to launch CNN in 1980—the first 24-hour cable news channel.
CNN quickly gained traction in the United States and internationally, becoming a key news source during the Persian Gulf War in the early 1990s. The channel's success inspired the creation of other 24-hour news networks, including Fox News. Turner was named Time magazine's Man of the Year in 1991 for CNN's live coverage of current events.
Turner's media empire also included several cable and satellite sports stations, and he owned the Atlanta Braves for decades. He was married to Hollywood star Jane Fonda from 1991 to 2001 and had four children. Nicknamed 'the Mouth of the South' for his outspokenness, Turner left the Time Warner board in 2006. He suffered from Lewy body dementia, though no cause of death was given.
CNN Worldwide CEO Mark Thompson acknowledged Turner's death in a statement: 'He was and always will be the presiding spirit of CNN. Ted is the giant on whose shoulders we stand, and we will all take a moment today to recognize him and his impact on our lives and the world.' Thompson also described Turner as an 'intensely involved and committed leader, intrepid, fearless, and always willing to back a hunch and trust his own judgment.'
