Profile: R.E. 'Ted' Turner

Turner has made a bid for Russia's independent television network NTV

* Born Robert Edward Turner III, November 19, 1938, in Cincinnati, Ohio

* Graduate of Brown University

* Married three times, five children. In 1991 wed actress Jane Fonda -- now separated.

* Began career as account executive with father's Turner Advertising Company, selling roadside billboards

* Became president and chief operating officer of the Turner business in 1963 following his father's death

REFERENCE NTV: Russian media battle   •  Putin accused of NTV plot   •  Who owns what in Russia's media   •  Shrinking free media   •  Timeline of events   •  NTV fact file   •  Gazprom fact file   •  VIDEO: Vladimir Guskinsky interview   •  Profile: Boris Jordan   •  Profile: Yevgeny Kiselyov   •  Profile: Ted Turner   •  Profile: Vladimir Gusinsky

* Purchased Atlanta TV station in 1970

* Purchased Atlanta Braves professional baseball team in 1976

* Purchased Atlanta Hawks professional basketball team in 1977

* Won America's Cup yacht race in 1977 with his vessel Courageous

* Founded CNN in 1980

* Other business ventures include the creation of "Superstation" TBS (1976) and Goodwill Games (1985), purchase of MGM film library (1986), and creation of Cartoon Network (1992)

* Named TIME Man of the Year in 1991

* President of Turner Foundation, which addresses population and environmental issues

* Pledged $1 billion gift to United Nations in 1997; U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan called Turner a "world citizen extraordinaire"

* Became vice chairman of Time Warner in October 1996 with the merger of Time Warner and Turner Broadcasting System

* Became vice chairman and senior adviser of AOL Time Warner following AOL's purchase of Time Warner in 2001.

Ted Turner signs NTV deal
April 4, 2001

AOL Time Warner

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