By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk
BOSTON – In memory of media mogul – the late, great Ted Turner – the one time owner of the Atlanta Braves and SuperStation TBS, tonight’s Braves vs. Boston Red Sox is dedicated to the legion of fans created when Turner decided to launch his SuperStation and place his Braves games on every cable television household in America.
For the youngsters in the group, back in the days of black and white television, there were 13 slots for television channels and a number of them went unused. There were three networks with national programming (ABC, CBS, and NBC). In each local market, there were a handful of others. As an example, in New York, there was Channel 5 (Metromedia, as FOX TV was yet to be a thing), then WOR TV – Channel 9 (which carried the Mets, Knicks and NHL Rangers), WPIX-TV 11 (which carried the Yankees), and Public Broadcasting, Channel 13.
When Cable TV first made its way through suburban and city households and apartments, the channel selection increased to a maximum of 33 slots, many were used by teletype messaging and music, as broadcasters had yet to adjust to the new availability and the eventuality that one day, there’d be an unlimited universe of cable tv channels.
Home Box Office (HBO) was an early adapter and with it came first run movies and some sports. HBO launched on November 8, 1972 with a New York Rangers vs Vancouver Canucks game, live from Madison Square Garden. By 1980, HBO launched Cinemax and the whole concept of premium channels to headline “basic cable” came about.
Turner was smart enough to grab a slot on basic cable and the larger number of households it served. The Braves and, to some extent, the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks, became regular programming in homes all over the United States. With that exposure, Turner created his SuperStation, a golden opportunity for advertisers and, little did we know – fans – all over the States.
Of course, along with the Superstation came a little gem called Cable News Network – “CNN” – and then CNN Headline News, TNT, and a host of other channels which originated in Turner’s burgeoning Techwood Drive and Peachtree Street studios in Atlanta. Along with the multitude of programming, along came “man’s best friend,” the remote control. (In fact, we lovingly call our remote control, “Ted,” as in … “Can you please pass “Ted” over to me?”
With all of that as background, let us examine the crowd at Fenway Park for tonight, the second game of a three-game series between the Red Sox and Braves.
Fenway is packed with Braves fans. In some cases, there might be three generations of Braves fans in the groups, and most of them are not from Georgia. Braves fans are everywhere. The oldsters can be identified because of their Greg Maddux or Chipper Jones uniforms and sometimes you might even see a Henry Aaron or Rico Carty replica. Then come the John Smoltz or Phil Niekro uniforms, and don’t forget Dale Murphy and Andruw Jones.
It all added up to national fandom, and to a great degree, the Braves earned the respect and admiration of their massive fanbase. The Braves posted 14 consecutive divisional crowns, and a couple World Series banners, to boot.
The Braves’ faithful enjoyed the series opener, an exciting 7-6 Braves’ win on Tuesday night at Fenway.
On Wednesday, maybe the TV audience changed channels to TruTV for the Carolina vs Montreal NHL Stanley Cup Playoff game? If they stayed for the Red Sox game, the fans would’ve seen Boston’s biggest inning at Fenway since a September 14, 2025 opening stanza against the New York Yankees.
In the bottom of the 4th inning, the Sox bats awoke. The outburst, combined with a stellar effort by Boston starter Connelly Early, resulted in an 8-0 Red Sox win on Wednesday night.
Base hits, walks, a couple Braves’ errors, a wild pitch, a stolen base and three consecutive singles by Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu placed six runs on the scoreboard, five of them earned and the barrage sent Atlanta starter Bryce Elder packing before reliever Dylan Dodd walked to the mound to ease the pain. Elder lasted only 3.1 innings and gave up nine hits.
On the flip side, Boston’s promising pitcher, Early, tossed seven innings of scoreless baseball, allowing only four hits with three walks. He struck out seven Atlanta batters and threw an efficient 97 pitches of which 65 were strikes. He earned his fifth win of the season (5-2).
The Braves and their fans will live to see another game, a Thursday afternoon rubber-game with a 4:10pm EDT start. Braves’ pitcher Chris Sale, the former Red Sox ace, will face Boston rookie lefty, Payton Tolle (2-2, 2.45 ERA). Braves fans will flock to Fenway, once again, while others tune-in on Braves Vision rather than TBS, as there’s been a lot of chance since the 1970s when SuperStations were king and Braves owner, Ted Turner, owned the throne.
Editor’s Note:
Ted Turner, the founder of CNN and a pioneering figure in the media industry, passed away on May 6, 2026, at the age of 87. His death marked the end of a remarkable career that transformed how news is consumed and established Atlanta as a media hub.
Early Life and Career
Birth: November 19, 1938, in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Education: Attended Brown University and served in the U.S. Coast Guard.
Business Beginnings: Took over his father’s billboard company after his father’s death in 1963.
Media Innovations
Turner Broadcasting System: Launched in 1970 with the purchase of a UHF station, which became TBS.
CNN: Founded on June 1, 1980, as the first 24-hour news channel, revolutionizing news broadcasting.
Contributions and Achievements
Sports Ownership: Acquired the Atlanta Braves in 1976 and the Atlanta Hawks in 1977, significantly impacting Atlanta’s sports culture.
Philanthropy: Donated over $1 billion to various causes, including the United Nations Foundation and environmental initiatives.