Synopsis
Me and Ted Against the World: The Unauthorized Story of the Founding of CNN by Reese Schonfeld is a vivid and candid memoir that chronicles the tumultuous creation and early years of the Cable News Network (CNN), the world’s first 24-hour news channel, launched in 1980. Schonfeld, a seasoned television journalist and the founding president of CNN, presents himself as the architect of the network’s innovative “fluid news” concept, while media mogul Ted Turner provided the financial backing and entrepreneurial audacity to bring it to life. The book, published in 2001, serves as both a behind-the-scenes account of CNN’s scrappy beginnings and a personal vendetta to reclaim Schonfeld’s legacy, which he believes was overshadowed by Turner and erased from CNN’s official history. With a mix of humor, insight, and occasional bitterness, Schonfeld recounts the triumphs, challenges, and eventual unraveling of their partnership, offering a colorful narrative filled with anecdotes about the personalities, risks, and groundbreaking decisions that reshaped global communications.
Schonfeld begins by detailing his background as a newsman with nearly 25 years of experience, including his time at United Press Movietone News and as head of the Independent Television News Association, where he honed his ability to produce news on a lean budget. In 1979, Turner, a brash cable entrepreneur known for his Atlanta-based TBS channel, approached Schonfeld to help launch a 24-hour news network, an idea many in the industry dismissed as impractical. Schonfeld convinced Turner to expand his initial 15-hour concept to a full 24-hour operation, calculating it could be done with a staff of about 300 using an all-electronic newsroom and satellite technology. The book vividly describes the chaotic, underfunded startup phase in Atlanta, where CNN’s headquarters were established to avoid high-cost union labor. Schonfeld’s vision of “fluid news”—spontaneous, unpolished, and continuous—set CNN apart from the rigid 30-minute broadcasts of the major networks, allowing it to cover breaking stories like the 1980 Titan missile explosion and provide live coverage of the presidential campaign.
The narrative captures the dynamic and often contentious partnership between Schonfeld and Turner, portrayed as an “odd couple” of broadcast news. Schonfeld, a liberal Jewish newsman from New Jersey, and Turner, a conservative Southern entrepreneur expelled from Brown University, were both control freaks who shared a disdain for authority. Schonfeld credits himself with building CNN’s initial staff by raiding talent from other networks and hiring unknowns like Katie Couric, Bernard Shaw, and Peter Arnett, while also pursuing high-profile figures like Orson Welles for a talk show (an effort that failed due to CNN’s “low-rent” status). Turner, meanwhile, secured cable distribution and funding, often by selling assets like his North Carolina station, WRET. The book highlights CNN’s creative workarounds, such as smuggling tape out of Poland during the Solidarity movement, to compete with wealthier networks. Schonfeld also details the creation of iconic programs like Crossfire, featuring Pat Buchanan and Tom Braden, which foreshadowed the opinion-driven cable news landscape.
The heart of the book lies in the unraveling of Schonfeld’s tenure at CNN, which ended in 1982 when Turner fired him after a clash over programming decisions, notably Schonfeld’s attempt to fire nighttime host Sandi Freeman, a Turner favorite. Schonfeld argues that CNN’s ratings were at their peak under his leadership, and he portrays his dismissal as a result of Turner’s ego and unwillingness to share credit. After his exit, Schonfeld watched CNN lose its brash, upstart spirit, becoming “just another network” under Time Warner’s later ownership. The book reflects on CNN’s struggles in the late 1990s, particularly after the AOL-Time Warner merger, which Schonfeld sees as a betrayal of the network’s original mission. He admits to occasional bitterness but strives for balance, acknowledging his own mistakes, such as failing to nurture Couric’s on-air potential or rejecting a tryout tape from Oprah Winfrey.
Schonfeld concludes with reflections on CNN’s lasting impact and his subsequent ventures, including founding News 12 Long Island and the Food Network. The book is both a celebration of CNN’s revolutionary beginnings and a lament for its evolution into a corporate entity. Written with engaging prose and packed with revealing anecdotes, it appeals to media enthusiasts and those interested in the intersection of journalism and business. While critics note Schonfeld’s bias and occasional lack of chronological clarity, the memoir remains a compelling insider’s account of a media milestone, offering a critical perspective on the challenges of maintaining a visionary startup in the face of corporate and personal conflicts.