Back around 1980, Ted Turner was caused a bit of a stir by creating a superstation in the form of Channel 17 in Atlanta. He bounced it off a satellite so that cable systems across the nation. That idea bloomed a bit when Turner bought the Atlanta Braves baseball team. Therefore, Braves' baseball was available in a lot of places that didn't have a nearby team - so fans developed there. If you went to parts of Montana, bars would advertise "Braves Baseball Tonight."
From there, it was time to think globally. Turner and a partner decided to create a 24-hour news channel - a huge innovation in the TV business. CNN signed on at 5 p.m. on June 1, 1980. Turner's empire expanded from there. Originally, much of the actual broadcasting was done out of Atlanta ... although the bureaus in New York and Washington did plenty of work as well. CNN became a well-known part of the Atlanta business scene.
Eventually, Turner sold the business, and ownership has bounced around a bit. But without Ted at the control, the need to keep the business in Atlanta lessened.
But the signs of CNN remain, at least as of the spring of 2023. This one is just down the block from the State Farm Arena.
Here's a video on the relatively early history of the business:
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