Happy Birthday, CNN!

Count me among the skeptics when Ted Turner announced plans to create an
all-news television network. But, just like those who said "Jimmy who is running for what?" when Jimmy Carter announced he was going to run for president - we turned out to be so wrong.

Turner's Cable News Network celebrated its 25th anniversary this week.

CNN went on the air June 1 1980 - and the world and the world of
news has never been the same.

With CNN, us news junkies could get our "fix" 24/7.

In those early days, CNN had to fight for inclusion on most cable TV
systems - just a most fledgling networks do. It also had to go to court to get White House press credentials. But, soon it had its feet firmly planted on the ground and was off and running.

CNN was there when the Challenger blew up; when President Reagan made
his "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" speech; when the Berlin wall
did, indeed, finally come down; as the nation watched hours on end as
rescuers tried frantically to reach and rescue a little girl named Jessica who
had fallen down an old well in Texas (she survived, inc case you've forgotten); for the demostrations and eath in Tiananmen Square; and, of course, when the bombs started falling in Baghdad the first time - and the Baghdad boys reported from that hotel
in the Iraqi capital.

CNN brought us wall-to-wall coverage of major news events that, in most cases, the broadcast networks would have covered with only snippets on the evening news.

So successful was it that it soon spawned competitors - the FOX News Channel and MSNBC, among them. In fact, in recent years, FOX has become the ratings leader among the all-news channels, with CNN second and MSNBC a distant third.

Oh, its had its share of bumps along the way. What news organization, large or small, has not. But, CNN lives - and so does FOX and MSNBC.

And, we have a determined and pioneering Atlanta businessman to thank
for it.

So, Happy Birthday CNN - and thanks, Ted Turner.

Ken Stanford is the news director for radio stations WDUN AM 550, SPORTS RADIO 1240 THE TICKET and MAJIC 1029 and serves as editor of Accessnorthga.com.