for expansion was coming to an end. A $40 million
divorce payout was another setback for Turner.
Impact Turner transformed cable television from
a media sideshow into a powerful factor in news and
entertainment. Of all his endeavors, CNN revolu-
tionized the way people get their news. In the wake
of the network’s success, a continuing controversy
arose over the pros and cons of twenty-four-hour
news. One highlight was CNN’s coverage of the space
shuttleChallengerexplosion in January, 1986. Broad-
cast networks no longer covered shuttle launches,
but CNN was there, providing an anguished nation
with all the tragic details. A network dedicated solely
to news was better equipped to cover breaking sto-
ries.
However, twenty-four-hour news was criticized,
because, in the rush to cover such breaking news, ru-
mor and speculation could taint the quality of jour-
nalism. Moreover, because twenty-four-hour news
networks require far more content than do tradi-
tional network news programs, they were more likely
to cover sensational and other marginally newswor-
thy events in order to fill airtime. They were also
more likely to overdramatize minor developments
in ongoing stories, in order to keep those stories
fresh. For better or for worse, however, the model
first popularized by CNN became common, and
the nature of television journalism was permanently
changed.
Further Reading
Evans, Harold.They Made America. New York: Little,
Brown, 2004.
Hack, Richard.Clash of the Titans. Beverly Hills,
Calif.: New Millennium Press, 2003.
Michael Polley
See also Business and the economy in the United
States; CNN; Goodwill Games of 1986; Journalism;
Sports; Television.
Turner, Tina
Identification American rock-and-roll singer
Born November 26, 1939; Nutbush, Tennessee
The phenomenal success of her musical career at age forty-
five and beyond made Turner a legend and changed public
perceptions of middle-aged women.
By 1980 and age forty, Tina had divorced Ike Turner,
ending nearly two decades of violent abuse. The di-
vorce settlement left Tina with no money, but it al-
lowed her to keep the name given to her by her ex-
husband to form the Ike and Tina Turner Revue.
Once enjoying moderate fame and relative wealth as
part of this duo, Tina Turner entered the 1980’s
nearly broke and struggling to regain credibility.
Acquiring a new manager and updating her ward-
robe and hairstyle, Turner toured Europe to wel-
coming crowds. In the summer of 1981, she was in-
vited to entertain at New York City’s Ritz nightclub.
Turner’s new persona and natural talent were a sur-
prising success. Her startling and unusual appear-
ance, a legacy of mixed African and Native American
ancestry, combined with a modern, high-voltage vi-
tality and spirituality, made Turner unique in con-
temporary American popular music. In 1983, she
was again invited to perform at the Ritz. Her showThe Eighties in America Turner, Tina 991
Tina Turner performs in 1988.(Hulton Archive/Getty Im-
ages)