I first met Ted Turner in 1998, when I began what became a twenty-five-year career at CNN as a foreign correspondent and anchor. My husband Kim still works there and remembers the early days, when Ted would wander into the newsroom wearing a bathrobe because he lived upstairs in the penthouse at CNN Center.

Ted’s office was guarded by a giant taxidermied lion he’d shot in Botswana. He once asked a room full of confused international journalists whether they liked “sex,” before proudly clarifying that yes, he meant actual sex with Jane Fonda.

Completely inappropriate. Completely chaotic. Also one of the men who invented modern television news.

This week on Searching for America, I remember the pirate-ship era of CNN, when journalists disappeared into war zones for weeks, Atlanta ran the global news business, and reporters were trusted to chase stories instead of managing Slack messages and compliance training.

It’s an obituary for Ted Turner, but also for the wild old journalism culture he built.

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More about Robyn's public speaking
Robyn Curnow is a sought-after public speaker on what it takes to create positive leadership in complicated times. As a South African now living in the American South, Robyn is determined to bring a hopeful and light-hearted tone to all conversations.

She reflects on her interviews with U.S. Presidents Bush, Clinton and Carter and First Lady Michelle Obama. She has impactful stories of working alongside Nobel Peace Prize Lauretes Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu

She has delivered talks and hosted events around the Blue Economy in the Principality of Monaco where she introduced Prince Albert of Monaco and Prince William, Prince of Wales and French President Emmanuel Macron, the Lincoln Centre in New York, the Science Museum in London, the Swedish Royal Palace in Stockholm, the YPO annual conference in Cape Town, the United Nations, a Haaretz newspaper panel in Jerusalem, the Nantucket Yacht club and many more.

She has recently worked with Prince Albert II Foundation in Monaco and Philadelphia, the Swedish royal family in Stockholm, Made by Dyslexia in London, the Red Cross of Georgia in Atlanta alongside Delta Airlines.

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I went to a BTS concert in Tampa expecting to chaperone my daughter. Instead, I found myself inside something much bigger.

This is not just a boy band. It is a global system built from the ground up—powered by fans who translate, organize, and decide what matters before the mainstream catches up.

Why are so many of these fans Latina and Black girls? What does K-pop reveal about class, identity, and belonging in America? And what does it mean when soft power no longer comes from Washington, but from Seoul?

This episode is about music, yes—but it is really about how culture moves now, and who gets to shape it.

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http://robyncurnow.substack.com

More on Robyn - http://robyncurnow.net

• Got a great idea for an episode? Drop Robyn a message here with the subject line PODCAST IDEA
  Subscribe to Robyn's Substack.
• Visit her website here.
• To book Robyn to speak at your event, get in touch here.

More about Robyn's public speaking
Robyn Curnow is a sought-after public speaker on what it takes to create positive leadership in complicated times. As a South African now living in the American South, Robyn is determined to bring a hopeful and light-hearted tone to all conversations.

She reflects on her interviews with U.S. Presidents Bush, Clinton and Carter and First Lady Michelle Obama. She has impactful stories of working alongside Nobel Peace Prize Lauretes Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu

She has delivered talks and hosted events around the Blue Economy in the Principality of Monaco where she introduced Prince Albert of Monaco and Prince William, Prince of Wales and French President Emmanuel Macron, the Lincoln Centre in New York, the Science Museum in London, the Swedish Royal Palace in Stockholm, the YPO annual conference in Cape Town, the United Nations, a Haaretz newspaper panel in Jerusalem, the Nantucket Yacht club and many more.

She has recently worked with Prince Albert II Foundation in Monaco and Philadelphia, the Swedish royal family in Stockholm, Made by Dyslexia in London, the Red Cross of Georgia in Atlanta alongside Delta Airlines.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

I went to a baseball game in Atlanta this week and, thanks to a corporate perk, found myself in some of the best seats in the stadium. Right behind the catcher.

Which sounds ideal.

Close enough to hear the players. Close enough to see the grip on the ball. Close enough to feel like you really understand what’s going on.

Except… I didn’t.

When the Braves hit a home run, I had to look up at the jumbotron to see where the ball actually went. I had the best seat in the house and still missed the play.

Which felt uncomfortably familiar.

Because this is a bit like how we follow politics. Especially right now.

From Washington to Iran, we are flooded with updates, analysis, hot takes, and people who sound extremely confident about what is happening. We’re close to the noise. The statements. The drama. The personalities.

But that doesn’t always mean we can see the full field.

In this episode of Searching for America, I use a slightly confused night at a baseball game (I’m still not entirely sure what “bases loaded” really means) to think about perspective, power, and why sometimes the smartest move is to step back.

Or at least… go get a pretzel and come back next inning.

It’s a short reflection on how America sees itself, how the world sees America, and why the view depends so much on where you’re sitting.

And if all else fails, there’s always the jumbotron.

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More on Robyn Curnow http://robyncurnow.net

• Got a great idea for an episode? Drop Robyn a message here with the subject line PODCAST IDEA
  Subscribe to Robyn's Substack.
• Visit her website here.
• To book Robyn to speak at your event, get in touch here.

More about Robyn's public speaking
Robyn Curnow is a sought-after public speaker on what it takes to create positive leadership in complicated times. As a South African now living in the American South, Robyn is determined to bring a hopeful and light-hearted tone to all conversations.

She reflects on her interviews with U.S. Presidents Bush, Clinton and Carter and First Lady Michelle Obama. She has impactful stories of working alongside Nobel Peace Prize Lauretes Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu

She has delivered talks and hosted events around the Blue Economy in the Principality of Monaco where she introduced Prince Albert of Monaco and Prince William, Prince of Wales and French President Emmanuel Macron, the Lincoln Centre in New York, the Science Museum in London, the Swedish Royal Palace in Stockholm, the YPO annual conference in Cape Town, the United Nations, a Haaretz newspaper panel in Jerusalem, the Nantucket Yacht club and many more.

She has recently worked with Prince Albert II Foundation in Monaco and Philadelphia, the Swedish royal family in Stockholm, Made by Dyslexia in London, the Red Cross of Georgia in Atlanta alongside Delta Airlines.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.