What was the first 24-hour news station?

The answer is: CNN

Ted Turner launched CNN on June 1, 1980, with these bold words: "We won't be signing off until the world ends." Many industry experts called it "Chicken Noodle News" and predicted failure within months. Who would watch news at 3 AM? Turner sold off his properties and leveraged everything to spend nearly $20 million starting the network.

Early CNN looked nothing like today's slick operation. The first broadcast opened with husband-wife team David Walker and Lois Hart. Broadcasting from a converted country club in Atlanta, anchors shared a single desk. The weather department consisted of a single meteorologist with a marker board. When news was slow, they filled time with extended interviews and feature stories.

At launch, CNN was carried in just 1.7 million homes, well below what was needed to cover operating costs. But Turner remained unfazed, telling his staff: "We're in this for the long haul." The network proved its worth during the 1981 assassination attempt on President Reagan. CBS, NBC, and ABC had ended their coverage, but CNN stayed live for hours, becoming the only source for continuous updates.

Suddenly, "Chicken Noodle News" didn't seem so foolish. Cable operators who had rejected CNN began calling to add the channel. By 1984, you could find CNN in over 33 million homes. Turner's gamble paid off, forever changing how we experience breaking news.