The End of the World as He Knew It

"In 1980, in the run-up to the launch of CNN-in the days when 24-hour news cycle was a pipe dream, and something of a joke-the future mogul commissioned a segment to be aired in the case of environmental disaster, nuclear holocaust, or a similar Armageddon. CNN's "Doomsday video," as it is commonly known, has existed, over the years, less as a piece of content than as a piece of lore, a production first rumored and then leaked and now existing, for the most part, as a series of grainy screenshots and short clips."

"Its main feature, though, is a soundtrack-a military band playing "Nearer My God to Thee," in a purposeful callback to the musicians of the Titanic who chose, in their final moments, the melody's quiet dignity. The segment suggests resignation: The network, too, is prepared to go down with the ship. It is also insistent, and a bit cocky. It assumes that humanity will end not with a bang or a whimper, but with one last spectacle, offered up by CNN."

"Turner died yesterday at the age of 87, having found a form of vindication: His vision became an empire. He was an icon in a classically American mold-an industrialist in the manner of Andrew Carnegie, a showman in the manner of P. T. Barnum. And the Doomsday tape is a testament to his place in that firmament. CNN would be so enduring that it would pay witness to the very last, turning the ultimate breaking-news story into a eulogy for civilization itself."

"Confronting apocalypse, the network would also make it telegenic. "We will cover the end of the world, live," Turner said at the time, a brash promise that, in hindsight, could be read as an omen. Today, 24-hour news cycle is nearly a slur, a metonym for a media environment that prizes the outrageous and the merely outraged."

In 1980, Ted Turner commissioned a segment for CNN to be aired in the event of environmental disaster, nuclear holocaust, or similar catastrophe. The “Doomsday video” became widely known as lore, first rumored, then leaked, and later existing mainly through grainy screenshots and short clips. Its central element is a military band playing “Nearer My God to Thee,” echoing the Titanic musicians’ choice of the melody in their final moments. The segment portrays resignation while also projecting confidence, suggesting humanity would end with a final CNN spectacle. Turner’s later success turned the vision into a lasting media empire.

Read at The Atlantic