Asked About CNN's Future, Ted Turner Utters a Loud Sputter

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Asked at the National Press Club's luncheon on Monday “what do you see as the future vision for CNN now that Fox is gaining in market share and popularity?”, CNN founder Ted Turner leaned into the microphone and, prompting laughter and applause, produced a loud sputtering sound as he blew air through his lips with his tongue sticking out slightly -- aka "blowing a raspberry" or issuing a "Bronx cheer." Then, seemingly retreating from his apparent disparagement of CNN, Turner confusingly tried to clarify: “It's not the same. Fox is a different animal [pause]. Listen, you know, the right-wingers have every right to have a network of their own and they've got one.”

Video clip (35 seconds): Real (1 MB) or Windows Media (1.2 MB), plus MP3 audio (200 KB)

The MRC's Brad Wilmouth, pointing to a Wikipedia page, suggested Turner's verbal efforts match the definition of "blowing a raspberry" or a "Bronx cheer," ie: "Blowing a raspberry or making a Bronx cheer is to make a noise made to signify derision, made by sticking out the tongue between the lips and blowing to make a sound reminiscent of flatulence."

National Press Club President Jonathan Salant, of Bloomberg News, posed the question from a member of the audience at the hour-long October 9 session, carried by C-SPAN2, at which Turner appeared to promote the United Nations Foundation.