Rating: 
Summary: i got lost in another mans fantasies
Review: It is rare that people actually truely find what they want to do. Dick Schofield did. This book recites all of the excitement of a new upstart idea turning into reality. As quircky as Ted Turner was, the new staff was nothing short of a creative miracle. This book tracks the rise and fall of CNN. Some of the best stories were how with a smaller budget and less assets that CNN endlessly found workarounds which screwed over the larger networks. I actually read this while I was in a makeshift navy jail, and it did more than just pass the time.
Rating:
Summary: How a Guerilla Journalist Changed the World
Review: Me and Ted Against the World should be required reading, not just for journalism students and those interested in news and public affairs, it should be on the must-read list for everyone who loves a good tale, well written. It tells two distinct stories: one, how the good guys won; and two, how the not-so-good guys screwed up. The teller of the tales is the world's foremost guerilla journalist, Reese Schonfeld. His background, he had bumped heads with the network news establishment at United Press Movietone News and as founder of the Independent Television News Association, made him the only person on the planet with the capability of implementing the then revolutionary idea of an around the clock television news channel. What he needed was a conspirator, another revolutionary who could come up with the money and sell the concept. Enter Ted Turner. They joined forces and together they changed the world; not just the television world, the entire world. Diplomacy, warfare, commerce and culture are all vastly different entities as a result of CNN and others like it which have come along since. The story of how they succeeded, Turner as Mr. Outside, the deal maker promoter and salesman, and Schonfeld as Mr. Inside, the architect, builder and keeper of the gate, is terrific. After the revolution was won, the two revolutionaries had no more wars to win. Except against each other. That war was one-sided. One guy, Turner, owned all the weapons. The other, Schonfeld, was a great general who had troops but no supplies. Turner called Schonfeld into his office one day and in the same breath declared war and declared himself the victor. Schonfeld was fired. The empire had been built, so the guy who constructed it was no longer needed, or so Turner thought. What he failed to factor in was that Schonfeld was also the chief maintenance man. Without him, even though the money has rolled in, the empire has become tattered and gray. CNN did change the world, but now it has trouble keeping up with the very changes it put into play. Is Schonfeld's version of events entirely objective? No. He has a journalist's insistence on facts, but it's impossible to be entirely objective about something you love - especially when you have loved and lost. Does he use his forum to hand out a few receipts for sins of the past? You bet he does. Is Me and Ted Against the World one helluva book? You bet it is.
Rating: 
Summary: No holds barred!
Review: Me and Ted is the best book I have read about the guts of broadcast/cable news in my 30+ years in media. Turner and Schonfeld were a great team. Turner pioneered in cable, raised the money and placed it all on the line when he hired reese to execute his plan. The establishment laughed, and Schonfeld gives an inside look at how CNN beat the networks and changed the world. He takes credit for his victories and identifies his mistakes. I have read all the previous CNN books and Me and Ted is, by far, the best on yet written. It is informative and many of the anecdotal stories are humerous. Any aspiring reporter, editor, journalism student or media junkie should read this book. I have purchased several copies for friends who want to know more than the obvious.
Rating:
Summary: A look at the real world of news media
Review: Me and Ted is the best book I have read about the guts of broadcast/cable news in my 30+ years in media. Turner and Schonfeld were a great team. Turner pioneered in cable, raised the money and placed it all on the line when he hired reese to execute his plan. The establishment laughed, and Schonfeld gives an inside look at how CNN beat the networks and changed the world. He takes credit for his victories and identifies his mistakes. I have read all the previous CNN books and Me and Ted is, by far, the best on yet written. It is informative and many of the anecdotal stories are humerous. Any aspiring reporter, editor, journalism student or media junkie should read this book. I have purchased several copies for friends who want to know more than the obvious.
Rating:
Summary: No holds barred!
Review: Schonfeld's unauthorized history of CNN is a no-holds-barred tell-all about the early days. His recounting of Ted's leadership and quirks makes for enjoyable reading. And he has the courage to expose the roles of CNN execs in the Tailwind cave-in. (alluded to but not well covered in Neil Hickey's CJR review). It is a must read for anyone in broadcast journalism.
Rating:
Summary: Mixed but worth reading...
Review: The book is decently written though not consistently chronological throughout or organized in logical chapters. On the other hand, Reese doesn't claim it is his best but a rapidly developed version of his side of the story.
The behind-the-scenes stories, econmimc rationales, lucky breaks, clever ploys, hiring realities and nitty gritty outweigh the sometimes annoying themes: liberal-leaning Jewish boomer from New Jersey ("wrong-side of the tracks?"), occassional gratuitous name-droppping and way too much info about his own life story (not relevant in many places so it sometimes rambles). Reese doesn't take advantage of the many character assasination opportunities and shows restraint. Clearly, the man is a talented and visionary doer albeit narcissistic at times.
From a "Gen-X" business person's standpoint, mixed opinion but worth reading especially if you can get a used copy like I did.
Rating: 
Summary: I WANT THE TIME I SPENT READING THIS BOOK BACK!
Review: The couple of hours I spent reading this book should be paid back to me. It is a pitiful history written by a very bitter man, filled with inacurasies, slander and just plain lies. It is so incredibly innacurate I began to doubt if the writer even got his name right. Reese is an incredibly bitter man who has never forgiven the people who staid behind after he left. This is his revenge on them. He claims he "built" CNN, well.. he may have built the building.. but the people who have been working there the last 19 years after he left are the ones who really "Built" CNN. It is an excellent read if you enjoy page after page of pure self-indulgent tripe.
Rating:
Summary: Strong Buy
Review: This book is a must read for anybody with an interest in broadcasting or journalism and a great read for anybody else. When you finish this book I reccomend a visit to meandted.com for daily updates.
Rating:
Summary: An Education and a Revelation
Review: What a treat! One learns all about the founding of CNN - the coupling of Turner's courage with Schonfeld's brilliant instinct - while being afforded a behind-the-scenes, first rate education in television news. I found it fair and even-handed - and absolutely engrossing!!!
Rating:
Summary: Remarkable Reading!
Review: What an exciting account! Schonfeld shares with us the captiviating tale about how his beginnings with Ted Turner and the legacy they left behind. As entertaining as it is informative, it is hard to put this one down. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to know the real story behind the founding of CNN.
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