Without Turner who, if anyone, comes up with the idea of
Superstations?
WGN in Chicago was already growing to the point where it could have become what TBS became. Indeed, I remember WOR being on our cable system (NE Ohio) in the early 80s and getting Mets games as well as TBS and Braves games.
The programming for Super stations might be quite different though. Did anyone at either of these stations have an interest in restrooms, for instance, the way Turner did? What were the lineups like at those stations? I only know about the baseball, and really just know in general that Turner used old movies and westerns to get programming for his superstation.
It could also be that, because WGN and WOR would grow to be larger, people would think that superstations would only be possible in very large markets, whereas is Atlanta is kind of a small to medium-sized Market, though with the Carolinas, Tennessee, and Alabama to draw from pretty close, I guess it's more of a large medium sized Market.
There were probably plenty of Southerners who would have bought the Braves in 76 when they were sold, but it is possible they could have moved to Denver, there was thought about that. However, it's just as possible they wait a few years and moved to Tampa.