Unforgettable announcer and presenter: Halit Kıvanç

The master announcer, whose full name was Halit Mecit Kıvanç, was born in Istanbul on February 18, 1925. He received his primary education at Fatih Primary School and his middle and high school education at Pertevniyal High School.

Kıvanç began writing for Akbaba and Şut magazines during his student years. He studied at Istanbul University Faculty of Law and worked as a judge for three months after graduation.

He interviewed legendary Brazilian footballer Pele when he was 17 years old

Kıvanç, who achieved a historic success by interviewing the legendary Brazilian footballer Pele when he was only 17, worked as a secretary and writer at the newspapers İstanbul Ekspres, Son Saat, Tan, Milliyet, Yeni İstanbul, Tercüman and Güneş from 1944 onwards.

Kıvanç, who has received over 90 awards from press and publishing organizations, published Türkiye's first daily sports newspaper, Türkiye Spor, with Alp Zirek and Halit Talayer in 1953. He worked for the British broadcaster BBC for nearly a year.

Kıvanç, who joined TRT Radio in 1955, said in a statement, "I started speaking on this radio and found my life on this radio for many years."

Halit Kıvanç commentated on football matches and presented magazine and game shows on radio after 1956 and on television after 1969. He served as a writer and editor in various newspapers and magazines, particularly Milliyet and Hürriyet.

"He has covered 10 FIFA World Cup finals on radio and television"

Kıvanç, who has served as a presenter at the Olympics and major international events, became the first Turkish commentator to present the FIFA World Cup on television. He has broadcast 10 FIFA World Cup finals to audiences on radio and television.

Kıvanç made significant contributions to the development of radio and television broadcasting and became a pioneer in Turkish television.

Kıvanç, who presented culture, arts, music, and entertainment programs on TRT for many years, also became an indispensable presenter for April 23rd National Sovereignty and Children's Day. His coverage of the TRT Children's Festival during the holidays has garnered him a large fan base.

The master presenter hosted many concerts and special events at the Harbiye Cemil Topuzlu Open Air Theatre and the Istanbul Sports and Exhibition Centre (today known as the Lütfi Kırdar Congress and Exhibition Centre).

He bid farewell to his sports commentary career with the Presidential Cup match

Kıvanç, also known as the legendary presenter of the single-channel days, wrote about Turkish television in his book "Tele Safir" published by NTV Publications.

Kıvanç presented the programs "Masters with Halit Kıvanç" on Sundays on NTV television, "Halit Kıvanç on the Microphone" on Sunday mornings on NTV Radio, and "Futbol Bir Aşk" on NTV Spor.

Kıvanç bid farewell to sports commentary with the Presidential Cup match in 1983. During this match, he handed over his microphone to İlker Yasin on behalf of all young commentators.

Halit Kıvanç, considered a writer, speaker, and artist, was also deemed worthy of the grand award in the Career Category by the Turkish National Olympic Committee for his service to the Turkish people with his respected and educational works in a clear Turkish language.

"The next day we were on the headlines in Italian newspapers"

Halit Kıvanç celebrated his 50th anniversary as a presenter with a jubilee in 2005, and received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Golden Boll Film Festival the same year.

Kıvanç also wrote books containing his memoirs and interviews. The first of the books he wrote between 1959 and 2006 was "And God Created the Journalist" (1959), and the last was "Don't Cry, Clown, Your Makeup Will Ruin" (2006).

A die-hard Fenerbahçe fan, Halit Kıvanç also presented the talk shows "100 Years of the Legend" and "New Century of the Legend" on Fenerbahçe TV.

Halit Kıvanç, who made history as the first Muslim journalist to interview the Pope, made the following statements about that period:

Four great Turkish footballers were playing in Italy. I was working for the Istanbul Express newspaper, so I went to interview them. Their team was summoned to the Pope's audience. I was with them. Despite the guards, I approached the Pope and said, "You are a leader who aims for peace. We both believe in the same God. As a Muslim journalist, I want to kiss your hand." I kissed his hand. He gave me a silver medal. The next day, we were on the front page of Italian newspapers, as the first Muslim Turkish journalist in world history to speak with the Pope. In Türkiye, they stopped me on the street and reacted by asking, "Can you kiss the Pope's hand?"

Some of the books written by Kıvanç, who passed away on October 25, 2022, and was buried in Zincirlikuyu Cemetery, are as follows:

"And God Created the Journalist", "Kazulet Hanım's Mini", "Stretch Your Microphone According to Its Cord", "And Here Comes Halit Kıvanç", "Gool Says", "Let's Tell You", "Telesafir-That's How It Started for Us", "Humorous Humor", "333 Jokes", "Let's Race", "Excuse Me, But", "How Many Watermelons in One Seat"