Halit Kıvanç

Early years

He was born in the Fatih district of Istanbul to trader İsmail and his wife Leman, the youngest of five siblings. His precise birthday is not known, as at that time Turkey was still using the Rumi calendar and would not transition to the Gregorian calendar for another few months. However, official documents give his birthday as February 18, 1925

He completed his secondary education at Pertevniyal High School in Aksaray, Istanbul. At the last grade just before the graduation, he lost his father. His brother Kemal did not allow him to earn money for the family, instead he wished that Halit go to the university. Halit then studied law at Istanbul University. Following his graduation, he attended military service for duty.

In 1950, Halit Kıvanç entered civil service to become a judge. Following a brief period of apprenticeship, he was appointed judge in Kozluk, a small town in southeastern Turkey that became shortly before a district of then Siirt Province. He served at this post in a region of deprivation only for couple of months. Kıvanç resigned and returned to Istanbul to pursue a career as a journalist that offered him much more income.

Career

Already during his university years, Halit Kıvanç was interested in journalism. His articles were published in the Law Faculty's periodical Guguk ("Cuckoo" for English). His vested interest in football, led him to write in the sports weekly Şut ("Shoot"). Later, his writings on humor got ahead. His professional journalism career began as he was discovered by Yusuf Ziya Ortaç, the publisher of the that time's notable illustrated satire and humor magazine Akbaba ("Volture"), after his first joke was printed.

He wrote sketches for the TRT's Radio Istanbul. Kıvanç became then a narrator as he was asked to tell the stories he wrote.

He also wrote sports reports primarily in the newspapers Milliyet, Tercüman, Hürriyet and Güneş among others. His career as a sports commentator, which made him later famous, began as he was asked during a trip to comment sports events that he reported in the daily Milliyet. He commented Turkey's participation at major sports events like Olympic Games and various World championships on radia and television. Halit Kıvanç and two friends of him established in 1953 Turkey's first daily sports only newspaper Türkiye Spor. He gave up his career as a sports commentator in 1983 after the Turkish President's Football Cup.

Between 1963-1964, he was almost a year-long with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in the United Kingdom for training, jusr before television broadcasting was launched in Turkey.

In addition to all his engagements, Kıvanç was a popular on-stage presenter asked for musical events and contests. He currently hosts a talk show named "Halit Kıvanç'la Ustalar" (literally: "Masters with Halit Kıvanç") Sundays on the Turkish television channel NTV. Moreover, as a strong fan of Fenerbahçe S.K., he presents another talk show called "Efsanenin yeni 100 yılı" ("The Legendary's new century") at Fenerbahçe TV.

Achievements

Halit Kıvanç is considered as the person of the firsts in the Turkish journalism.

In 1952, he was sent to Italy by the newspaper Türkiye Ekspres Gazetesi to interview four Turkish footballers (Bülent Eken, Bülent Esen, Şükrü Gülesin, Lefter Küçükandonyadis), who played in Italian clubs. He took this opportunity and visited the Pope in Vatikan, becoming the first ever Turkish journalist to be admitted.

At a contest during the World Humorists Conference held in the United States, he came in third.

Due to late application, he did not receive a speaker's booth at Wembley Stadium for broadcasting of the football game between England and Germany at the 1966 FIFA World Cup Final. He commented the match, which lasted two-and-hours with overtime, on radio in Turkey by telephone. The next day, he was told that he became the first ever reporter to give a comment of a World football cup event on the phone.

In 2005, Halit Kıvanç celebrated his 50th anniversary in his career as a sports commentator at a special event organized by the government.

Recognition

Halit Kıvanç received hundreds of recognitions by local and international professional organizations for his contribution in sports journalism.

Family life

Halit Kıvanç married in 1955 Bülbin, a pharmacist from profession. The couple had a son Ümit Kıvanç (born 1956), who was a columnist of the daily Radikal.

Discography

45 rpm vinyl singles