Halit Mecit Kıvanç (18 February 1925 – 25 October 2022) was a Turkish journalist, writer, and radio and television presenter. Recognized as one of the pioneers of modern radio and television broadcasting in Türkiye, Kıvanç spent decades working in both the press and sports broadcasting fields, playing a significant role in hosting news, entertainment, and sports programs during the period when television and radio became widespread.

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Halit Mecit Kıvanç was born on 18 February 1925 in the Fatih district of Istanbul. His father was İsmail Bey and his mother was Leman Hanım. The eldest of five siblings, Kıvanç completed his primary education at Fatih Primary School and his secondary and high school education at Pertevniyal High School. During his student years, he developed an interest in literature and humor and began writing articles for the magazines Akbaba and Şut.

After high school, Kıvanç enrolled at the Faculty of Law of Istanbul University and graduated in 1946. Following graduation, he served as a judge for about three months in the Kozluk district of Siirt. However, he soon abandoned the judiciary and turned to journalism. Although he registered as a trainee lawyer at the Istanbul Bar Association in 1950, he withdrew his registration two years later on the grounds that he did not actively practice law. After this brief experience in law, Kıvanç fully devoted himself to journalism and writing, beginning his professional career in the mid-1940s in the press.

Halit Kıvanç began working for various Turkish newspapers starting in 1944. He served as secretary, reporter, and columnist for newspapers including İstanbul Ekspres, Son Saat, Tan, Milliyet, Yeni İstanbul, Tercüman, and Güneş.

In 1953, together with Halit Talayer and Alp Zirek, he founded Türkiye Spor, Türkiye’s first daily sports newspaper. This publication was regarded as a significant innovation in Turkish sports journalism and quickly became a model for sports reporting.

Alongside his journalism career, Kıvanç spent a period in the mid-1950s in England, working for the British broadcasting organization BBC for approximately one year. During his time at BBC, he closely observed international broadcasting standards. Upon returning to Türkiye, he continued both his journalism and broadcasting activities. In the 1950s, he worked as an assistant to Abdi İpekçi at Milliyet, collaborating with some of the leading journalists of the era.

From the beginning of his journalism career, Kıvanç attracted attention with his humorous and sports-related writings. He became the first journalist to conduct an interview with Brazilian footballer Pelé. This interview gained international recognition and established Kıvanç as a well-known sports reporter in Türkiye. He is also recorded as the first Turkish and Muslim journalist to interview the Pope. During an interview in Italy, Kıvanç met with the Pope, an event that received extensive coverage in the foreign press.

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Kıvanç began his career at TRT Radio in 1955 and worked for many years as a presenter and announcer. In recounting his acceptance into TRT, he described Istanbul Radio as his “first love.”

From 1956 onward, he hosted football matches, Olympic events, magazine shows, and competitions on radio; from 1969 onward, he did the same on television.

Kıvanç entered broadcasting history as the first Turkish announcer to present the FIFA World Cup on television and narrated ten World Cup finals via both radio and television. During the 1966 World Cup final in England, he delivered a live broadcast from the press tribune in London to TRT via telephone, achieving a remarkable feat under limited technical conditions.

For many years, he presented cultural and artistic programs, music shows, and entertainment programs on TRT, as well as children’s events. He served for decades as the traditional host of the celebrations for National Sovereignty and Children’s Day on 23 April. He also participated in the children’s program Susam Sokağı, which began broadcasting in Türkiye in 1989. Additionally, he had a brief acting role in the 1971 film Maskeli Üçler.

In 1983, Kıvanç retired from live sports announcing after covering the Presidential Cup final. He handed over his microphone to young announcer İlker Yasin in a symbolic gesture, marking the end of his sports broadcasting career.

From the 1980s onward, he hosted various programs on television and radio. He reached audiences with programs such as “Halit Kıvanç ile Ustalar” on NTV television, “Mikrofonda Halit Kıvanç” on NTV Radio, and “Futbol Bir Aşk” on NTV Spor.

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In addition to his journalism, Halit Kıvanç documented his experiences in television and broadcasting through written works. His first book, Ve Allah Gazeteciyi Yarattı, was published in 1959; his final book, Ağlama Palyaço Makyajın Bozulur, reached readers in 2006.

Other books such as Telesafir, Gülmek Serbest Dostlar, Gool Diye Diye, Hadi Anlat Bakalım, Futbol Bir Aşk, and 333 Fıkra contain his memoirs, professional insights, and observations on Turkish sports culture.

Kıvanç also had his football match commentaries recorded on vinyl records between 1965 and 1974. In 1974, he narrated the Cyprus Peace Operation in his own voice on the album Kıbrıs 74.

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• Ve Allah Gazeteciyi Yarattı (1959). Istanbul: İstanbul Matbaası.
• Kazulet Hanım’ın Minisi (1968). Co-authored with Altan Erbulak. Istanbul: Altın Kitaplar.
• Mikrofonunu Kordonuna Göre Uzat (1977). Istanbul: Meta Yayınları.
• Beckenbauer Futbol Okulu (1977). Translation. Istanbul: Kelebek Yayınları.
• Gülmece Güldürmece (1978). First edition. Istanbul: Kelebek Çocuk Kitapları.
• Ve Karşınızda Halit Kıvanç (1979). First edition. Istanbul: Milliyet Yayınları; second edition by Karacan Yayınları (1980).
• Gelin Yarışalım (1982). Istanbul: Kelebek Yayınları (Kelebek Çocuk Kitapları Series).
• Halit Kıvanç Anlatıyor: Üç Yüz Otuz Üç Fıkra (1982). Istanbul: Karacan Yayınları.
• Gool Diye Diye (1983). Istanbul: Hürriyet Yayınları.
• Hadi Anlat Bakalım – Anılar 1 (1998). Third edition. Istanbul: Yorum Kitapları.
• Bulutlarla Yarışan Kadın: Halit Kıvanç Sabiha Gökçen’le Söyleşiyor (1998). Istanbul: Yapı Kredi Yayınları.
• Çok Affedersiniz Ama... (1999). Istanbul: Aksoy Yayıncılık.
• Telesafir: Bizde TV Böyle Başladı (2002). Istanbul: Remzi Kitabevi.
• Kupaların Kupası: Dünya Kupası 1930’dan 2002’ye (2002). Istanbul: Türkiye İş Bankası Kültür Yayınları.
• Futbol! Bir Aşk... (2004). Istanbul: İletişim Yayınları.
• Ağlama Palyaço Makyajın Bozulur: Müjdat Gezen Kitabı (2006). Istanbul: Türkiye İş Bankası Kültür Yayınları.

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Halit Kıvanç died in Istanbul on 25 October 2022 at the age of 97. His son, writer Ümit Kıvanç, announced his father’s death via social media.

A ceremony was first held at the headquarters of the Turkish Sports Writers Association in Levent, followed by a funeral prayer at Zincirlikuyu Camii, after which he was buried at Zincirlikuyu Cemetery.

Throughout his life, Kıvanç received over a thousand awards from competitions organized by organizations such as the Turkish Journalists Association and the Turkish Sports Writers Association. In 2005, he celebrated his 50th anniversary in broadcasting with a jubilee event; the same year, he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Golden Orange Film Festival. He was also honored by the Turkish National Olympic Committee with the “Career Grand Prize.”

Halit Kıvanç is remembered as a figure who participated in the institutionalization of radio and television broadcasting in Türkiye and contributed significantly to the formation of modern broadcasting through his professional standards.