New editor-in-chief, CEO take over at daily Hürriyet

ISTANBUL

Journalist and columnist Vahap Munyar has been officially announced as the new editor-in-chief of the Hürriyet newspaper, while Demirören Media Group CEO Mehmet Soysal has been appointed to the Board of Directors of Hürriyet Gazetecilik.

Munyar succeeds Fikret Bila after the latter’s resignation on April 27. Soysal takes the seat of Vuslat Doğan Sabancı, who resigned after the completion of the transition process of the Doğan Group’s media assets, including the Hürriyet Daily News, to the Demirören Group.

Doğan Holding had on March 22 first announced the talks with Demirören Holding for the sale and transfer of its visual and print media components.

In accordance with the share sales agreement signed by the Doğan and Demirören groups on April 6, the cash total of $893 million has been transferred to the bank accounts of Doğan companies as of May 16, according to the statement made by Doğan Holding to the Public Disclosure Platform (KAP) on May 16.

The payment covers the handover of media assets including dailies Hürriyet, Posta and the Hürriyet Daily News, TV channels Kanal D and CNN Türk, Doğan News Agency, the Doğan internet webcast company, Doğan Media International, and the licenses of Radyo D and CNN Türk Radyo.

The Demirören family is no stranger to the media industry, with two newspapers, Milliyet and Vatan, sold to Demirören Holding by Doğan Holding back in 2011.