Vahap Munyar takes over as Hürriyet’s editor-in-chief

ISTANBUL

Fikret Bila has handed over the post of daily Hürriyet editor-in-chief to Vahap Munyar, a columnist and former head of the newspaper’s economy desk.

“Vahap Munyar, of whose reports and articles I follow closely, is one of the most successful names in the field of business journalism. I am sure you will deliver successful reports and lift Hürriyet to better places with my dear friend Vahap Munyar, who has always guarded the principals of journalism,” Bila said at the handover ceremony on May 21.

“The takeover follows the transfer of Hürriyet to the Demirören Group. We will raise the flag handed over by Fikret Bila to higher points. We will continue with our reporting,” Munyar said.

Born in 1958, Munyar started his journalism career in 1978. He started working on Hürriyet’s economy desk in 1984 and he was appointed as deputy chief of the economy desk in 1992. He then took over the post of economy desk chief, which he would hold for 15 years, after which he became a columnist at Hürriyet. Munyar also serves as the deputy chair of the Turkish Journalists Association.

Doğan Holding had on March 22 first announced 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 was transferred to the bank accounts of Doğan companies as of 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.

Demirören Holding will pay an additional $26 million for the 7 percent of Doğan TV Holding shares held by Commerz Film, the joint company of Doğan Holding and German group Axel Springer.