ISTANBUL
A funeral ceremony was held in Istanbul for seasoned Turkish broadcast journalist Mehmet Ali Birand who passed away Thursday at the age of 72.
The funeral ceremony was held at Istanbul's Tesvikiye Mosque and it was attended by Turkish President Abdullah Gul, Parliament Speaker Cemil Cicek, main opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu and Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc and by many of his colleagues and friends.
Birand was born on December 9, 1941 in Beyoglu, Istanbul. He completed his high school education at Galatasaray High School.
Birand began his journalistic career in 1964 by writing in the daily Milliyet. In 1992, he joined private Show TV channel as prime time anchorman.
Birand began hosting a political show titled The 32nd Day, which was first on Show TV and then moved to CNN Turk. Recently, he was the chairman of Kanal D News Group.
