Yitzhak Livni, Polish-born Israeli media executive and writer, Died at 82

  Business, Writer

Yitzhak Livni was born on October 17, 1934, and died on February 12, 2017.

He was an Israeli media personality and writer.

Livni served as editor of the magazines Bamahane Nahal (in the years 1956–1961) and Bamahane (1961–1971), the head of IDF’s radio station Galatz (1968–1974), CEO of the Israel Broadcasting Authority (1974–1979), special advisor and later head of the steering committee for the experimental Channel 2 and then chairman of Channel 2 news company.

He had changed the army radio station Galatz (short for “Galei Tzahal” – “IDF Waves”) from a relatively marginal radio station with limited broadcast hours and under the constant threat of closure into a vibrant, diverse, and vital station broadcasting 24 hours a day.

Yitzhak Livni changed its character and outlined the path it would follow.

He had established the civilian news desk and extended current events journals which were broadcast several times a day (previously the programming schedule included only a military journal and a current events program).

Most recently, Livni has been engaged in writing a novel, The Substance of Life, portions of which were published in the quarterly Siman Kriah and the Newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth.

During 2015, Livni published the book called ‘Fragments’ from The Substance of Life in Hebrew, garnering positive reviews which have called the book “a literary miracle” and “a ravishing book” The book includes an afterword by the writer Eleonora Lev.

During the 1960s, Livni was married to poet Dahlia Ravikovitch for three years.

The couple stayed as close friends until the poet’s death.

He then married attorney and former member of the Knesset Eti Livni, with whom he had three children.

Yitzhak Livni passed away at 82 years old.