Hayat Gorsel is a media conglomerate that boasts ownership of three television channels, a radio station, and three websites. Formerly known as Yeni Pasifik İnsaat Sanayi ve Ticaret, the company underwent a name change in 2008, adopting its current moniker.
Media assets
Television: Kanal 7, Kanal 7 Avrupa, Ulke TV
Radio: Radyo 7
News portal: Haber7, Izle7, Yasemin
State Media Matrix Typology: Captured Private (CaPr)
Ownership and governance
The company is jointly owned by four shareholders, each possessing a 25% stake: Zekeriya Karaman, İsmail Karahan, Mustafa Celik, and Zahid Akman. The quartet served jail time in the early 2010s due to their participation in an embezzlement scheme. However, charges against them were eventually dismissed in 2015.
President Erdoğan maintains close connections with several owners of Hayat Gorsel. For instance, Zekeriya Karaman’s sister-in-law is wedded to Erdogan’s son, Burak. Additionally, the daughter of Mustafa Celik, another shareholder in Hayat Gorsel, secured a position as an AKP MP in 2015.
Source of funding and budget
Publicly accessible information regarding Hayat Gorsel’s financial performance is currently non-existent. Although local journalists are aware of state advertising contracts granted to the group’s media, they are unable to determine whether these contracts constitute half of the company’s turnover. Additionally, Hayat Gorsel’s media outlets also generate substantial revenue through advertising sales contracts with private firms.
Editorial independence
Media outlets under the control of Hayat Gorsel are widely recognized for their open support of the government and President Erdogan. This is largely attributed to the close ties between the owners of the group and the President, as per the insights provided by local journalists and activists interviewed for this report in March 2023 and May 2024.
The latest round of research for this report has not identified any statute establishing the editorial independence of Hayat Gorsel’s media outlets.
During the most recent research round, no independent assessment or oversight mechanism was identified that could validate the editorial independence of Hayat Gorsel’s media outlets.
August 2024