Assaf Rappaport and the wave of departures: Channel 13 presenter leaves after 10 years
After ten years in which he served in a variety of roles behind the scenes and on screen, another journalist decides to leave the channel recently acquired by Assaf Rappaport.
After 10 years at Reshet 13, Matan Ayala, a presenter and correspondent for the channel, announced on Wednesday that he is leaving the network to embark on a new path. In a post on his Instagram account, Ayala wrote:
"After 10 years at Reshet 13, of which about 8 years were at the news company — it is my time to say goodbye. I admit this is not a simple farewell. Reshet 13 was for me much more than a workplace. It was a significant part of my life — years of work, learning, coping, growth, and above all, people and stories that I will not forget."
Ayala explained his journey: "Over the years, I had the privilege of filling a variety of roles — researcher, desk coordinator, assistant editor, chief editor, field reporter, and news anchor in the studio. I was a partner to countless stories, social cases that touched the heart, national events, the COVID-19 period, five election campaigns, wars, and operations."
He added:
"October 7th was one of those moments; I will not forget the faces of the families of the hostages, the missing, and the murdered coming to the studio to cry out in agony. For months, I would manage the broadcast from the control room or cover funerals in the field, then get into the car and break down in tears."
In conclusion, he wrote: "These 10 years shaped my professionalism and the person I am, from a young guy who entered the system after 10 years of service in the IDF to a family man with two children born during this time."
Ayala's departure comes at a time when the channel has been acquired by Assaf Rappaport, who is dealing with a large wave of departures. Recently, it was reported that foreign correspondent Yosef Israel, director Tali Zomer, and senior editor Roi Barak have also parted ways with the news company, which is managed by Tali Ben Ovadia.
Significant changes have been ongoing at Reshet 13 and News 13 since last May, following the dramatic departure of journalist Avishai Ben Haim after 16 years. Ben Haim left for a position as a panelist on the television program "The Patriots" on Channel 14. Additionally, celebrity reporter Ron Finkelstein and correspondent coordinator Tal Zarviv Manor, who also served as the organization's spokesperson since March 2024, have recently announced their departures.
