Erkki Toivanen

Who is Erkki Toivanen?

Erkki Toivanen was a Finnish journalist and presenter for Yleisradio.

After gaining a master's degree in political history from the University of Helsinki in 1962, Toivanen joined the Finnish section of BBC World Service. One of his tasks there was to produce the music to the radio dramas written by Anselm Hollo and Matti Rossi.

In 1968 he was promoted to newsreader on television and radio, and from 1969 until 1972 he worked as the foreign news editor; in the same year he joined YLE as a news correspondent and broadcaster. His broadcasting career included commentating on four Eurovision Song Contest and hosting the Finnish coverage of the Summer Olympics on eight occasions between 1972 and 2000. From 1987 until 1994 he worked as a TV1 news reporter, and from 1995 until 2000 as a special correspondent. He retired from YLE in 2001.

Toivanen died on July 21, 2011 in London, and was survived by his long-time partner Lennox Walker and a daughter from a previous marriage. In accordance with his will his ash was scattered over the Blanchisseuse Beach of Walker's West Indian home, just like Toivanen himself had fulfilled the will of his Estonian-born mother in Narva-Jõesuu.