Between 1968 and 2008, Yavin was the anchor of "Mabat" (lit. "Outlook"), the primetime news roundup on Israel's state television station, Channel 1, which he helped found. He is known in Israel as "Mr. Television" and dubbed "Israel's Walter Cronkite" by the American press. He is often perceived as the "voice" of Israel. One of his famous sentences us "ladies and gentlemen – a turnaround!" () after Menachem Begin's Likud won the 1977 election. He also served as chief editor of Mabat.