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Media fuss on juries' comeback
Spain: Changes to Eurovision 2009 make headlines
Despite the fact that the Eurovision Song Contest does not enjoy the best reputation possible in the Iberian country, certainly many Spanish media -the most followed and respected among them- have reported on the important announcement made from Moscow by the EBU's Reference Group that juries will play an important role in the Contest again next year. There is a shared opinion in the Spanish press: the change has been welcomed, warmly in several cases.
The leading paid newspaper, El País, published yesterday an article under the title "Jury to stop Eurovision friendly vote", which starts like this: "Cyprus was going to give their 12 to Greece; Germany was going to massively support Turkey. These are just two examples, but the truth is that Eurovision votes were conditioned by geopolitical or cultural friendship and the colonies of immigrants. Juries are coming back to solve this situation". The thread continued today: El País stated in a new article that "Eurovision lost its credibility and glamour time ago, but the biggest blow came this year. The day after the final, the most talked about topic were not the songs, but the neverending issue about neighbourly voting".
El Mundo, also an important newspaper, focuses the issue in a different way: "Eurovision loses its popular essence". In the body of the text, El Mundo stresses on the "accuracy" of the results to justify the change and the bloc voting as the main reason to re-introduce the juries in the Contest: "Some countries, like the United Kingdom, have modified their placings since the public decides the Eurovision winner. Nonetheless, other competing countries like Greece, Turkey and Russia have got benefit" from the current situation.
Taking a look at the non-paid press, 20 Minutos titled "Eurovision will have a jury to avoid emigration and neighbouring influence". This newspaper adds a remarkable reference to "the intention (of the EBU) to prevent mock acts -Ireland's Dustin the Turkey, Spain's Rodolfo Chikilicuatre- from stepping in the final".
In similar terms other respected newspapers stated their positions. Left-wing Público, under the title "Eurovision gets serious", paraphrasing Rodolfo's Chiki chiki, said: "Eurovision to re-introduce juries to avoid fixed results. The thing was like this: One, immigration; two, shared borders; three, common language; four, historical alliances". Barcelona-based La Vanguardia chose this headline: "Eurovision back to juries to avoid continous Eastern wins", and followed: "Eurovision wants to vaccinate against the fate that threatens its future if it's not solved: Eastern countries have won all the last editions of the Contest".
These are roughly the stories published on the Spanish main newspapers, but the juries' comeback to Eurovision has also reached other minor media, such as the regional papers, which enjoy a high audience in many regions of Spain. El Periódico de Aragón, Diario de Cádiz, Canarias 7, El Diario Montañés and many others have reported on the news as well, mainly emphasising the "seriousness" that the musical event wants to recover.
On the other hand, the news website of the Spanish public broadcaster, rtve.es, seems to be more neutral: "EBU re-introduces jury vote in Eurovision final", and also refers to the wide acceptation of this change by fans and proves it with the results of the poll that esctoday.com is currently running. Remember that you can still cast your vote by clicking here .
Related polls
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- What mixture of televote and jury vote do you think is the best?
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Any chance Spain could send some Spanish R&B in 2009? Something similar to Elena Paparizou's music?
Even in Austria the voting- news got into the most popular newspaper (on the very last page, three sentences with five incorrect informations).
Yea thxs Spain well why dont u mention some pts u ALWAYS get from Andorra and Portugal.....??
@ Jan: You may be a musician, and you may like "Even if", but to me that was just a desperate attempt at making a contemporary soul number. The song contained absolutely no musical inventiveness, the whole song was totally without any hook, extremely bland and excrutiatingly boring to listen to. The singer was good, though. I believe he (co)wrote the song himself. Well, in that case he should concentrate on his singing and leave the songwriting to others.
spain should send a good song,and that's the problem: nobody wants to go to eurovision here in spain...
Over here, there haven't been any conversations about voting, juries, and so on...at least I haven't heard anything on TV or read in newspapers. Only the fans know about it.
Jan,
if a song is to become a hit, it will. Divine didn't win and it wasn't even 2nd like Shady Lady but it did better in the charts. So, I don't know what gave you the idea that Shady Lady would become a 'big Eurovision hit if it won'.
@Jonny,
That may be correct for UK (Jessica Garlick had a good song and well performed), but the televoting didn't have the extreme levels as yet, as it has nowadays. Also since 2002 so many new (all Eastern European) countries started participating. And also finding a song good or bad is a very personal thing. Fe I did love some of the last UK entries, Light my fire, Even if, Teenage life, Hold onto our love,.... For me personal all very good entries.
To Jonny Stovner:
This years' UK entry was a fine song. A fine song, and -being a musician myself - better than the dreadful Russian song. So don't be too modest about the UK entries.
Portugal and Serbia even had better songs than the Russian winner. Well... maybe "Shady lady" should have been the winner, not because it is a better composition, but it would have made a big Eurovision hit in the charts !!!
The Netherlands already reported it, but now - since it is "big news" in one of the "Big four" countries, the juries will come back...
Televoting has always been the worst solution. (We've seen it in the dancecompetition too...) Let the juries decide... half of them from common people and half of them from specialized people like representatives from broadcasters, eurovisionclubs, recordcompanies(?? well, composers and producers more preferable), etc. etc.
If it has to mean no income from telephonecalls: so be it !!!
There are many inaccuracies in the articles of the Spanish press. Firstly, the juries will not decide alone, they will only serve to "ajust" the televoting. The EBU hasn't even decided how much power the juries will have in the final (in the semi finals, they will have the power only to "rescue" one song ignored by the televoting). Maybe they will count for 10 % - maybe 50 %. Besides, the UK's mostly dismal results of the last decade have nothing to do with televoting. They have all been down to the crap entries the UK have been sending. This year was no exception. In 2002, the only year of this decade when the UK sent a decent song and singer, they came third - WITH televoting.
Spanish public is losing interest in the contest. We participate because we have participated all life, but all spanish know we will never win again... we will never be close to winning... the best thing Spain could do is withdraw and don't go back anymore.
The comeback of the juries was also mentioned in the rightwing Telegraaf in the Netherlands. Fact is most people reading these kind of newspapers don't watch Eurovision, but have a strong opinion about it. It is a symptom of the xenophobia in countries in the west.
Fact is there is a problem in the contests, but that problem is not because of the east. Spain, Portugal, Andorra exchanging votes is just as bad as the Balkans voteswapping, or the Scandinavians, the Baltics or the former Soviet Union. Sadly for right wing newspapers this all is an excuse to feed the already strong negativ feelings about the east, like: "See, they only vote for each other in Eurovision, they will probably only vote for each other in the European Union also."
I could imagine Antonio Banderas sending a funny song for Spain next year.
Mark Adorra did give Spain any points in 2007 and Portugal does just give them 12 points cause they're their neighbour.
Also its worth noting that Spain's 12 points have gone to Romania for the last two years...a perfect example of how wrong the voting system is!
Was there any mention in Spanish press of the votes Spain regularly receives from Andorra and Portugal ? Thought not.
Well marc, let it happen. We all know that Turkish isn't any better than Anouk... if Anouk goes down the drain and the Turkish scores well or wins... isn't that the proof we need to put real pressure upon the EBU and our broadcasters after all?
Jeah Muireanne,
Iread that news about Turkey aswell a few days ago. THis means that if Netherlands sent their big star Anouk, she will go down the drain straight away. There is no room for two rock chicks, and defenitely not when one of the two is Turkish...
Nice. This - to me - proves Spain is still interested in the contest and happy some changes are gonna be made in order to reduce the benefit for the blocks. Ok, nice news item.
As from last night I'm in Belgium (for the next 7 or 9 months)... first thing I read in this mornings' newspaper there (Flemish paper) was the fact Turkey won't send Hadise but the 36-year old Rock artist Sebnem Ferah and that the entire West now awaits the day 'limited voting' will get introduced (I'd say they're waiting for the 1 vote/number rule here). Oh well, one can only hope Svante & Co. will see the light one day on that one.
Mos of the Spanish media don't take care about Eurovision and all the articles I read about this topic several years ago were plenty of mistakes, for example, that the jury vote already was going on in the 2008 edition. But well, only few things are right in SPain so I'm not surprised at all...
Dimmis fan,
I don't agree, the East had some good songs but just as many crap ones. Sames for the West. Difference is, even if certain countries sent the biggest crap, they can still count on the neighbours and immigrants. The West can't, so fails. Btw I really liked Spain this year, I still don't understand why people are so against it. It had a very big entertaining factor.... And more this new rule with juries only in final, won't have any impact. As things stay the same in semi, certain countries like Belgium, Malta, Cyprus, Netherlands, Andorra,.... won't have a chance in hell...
I agree with dimmis fan
And I also hope Spain wont experiment any more like with Rodolfo...
yes and 2009 rtve gona select for partisipate in ESC the RODOLFA CHICILIDANCA because we know hear that they dont give a ....... for eurovision (EXCEPT OF THE FUNS OFFCURSE)
And like all the last years if Spain or UK sent a s...... song and finish again to the end i want to see wich gona be the form for 2010 !!!!
COME ON GUYS EVEN WITH THE FREND VOTE OR THE IMIGRANTS THE LAST YEARS ALWAYS WIN ONE OF THE BESTS SONG the only think is that song comes from EX USSR countre
Also on the BBC website!
http://news.bbc.co.u(...)tainment/7617242.stm
They have been reported in the UK too just not in the big papers, MSN UK covered it
if they send something similar to Rodolfo they'd only wish for 100% Televoting again....
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