Eurovision Song Contest 2007: the Devil is in the Details

Michael Hedges June 26, 2006

Hardly more than a month since a Finnish hard rock band called Lordi gave the Eurovision Song Contest an essential boost and it’s time to gather the shock troops and the funds. Finland and its public broadcaster YLE will host.

YLE (Yleisradio Oy) announced a €13 million budget for staging the various events in Helsinki next May.  That does not include production costs which come from the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) – after collecting from all participating public broadcasters. YLE put its top executives in charge. Selecting the Helsinki Arena gives sufficient space, technical facilities and, of course, access to accommodations for participants and fans. YLE is considered one of the most up-to-date and technically proficient of all European public broadcasters.

The event’s theme will be announced later. (Oh, Lordi, imagine those meetings!) And, too, there’s a master of ceremonies to choose. And not to forget, Nokia executives to schmooze.

Did we mention that EBU President Arne Wessberg is General Director of YLE?  This event will get attention and EBU’s notorious tight control. Shortly before the Eurovision 2006 broadcast dates a swarm of EBU officials descended on Athens to sort out a variety of technical and organizational issues (read: take over). This will not happen in Finland.

This year’s Eurovision Song Contest drew an audience measurably larger than previous years. Roughly one-half of TV sets in use in the UK were tuned in to the final broadcast. Audience shares averaged 30% or higher in most of Europe, nearly 60% in Ireland and over 80% in Sweden. 

The EBU is already sweltering from offers to clone the Eurovision Song Contest format, which it owns. American broadcaster NBC wants it to go head-to-head with Murdoch’s Pop Idol. Earlier this year NBC announced plans to bring the concept to the 50 US States but later the EBU clarified that rights negotiations are continuing. They will not be cheap.

There is, of course, a challenge now for the public broadcasters planning to participate in the 20007 Song Contest. And the 900 pound gorilla in the room is current title holder Lordi.

“Rock people woke up,” said ‘Mr Lordi’ Tomi Putaansuu. Amateur sociologists and music critics have profounded in stunning erudition. Just as late ‘70’s disco was destroyed by the hard rock of Whitesnake and Def Lepard, who ruled the early ‘80’s, hard rock has returned to drive out rap and R&B, say some. Or, is it just the same cycle? In much of Europe, disco never died the same death. The name was just changed. Or, who cares? Give us some great television.

“The Eurovision Song Contest is a symbol of open-mindedness,” said event executive producer, EBU’s Svante Stockselius, who also said the Athens Eurovision Song Contest final, produced by Greek public broadcaster ETV, was the best ever.

Selection committees – at least among those who really want to win – will be reviewing videos of recent winners for clues, progressing from Latvia’s Marie N, to Turkey’s Sertab Erener, to Ukraine’s Ruslana, to Greece’s Elena Paparizou and now to Finland’s Lordi. And so will the betting parlors. ftm is ready to venture a prediction. The winner of the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest will be “at the edge.”

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