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Eurovision Song Contest
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The Eurovision Song Contest is one of the longest-running talent competitions in the world. Since 1956, the annual televised contest has brought together competitors and audiences from countries across Europe to pick a favorite new song. The annual television audience has been estimated at 1 billion. All countries that are members of the European Broadcasting Union, even some that are not in Europe, are eligible to compete. Each country chooses one song and performer for the competition. The songs are then performed on television and viewers across all participating countries vote for their favorites.
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The Eurovision Song Contest [I]s a live, televised music competition that has received widespread ridicule since its debut in 1956. Certainly this has been true of the contest's reception in the United Kingdom, which informs the perspective from which this entry is written. Yet, as its longevity indicates, the program's importance within European television history is undeniable. While critics plead for the plug to be pulled on this annual celebration of pop mediocrity, the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) continues unabated, extending its media reach (if not its musical scope) from year to year. The competition is truly massive in terms of its logistical and technical requirements, the audience figures and record sales it engenders, and the significance of the popular cultural moments it produces.
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After a string of appalling results in the Eurovision Song Contest, Switzerland has decided to look abroad for its 2005 performers, and it will be the Estonian girl band Vanilla Ninja that will represent the Swiss in Kyiv. The four piece first came to attention in their native country in 2003 when they performed at the Estonian national final for Eurovision. Their song “Club Kung Fu” (which was written by Sven Lõhmus who wrote this year’s Estonian entry won the public televote, but lost out in the combined jury vote. Despite this it became a hit, both at home and ... a minor hit in the German chart and helped launch the band internationally.
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The Eurovision Song Contest, organized by the state-run TV stations of European nations to find the most popular new song in Europe, has been running since 1956. It was devised as a way for the EBU (European Broadcasting Union) to produce a program that could be made for the whole of Europe... reducing broadcast and production costs. Every member of the EBU is invited to enter a song into the contest. This song is then performed at a location in the country of the previous year’s winner. A panel of 16 in each country judges the songs, and votes are given to their favorites. This year’s winner was Turkey, so Eurovision Song Contest 2004 will be hosted in Ankara or Istanbul.
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The first Eurovision Song Contest took place on May 24, 1956. Seven countries participated in the competition. These pioneers were Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, and Switzerland. In the early years of the competition the songs were sung with a live orchestra. Today no live instruments are allowed. All songs are sung with taped instrumental backing tracks.
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The Eurovision Song Contest is held every year by countries across europe. The country that wins the contest is where the location of the next ESC takes place. Last years(2003)winner was Sertab Erener from Turkey, so this year the contest will be held in the capital Istanbul.
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Eurovision Song Contest