From the Daffodil Festival to Nemo: 70 years of Eurovision
Published: Friday, May 31st 2024, 06:40
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When you hear Eurovision, you think of the mega music festival with the "douze points": the Eurovision Song Contest, twelve points for the best song. But Eurovision is much more than that.
A 15-second film from 1954, which flickered across the screen at the time, is still in the archive: shaky black and white footage shows children in traditional costumes with daffodils and a float. The sound is a little lacking. Today, no one would watch it, but back then it was a sensation: 70 years ago, on June 6, 1954, people in seven countries crowded around the few televisions that were available. To be there live at the Daffodil Festival in Montreux on Lake Geneva.
It was the start of Eurovision, a collaboration of public broadcasters under the umbrella of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). To this day, it provides a potential audience of billions with music, sport, entertainment and news. Its aim is to offer a European perspective and promote social cohesion. The best-known product is the Eurovision Song Contest, which took place in Malmö in May with the Swiss victory of Nemo in front of an audience of millions.
Headquarters in Geneva
The EBU, based in Geneva, is a service provider for the 113 member organizations from 56 countries, not only in Europe. These are radio and television providers that pool their resources, with a total of around 2,000 television, radio and online channels in more than 150 languages and a good one billion potential users. SRG is also a member.
Queen Elizabeth II's coronation in London in 1953, which was broadcast live in several countries, is regarded as the dress rehearsal for Eurovision. This was so successful that a year later the starting signal was given for a regular exchange. In addition to live productions by renowned orchestras, this includes sporting events such as the 1954 World Cup, in which the German team achieved the "Miracle of Bern" and became world champions, and entertainment.
Popular programs
Older people remember: when the Eurovision anthem played and the blue and yellow logo with stars appeared, mom, dad and the children would gather in front of the TV for big entertainment shows. In the 1960s and 1970s, the show "Spiel ohne Grenzen" ("Game without Borders") was a hit, featuring games of skill between teams from different cities.
Other popular formats include "Einer wird gewinnen" with show host Hans-Joachim Kulenkampff, "Musik ist Trumpf" and "Verstehen Sie Spass?" The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra's New Year's Concert is also a Eurovision program. The anthem is still part of it today. It comes from the prelude to the Te Deum by French composer Marc-Antoine Charpentier. It also plays before the broadcast of the Eurovision Song Contest. But it is by no means just about shows.
Core of message exchange
A core element of Eurovision is the exchange of news. Fires in Greece, political tensions in Georgia, or even the US election campaign: EBU members can use the material from partners without having to be there themselves. For reporting trips, they can use studios and other resources. At major events, such as the coronation of King Charles in London, the EBU organizes locations for cameras and provides transmission channels.
Recently, thanks to artificial intelligence, it has also made foreign contributions available to members directly with subtitles and sound in their own language. If there is a sudden event somewhere in the world and no partner has anything to offer, the EBU also checks material from social media and offers it once it has been verified.
The EBU also negotiates broadcasting rights for major sporting events with the organizers. For media in smaller member countries, it would be unaffordable to have their own contracts. But the big ones also benefit because the EBU can use its market power to negotiate more favorable conditions than individual broadcasters.
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