NDR have ripped up their schedules of the equivalent of BBC ONE, Das Erste tonight. A half hour news special airs at 2015, a further documentary runs for 30 minutes at 2215 and then at 2300 the whole contest gets a re-run.
When it comes to the text voting - I think the UK is an oddity in NOT using SMS voting - which is why the BBC had to keep contradicting the presenters.
I'm not sure if it is because the SMS-vote collection systems used here - which when investigated during the phone vote scandals - were demonstrated not to work acceptably in broadcast time frames (votes could arrive 24 hours after they were cast as they are not distributed in the same way as normal SMS messages) but other countries have better systems (or smaller populations but a better/different mobile infrastructure) - or whether other countries are using the flawed systems we used to, but deciding to ignore the issue...
I think other countries realise the burden falls on the phone operator, not those receiving the votes.
Don't think Spain should have got a second outing - the "protest" hardly impacted at all. And the Welsh effort far superior to the UK's!
Graham Norton is about the only thing the UK's getting right with Eurovision now (how luck we are Sachsgate happened as I think Jonathan Ross might have got the gig otherwise!). Only negative is I think they shouldn't be afraid to let the opening play out without commentary, though I guess they're probably created with the intention they'll be commentated over.
The BBC now need to abandon the format of the last couple of years. Yes it brought some success with ALW but to me it seems bizarre that we are voting for an artist and not the song. It's not a singing competition, it's a song competition. The BBC have got it the wrong way round in their attempt to make it an X Factor type competition.
But what format? The competitions they had before last year didn't exactly bring results either. Unless the the act is chosen by a panel without any public consultation it's always going to be an X Factor or BGT style competition and I can't see that being popular, although maybe might bring better songs.
The format of pre choosing a composer or performer (as was done in the early 90's) does limit them somewhat, they should look at the experience of Cyprus who did pretty well with a song sent in cold from a kid in Wales. It should be an open competition with anyone able to send in an entry and BBC people actually looking around online to find potential entrants.
One of the problems the UK has is that the selection process is always consciously to find a 'good Eurovision song' when there really isn't such a thing. They should just try and find a good song
He's one of the issues, in my view, the joking in the commentary has to stop. Deadpan presentation would impress the organisers and other competing countries, even if it puts a few viewers off.
Err - why should the BBC be aiming to impress the organisers? The BBC are there to provide an entertaining show for British viewers.
If they modify the commentary style and change the commentator - the only valid reason for doing so is to improve the broadcast for viewers. TV shows are NOT made to impress the EBU...
And do you mean deadpan - or do you mean unfunny? (Deadpan is often where you make a joke BY being serious...)
The BBC pays the EBU a significant licensing fee for the rights to show the song contest - they impress the EBU by giving them a nice big cheque each year... (Sure it isn't anywhere close to the amount needed to fund the contest - but along with France, Germany and Spain we pay by far the lions share of the licensing fees...)
Graham Norton is about the only thing the UK's getting right with Eurovision now
Yes, I agree, I've warmed to him recently, far superior to Ross as a 'non serious' chat show host.
He made me laugh out loud, with the comment,
"that's not helpful"
, when the almost final result of the night bounced the UK into last place. I woke my wife up with the laugh, she'd nodded off somewhere around song 18.
It's the reputation the BBC has garnered that has permeated not only the British Audience but others as well. I suspect the contempt, even if in jest, shown for contestants previously has done nothing to enhance Britain's chances in the contest. Hence my plea for a straight, factual, style of presentation in future.
SP
Sput
Perhaps they can have an alternative feed for boring **** to watch.
It's the reputation the BBC has garnered that has permeated not only the British Audience but others as well. I suspect the contempt, even if in jest, shown for contestants previously has done nothing to enhance Britain's chances in the contest. Hence my plea for a straight, factual, style of presentation in future.
But that is why many, many people watch Eurovision in the uk, with sir Terry, and now Graham.
Having a host commenting on the more tongue in check comments of the show is not stopping us from winning. The UK has come second the most time out of any other country.
The reason we keep losing is because of the old Eastern bloke voting for the neighbours and POOR choice of song. Last year change the voting system and we had a nice good song we come 5th. This year we went backwards and we its our own fault.
I for one many others do not want a straight face host
The reason we keep losing is because of the old Eastern bloke voting for the neighbours
Er... I'm pretty sure Ahmed isn't able to vote for his friends down the road at number 103 by calling Eurovision. Even if he was I don't see how that would effect our performance at Eurovision.
Ok then, times change, I for one would welcome sanitising the UK presentation, if it loses viewers as a result so be it. Others would no doubt be attracted to a more formal show.
Ok then, times change, I for one would welcome sanitising the UK presentation, if it loses viewers as a result so be it. Others would no doubt be attracted to a more formal show.
No it would always be associated with kitsch and there's no way of changing that. We got plenty of decent results when Wogan was mocking the show. The only people to blame for our poor results are those in charge of selecting the entry. I wish the BBC would just give up and do an internal selection. This idea that the public must have a say in deciding what represents the country is ridiculous when what is representing the country is utter tosh.
Their next step should be to go begging to Katie Melua after turning down her offer and just prey that she is good enough to forgive them.
The reason we keep losing is because of the old Eastern bloke voting for the neighbours
Er... I'm pretty sure Ahmed isn't able to vote for his friends down the road at number 103 by calling Eurovision. Even if he was I don't see how that would effect our performance at Eurovision.
I mean more like how Greece give Cypris 12 points or Latvia give Estonia 12 points
Ok then, times change, I for one would welcome sanitising the UK presentation, if it loses viewers as a result so be it. Others would no doubt be attracted to a more formal show.
No it would always be associated with kitsch and there's no way of changing that. We got plenty of decent results when Wogan was mocking the show. The only people to blame for our poor results are those in charge of selecting the entry. I wish the BBC would just give up and do an internal selection. This idea that the public must have a say in deciding what represents the country is ridiculous when what is representing the country is utter tosh.
Dire and UK picking songs for the show go hand in hand. We should just go back to how there used to do it and let anyone write and preform a song, thats how we ended up with these two classics: