The Eurovision Song Contest is becoming more and more serious, but it is precisely the fandom that gives color to the art and kitsch

On TV, the Eurovision Song Contest may seem like almost the same parade of opulence and bad taste every year, but big changes are palpable on the ground. Since the Swede Martin Österdahl is in charge and the production team is mainly Swedish, the festival has been threatened by Scandinizationis finding an increasingly large group of followers.

There is criticism of the rapid commercialization of the event – former winner Conchita Würst is promoting coffee liqueur under the Eurovision flag these days – but especially of the limited opportunities for the press.

Interaction

And it is precisely that interaction that is one of the cornerstones of Eurovision success, especially because the Song Contest is not an ordinary media event, but a circus where national honor, devout fandom and journalistic distance intertwine.

It is a rough estimate, but I suspect that at least half of the 1,100 accredited journalists in Malmö pay for their own accommodation and travel and broadcast or write for a self-set-up YouTube channel or blog, often entirely dedicated to the Eurovision Song Contest.

Orange madness

The immense press center next to the Malmö Arena has already been decorated with national flags and attributes from the favorite acts a day after opening. In the Portuguese press, almost every reporter has a cap with the name of singer Iolanda on their head. Does the Dutch press also suffer from orange madness? Fortunately not for the time being.

Yet it is these expressions of undisguised love for country, candidate or plumage that also give the Eurovision Song Contest color in the meetings between the press and participants. But it is precisely this that has been rigorously cut in recent years. First the rehearsals were made private, but now the press conferences after them have also disappeared. A real shame.

Beautiful kitch

Not that much newsworthy was said at such question sessions, it was about the moment of that one journalist from – say – Montenegro, who gathered his courage and got up from his chair. In English for which subtitles were requested, he then began to list everything he liked about his favorite act. A question usually did not contain such an inimitable speech. Or it had to be a request for confirmation of his analysis. At the end of the press meeting, the reporter in question usually rushed to the podium for a photo or a hug from his journalistic subject.

Admittedly, these are scenes that you will not easily see after question sessions about the slow formation in The Hague, but I loved them. They colored the incomprehensible appeal of the spectacle, where kitsch shines as art and vice versa.

That’s why I’m making a mini appeal from here: dose down on the commercialization and once again provide ample scope for the festival where there is a place in the spotlight for every outsider.

About the author: pop music and media reporter Stefan Raatgever follows the Eurovision Song Contest closely for Het Parool. Since 2014, he has attended the Eurovision spectacle eight times. This year he reports from Malmö.

About the author: Stefan Raatgever is a media and music journalist at Het Parool. He writes about television, radio and streaming, but also about pop concerts, music trends and new albums. He is also one of the reviewers of the Han Lips watches TV section.