The Eurovision Song Contest Reference Group is the executive Committee for all Members, its purpose being to control and guide the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC).
The Reference Group is established by the Television Committee and its tasks are :
Gert Kark
Eurovision TV Project Manager
kark@ebu.ch
https://www.ebu.ch/groups/eurovision-song-contest-reference
+41 22 717 2426
I have sent my ideas on a better voting system and improvements for the contest. Please do so as well if you feel like doing so.
Please listen to my concerns and recommendation regarding ESC and pass this email on to all members and decision makers of the Reference Group.
First let me congratulate for the excellent annual spectacle that ESC is now. You all have done great job.
However this year we had a problem with JURIES that needs to be prevented in future editions.
As I see it most juries and individual jurors did not follow the 4 criteria they were given to judge entries.
Most likely they did not make judgement on their own but decided together with other jurors which is forbidden, otherwise the uniformity of votes of a particular jury is not explainable. Sweden was outrageously favoured by most juries, but even juries that did not have Sweden bias had other flaws. Look at how Australia ranked Belgium, this clearly was collectively decided, not individually.
Juries did not follow rules and should be dismissed.
100% Televote will bring a better result in particular if you implement the following changes:
1. Televotes limited to 5 entries per device but each entry is for top 5 or top 3
2. Broadcasters to appeal strongly to voters to judge SONGS not love for country, ethnicity or politics.
3. Running order to be decided by random draw to stop favouritism and commercial breaks and intervals are decided before draw.
4. Cost of televote to be decided by EBU, not national broadcaster, and adjusted to price level of participating country. ROTW (Rest of the World) stays with same cost for all countries as now.
If you decide not to end juries we will have better result if you implement the following changes:
1. Jurors judge by 4 or more criteria given without consulting others.
2. Jurors justify ranking in a few written sentences publicly available after contest.
3. Jurors judge not only jury performance but include semis and final if possible.
4. Jurors have to come from varied types of music genres and have to like and respect ESC.
5. Jurors have to introduce themselves to the public in their own words. Explain what qualifies them as judges of ESC songs of varied musical genres some of which could be outside of their expertise.
6. Jury vote to be reduced to 40% or a third (33.33%) of total.
7. Increase jury members to 6 or more to expand expertise. Avoid commercial pop music and power ballad bias.
8. Average age of jury should be under 40 and juries to strive for gender balance.
Another good way would be to have an international jury to exclude obvious "joke" entries with little musical merit before the contest but 100% televote in contest.
Backing vocals and automatic pitch control has to be removed like in Junior Eurovision. Would be scandalous if juniors have it harder than professional artists.
Dance breaks to be limited to 7 seconds each, ESC is a song contest, not a dance contest.
Scale down requirements to host the contest. It is getting so big and expensive that only the richest countries have big enough venues and the financial means to host it.
I propose qualification for Big 5 like all others except previous winner country. To make this feasable we need a revised entry cost structure. A country that does not reach the final gets an appropriate fee reduction (15%?) for next years entry. Qualification for Big 5 is needed as there exists resentment from voters because they do not need qualify. This would compensate for revenue loss due to reduced viewership and be an incentive for countries to take part again as cost is lower.
If Australia is to be allowed to participate again it needs to be explained clearly during voting that they are rightfully there. Most new Eurovision viewers do not understand that Australia is in the "European" contest and refuse to vote for it.
Explore the possibilities to invite on a year by year basis a non EBU affiliated broadcaster of a country that expresses interest where the EBU affiliated broadcaster has withdrawn like Bulgaria, Türkiye, Hungary..........
Please consider to exclude previous winners to enter again and non-winners who have participated wait for 5 years to enter again. This is to provide a more level playing field and avoid a situation like this year with Loreen.
Please implement or clarify the requirement for participating singers and songwriters to have strong verifiable connection to the country they represent. Celine Dion was great but had no connection to Switzerland at all.
I understand it is your job to review the contest and implement changes that makes the ESC even better and more loved. I refined my ideas over many weeks, please consider them.
The Reference Group is established by the Television Committee and its tasks are :
- Approving the development and future format of the ESC
- Securing the financing of the ESC
- Modernizing the brand and raising awareness of the ESC
- Overseeing the yearly preparation by the Host Broadcaster
Gert Kark
Eurovision TV Project Manager
kark@ebu.ch
https://www.ebu.ch/groups/eurovision-song-contest-reference
+41 22 717 2426
I have sent my ideas on a better voting system and improvements for the contest. Please do so as well if you feel like doing so.
Please listen to my concerns and recommendation regarding ESC and pass this email on to all members and decision makers of the Reference Group.
First let me congratulate for the excellent annual spectacle that ESC is now. You all have done great job.
However this year we had a problem with JURIES that needs to be prevented in future editions.
As I see it most juries and individual jurors did not follow the 4 criteria they were given to judge entries.
Most likely they did not make judgement on their own but decided together with other jurors which is forbidden, otherwise the uniformity of votes of a particular jury is not explainable. Sweden was outrageously favoured by most juries, but even juries that did not have Sweden bias had other flaws. Look at how Australia ranked Belgium, this clearly was collectively decided, not individually.
Juries did not follow rules and should be dismissed.
100% Televote will bring a better result in particular if you implement the following changes:
1. Televotes limited to 5 entries per device but each entry is for top 5 or top 3
2. Broadcasters to appeal strongly to voters to judge SONGS not love for country, ethnicity or politics.
3. Running order to be decided by random draw to stop favouritism and commercial breaks and intervals are decided before draw.
4. Cost of televote to be decided by EBU, not national broadcaster, and adjusted to price level of participating country. ROTW (Rest of the World) stays with same cost for all countries as now.
If you decide not to end juries we will have better result if you implement the following changes:
1. Jurors judge by 4 or more criteria given without consulting others.
2. Jurors justify ranking in a few written sentences publicly available after contest.
3. Jurors judge not only jury performance but include semis and final if possible.
4. Jurors have to come from varied types of music genres and have to like and respect ESC.
5. Jurors have to introduce themselves to the public in their own words. Explain what qualifies them as judges of ESC songs of varied musical genres some of which could be outside of their expertise.
6. Jury vote to be reduced to 40% or a third (33.33%) of total.
7. Increase jury members to 6 or more to expand expertise. Avoid commercial pop music and power ballad bias.
8. Average age of jury should be under 40 and juries to strive for gender balance.
Another good way would be to have an international jury to exclude obvious "joke" entries with little musical merit before the contest but 100% televote in contest.
Backing vocals and automatic pitch control has to be removed like in Junior Eurovision. Would be scandalous if juniors have it harder than professional artists.
Dance breaks to be limited to 7 seconds each, ESC is a song contest, not a dance contest.
Scale down requirements to host the contest. It is getting so big and expensive that only the richest countries have big enough venues and the financial means to host it.
I propose qualification for Big 5 like all others except previous winner country. To make this feasable we need a revised entry cost structure. A country that does not reach the final gets an appropriate fee reduction (15%?) for next years entry. Qualification for Big 5 is needed as there exists resentment from voters because they do not need qualify. This would compensate for revenue loss due to reduced viewership and be an incentive for countries to take part again as cost is lower.
If Australia is to be allowed to participate again it needs to be explained clearly during voting that they are rightfully there. Most new Eurovision viewers do not understand that Australia is in the "European" contest and refuse to vote for it.
Explore the possibilities to invite on a year by year basis a non EBU affiliated broadcaster of a country that expresses interest where the EBU affiliated broadcaster has withdrawn like Bulgaria, Türkiye, Hungary..........
Please consider to exclude previous winners to enter again and non-winners who have participated wait for 5 years to enter again. This is to provide a more level playing field and avoid a situation like this year with Loreen.
Please implement or clarify the requirement for participating singers and songwriters to have strong verifiable connection to the country they represent. Celine Dion was great but had no connection to Switzerland at all.
I understand it is your job to review the contest and implement changes that makes the ESC even better and more loved. I refined my ideas over many weeks, please consider them.
2017) came 7th
