North Macedonia’s HoD submits report to improve the country’s future in Eurovision

Photo credit: EBU/SARAH LOUISE BENNETT

On June 8th MRT’s Programming Council heard Head of Delegation (HoD) Meri Popova’s proposal to improve North Macedonia’s image, results, and preparations for future contests. The report given by Popova was thoroughly detailed, addressing a number of issues through well reasoned solutions.

The requests from HoD Meri Popova

In her report, Popova outlined that preparations for Eurovision need to begin by MRT no later than September, which includes picking a selection method and finalizing the structure of that method. According to Popova, this will allow sufficient time to organize for the contest, select an artist using a well-established process, and most importantly, allow the artists sufficient time to prepate their candidacy.

She also called for an expansion of the delegation, which she claimed has “always been a headache.” Popova believes that the delegation is too small and is consistently changing, making it hard to establish consistency. She went on to state that their small number cause members to work on numerous projects and programs at the same time. Increasing the delegation size would therefore bring stability and reduce stress.

Two recommendations related to economic factors surrounding the contest, which would directly elevate their Eurovision proposals. The first was to simply raise the broadcaster’s alloted budget for Eurovision, which has “been a major drag on the country’s candidacies” for years. Popova continued that the budget needed to be stabilized and communicated by September, so that the delegation can plan accordingly for May.

She also recommended a way to recoup expenses for Eurovision, suggesting that MRT begin selling advertisement space during the broadcasting time of the broadcast. She also requested a unified marketing strategy (both for the country and for the entry/artist), that will rival the promotional efforts of other delegations.

Finally, she asked for the implimetation of a public relations committee to curb the scandals that have plagued the country for the last two years and reinvigorate the public’s excitment around the contest. She claimed that the backlash surrounding the Bulgarian flag in Vasil’s music video and Andrea’s throwing of the flag this year had damaged the public’s image of Eurovision and implied that increased PR presence could impact their future participations.

The Council’s Next steps

After hearing the report, the council tasked MRT’s management to provide their own report on how the recommendations will be implimented, documents showing income created from Eurovision advertisements over the last 4 years, and also asked the general director of MRT for a final decision on disciplinary actions for the 2022 delegation. At the end of discussion, the report was adopted by the council unanimously.

It is currently unknown if North Macedonia will return to the 2023 contest, but according to ESCPlus, MRT realizes that Eurovision is one of  it’s most important annual programs.

Do #YOU agree with Meri Popova’s recommendations to the council? Make sure #YOU tell us on social media @ESCUnited, on our discord, or on our forum page!