Good Night And Good Luck

Michael Hedges May 28, 2012 Follow on Twitter

As new media shortens the attention span of viewers and readers to 140 characters, reporters and editors are even quicker to move from one event, crisis or revelation to the next. Context is lost, some say post-modernly irrelevant. Those intent on controlling images are ever more pleased.

The fifty-seventh Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) has now entered the musical, cultural and television history books. Tele-voting fans and a professional jury picked Swedish pop singer Loreen in the contest final broadcast (May 26) from Baku, Azerbaijan. The European Broadcasting Union, owner of the annual event, estimated “a worldwide viewing audience of more than 100 million.”

This year’s ESC continues the tradition of giving media people lots to say about the various contestants, the music and the host country. The Buranovski Babushki, representing Russia, were a bit out of the ESC mold, being six charming grannies, and tipped as a contender. They placed second. Pop music legend Engelbert Humperdinck represented the UK. He finished second from last.

Spain’s contestant Pastora Soler added contemporary economics to the ESC repertoire. “If we won, I think it would be impossible to stage the next edition because it costs so much money,” she told ABC Punto Radio (May 23). “There will be no pyrotechnics.”

She said somebody at Spain’s public television TVE had sent her the message: “Please, don’t win.” It was a joke but reporters looking for gloom and doom picked up and ran with the story.  The EBU member public broadcaster in the country of the winning contestant, by tradition, hosts the next ESC. Earlier in the week the economics correspondent for Norwegian public television NRK said winning the ESC for some countries could be a “nightmare” because of hosting costs. The Norwegian contestant finished dead last in the 2012 ESC finals.

”I have been doing the Eurovision Song Contest for eleven years and I’ve seen everything,” said TVE Festivals Director Federico Llano, quoted by La Vanguardia (May 25). “It is cost effective when compared with the impact on your audience. It also creates cultural content, in this case music, which fits the image and feeds the network. And that nourishes many other programs before and after the festival.” Pastora Soler placed 10th.

International coverage of this year’s ESC, by far, centered on Azerbaijan, its President Ilham Aliyev and its media freedom and human rights record. Activist organizations including Human Rights Watch pressed for open reporting of rights abuses and other mischief. The Azeri government’s attempt to deflect outside criticism largely failed.

The EBU has long maintained and often reiterated the non-political nature of the ESC, which is, in fact, a televised talent show. There are rules. All involved must keep to the business at hand and not wander off the proscribed path lest the ESC brand be soiled.

Swedish contestant – now winner – Loreen jumped the shark by meeting Azeri opposition activists in Baku early in the festival week. “Human rights are violated in Azerbaijan every day,” she was quoted saying to opposition newspaper Azadliq, noted by Reuters (May 24). “One should not be silent about such things.” Two weeks earlier Loreen visited a Baku women’s shelter.

“The European Broadcasting Union must intervene in this issue and stop these politicized actions,” fumed Ali Hasanov, political director for President Aliyev. Pressed the following day (May 24) by reporters for comments about meeting the activists Loreen’s carefully chosen words sidestepped the question.

The ESC final broadcast always wraps up with a tally of country-by-country voting, presented by a representative of each public broadcaster. Typically these are very brief, owing to the broadcast’s three-hour plus duration. And so it was to actress and comedian Anke Engelke, speaking from Hamburg for German public television network ARD, for the last subtle dig: “Tonight nobody could vote for their own country but it is good to be able to vote and it is good to have a choice. Good luck on your journey, Azerbaijan.”

And now media attention has turned to the UEFA Euro 2012 European football championships set to begin in two weeks, jointly hosted in Poland and Ukraine. Already there are calls for boycotts over rights issues. “I cannot see my own concepts of democracy, fundamental rights, human rights, or of questions like personal and press freedom, reflected in the current political situation in Ukraine,” blasted German team captain Phillip Lahm in an interview with Der Spiegel (May 6). “When I see how the regime is treating Yulia Tymoshenko, then that has nothing to do with my understanding of democracy.”

In a highly cited response to Mr. Lahm, UEFA president Michel Platini explained, “I don’t do politics, I do football. If I wanted to do politics, I would go into politics.”

See also in ftm Knowledge

Press/Media Freedom - Challenges and Concerns

Press and media freedom worldwide is facing challenges from many corners. As authoritarian leaders impose strict control over traditional and new media with impunity, media watchers have concerns for democracy. This ftm Knowledge file accounts the troubles of this difficult decade. 88 pages. PDF (December 2011)

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Media in the South Caucasus and Central Asia

Countries of the old Silk Road still have many threads in common; authoritarian regimes, State controlled media, poor press freedom records. Yet they have strategic relevance to Europe, Asia and the rest of the world. Their media landscape is dotted with failures and, even, a few triumphs with new media gaining importance. This ftm Knowledge file covers Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgystan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Includes Resources. 46 pages PDF (October 2011)

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