Today the fans seem to be in outrage, ready to march in Malmö and kick some ass in SVT. Simply because it was made public that no longer the draw will determinate the running order but the producers of the show.
And the fans forget something. Or quite a lot.
First of all it wasn't SVT's decision but the EBU Reference group's. The idea might by Swedish but they didn't decide that. And the same system is in use in Melodifestivalen and seems to please the fans greatly. So, don't blame the Swedes. They only introduced an idea that was then accepted by all the others.
Secondly, isn't the similar system used in Junior Eurovision? Only that the countries have been drawn into slots and the order inside those slots is decided by the producers. (Maybe they should have done this in here, too?). And even in semifinal allocation draw put countries in the first and second half - so, we were already halfway there. And this still stands, so in all it's just setting the order for some 8-10 songs... But then, that was done before we knew the songs....
Thirdly, if this avoids of having like five ballads one after another, or several uptempo songs neck to neck, isn't it nicer to have them separated? Everybody benefits; the songs and the viewers!
Also I would like to point out that we fans know the songs, most likely have seen the rehearsal videos and know what to expect, have our favorites and can separate the songs because of that, but a general European viewer (about 99% of the viewers) does see and hear them for the very first time. Some of them have maybe heard a song or two, some haven't even heard their own entry! Whatever makes them easier to follow the show, separate the songs from each other and remember them is a good thing! And with this system the producers can do just that!
And what about the dreadful number two slot? I think it's more of a superstition and the running order isn't all that important what the fans seem to think.... If Fairytale, Satellite or Hard rock hallelujah would have been performed at number two, do you really think they wouldn't have won?
If the fans will just calm down and think about it, they should realize the benefits of this.
The host country will be the only one who's running order will be determined by a draw.
And for the 2013 edition it was also decided to separate the Swedish neighbors Norway and Denmark to help the ticket sales and availability and it was drawn that Denmark will be in the first semifinal and Norway in the second.
Sietse Bakker, Event Supervisor at Eurovision Song Contest, Supervisor at Junior Eurovision posted the following on his Facebook page this afternoon, as a response to all the negative reactions that followed the EBU's decision:
"The response to the announcement that the running order of the Eurovision Song Contest will be determined by the producers is rather surprising. We have applied the same principle at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest for ten (!) years and it worked out fine. It made better television and there was never the slightest doubt about the integrity of the producers."
Amen.
Sietse Bakker, Event Supervisor at Eurovision Song Contest, Supervisor at Junior Eurovision posted the following on his Facebook page this afternoon, as a response to all the negative reactions that followed the EBU's decision:
"The response to the announcement that the running order of the Eurovision Song Contest will be determined by the producers is rather surprising. We have applied the same principle at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest for ten (!) years and it worked out fine. It made better television and there was never the slightest doubt about the integrity of the producers."
Amen.
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