Eurovision Song Contest 2008

The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual contest organised by the state run TV stations of European nations to find the best new popular song.

The competition is restricted to members of the EBU - hence the presence of Israel and other countries not generally found on a map of Europe. And because there are more countries than slots available at the song contest, there’s an elimination procedure, based around how well you’ve done over the last few years. Unless you happen to be one of the EBU’s big four contributors - the UK, Germany, France, and Spain - in which case, you qualify automatically.

Eurovision is the name given to a network of communication channels - founded in the 1950s - that links state TV stations across Europe. The system minimizes the cost to each member of transmitting pan-European news and sports footage. In an effort to scare up programming to justify the network, members thought up the Song Contest and the first was held in Switzerland in 1956.

It all began in 1956. Europe was pulling itself from the ashes of World War II, and Television services were opening all over Europe. It was realised that by pooling resources, programmes could be made for sharing over the whole of Europe, this reducing costs.

Technical issues were formidable. There were no satellites, videotape was in its infancy, but landlines were laid to join all the nations of the European Broadcasting Union. The system was called Eurovision. They had joint productions of plays, documentaries, and sports programmes, and devised a programme where countries got together to select the best new popular song. This was the Eurovision Song Contest. The first was held in Switzerland in 1956.

Eurovision 2008 - May, Sebia (Belgrade)

Eurovision Winners