Eurovision

[emma]

Okay - admit it, who's going to watch it????

Paula - it is just down the road from you ;)

It's broadcast live here - so I'm going to record it as I'm off to see Meatloaf.

[Mikel]

What is it?

[Vix]

I've heard of it and occasionally watch links provided from friends who watch it, but somehow that's not the same.

[Paula]

It's a song contest. We won it last year and how it's held in Helsinki, Finland. I'm not going to watch it live :( the tickets are too expensive and too hard to get (some of my work-mates did try but they were sold out pretty quickly.)
Definently going to sit in front of TV saturday night!
It is supposed to be for European countries, which makes me wonder what Turkey, Israel or Armenia are doing here . (Actually is for members of European broadcast-something...)

[Paula]

http://www.yle.fi/eurovision/

[emma]

http://www.eurovision.tv

So long as you are a full member of the European Broadcasting Union you can take part.

The previous winner always qualifies, plus those in positions 2-10 and the 'big four' (countries that pay the most into the EBU - UK, France, Germany and Spain).  If one or more of the big four is in the first 10, then it filters down.  The rest of the entrants go through a sem-final, which was last night

[Jane]

:skeptisch: Serbia?

[emma]

But did you watch it ;)

[Jane]

But did you watch it

We don't get it here.  It was on the BBC World News that we get on free feed before 6am.