Jarmo Siim: Eurovision has the best fans in the world

Mr. Jarmo Siim

We interviewed Mr. Jarmo Siim, Communications Coordinator of EBU. Here is what he told us regarding Eurovision , Fans, Accreditations and many other things.

1. Which one is your favourite contest organisation so far and which songs did you like the most?

I think every year the organisational aspect is improving in one way or another, thus it’s very hard to say which one of them has been the best. The same goes for the songs. Eurovision Song Contest has something to offer for every moment of the day and for every mood.

2. Do you have a most memorable experience in ESC and which one is that?

3. What do you think of Eurovision Fans?

I believe the fans are an integral part of the Eurovision Song Contest and we are very lucky to have the best fans in the world. I would love the fans to co-operate even more and have more and more events to let just everyone know how great that contest is.

4. Is there any future in the Contest and if yes how do you see ESC in many years from now?

I’m very confident we will see the contest many years to come. I definitely picture myself showing up for the 100th anniversary of Europe’s favourite TV show. But as the show is very organic and has changed so much even in the last 10 years, it’s impossible to predict what it will become in the next decade or so. But in one thing I’m sure of – it will become better and better with every edition.

5. What are your expectations from Baku?
I’m sure Baku will host a wonderful edition of Europe’s favourite TV show, demonstrating the skills and spirit of the people of Azerbaijan.

6. How difficult is to be a Communications Coordinator in Eurovision?

I believe no job is too difficult to do when you love it. And I do love working for the Eurovision Song Contest. We have our difficult times and less difficult but seeing those shows in May makes it all worth it. Not to forget the wonderful people who surround me during, before and after the contest.

7. We saw the voting system being changed in 2010 and now again.Can’t there be a standard and more justful way of finding a Winner each year?

The voting system has not changed the essence of the song contest – it’s about finding and introducing great songs and artists to our audience. Every year we evaluate every aspect of the contest to see how could we make it even better – that’s how the small changes in the voting system have come into action.

8. Plenty of non-european countries, like Australia, Mexico and Argentina do broadcast the contest. There was also an effort from an organisation named Asiavision.tv . Is there a globalisation project for Eurovision, like Worldvision or Globalvision?

Eurovision Song Contest is a great TV format and it would be good to see that taking on the world even more. However, we do not have a concrete schedule when and if we’d get to the point of expanding it globally.

9. In 1995 Jeux Sans Frontieres, a project held by EBU stopped. Junior Eurovision is getting less and less interrest by national broadcasters. Eurovision Dance Contest was firstly postponed and recently abandoned. Does this worry you somehow?

We believe in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in a very strong way. However, we’ve seen that we still need to work on the whole concept in general for it to be as strong as the Eurovision Song Contest is. I’m sure we’ll get to the point sometime in the near future where questions about its future being in jeopardy would seem ridiculous as like with the Eurovision Song Contest – we couldn’t picture the world of entertainment without it. Besides, we do see an increase in interest for the Junior Eurovision Song Contest from the broadcasters’ side, it’s very popular in many countries, from Belarus to the Netherlands, Belgium to Armenia.

10. EBU recenlty announced the beginning of an Eurovision Archives Project? How is this going to help Eurovision grow and will those archives be available to the public?

Eurovision Song Contest has an incredible legacy but we feel we haven’t yet grasped this in the best possible way. That is the reason the archiving project was started. However, so far it has not yet been decided whether this archive will be directly available for the general audience but it will be available for the broadcasters.

11. Do you have any news that you can share with us as far as the accreditation procedure and the Press accomodation concerned?

The accreditation process will start early next year and the aim for the upcoming season is to offer the media as well as fans an even better experience at the contest. We will let you all know as soon as there is anything to tell on Eurovision.tv. Stay tuned!