Tag: semi-final

Download My Commentary MP3 For The First Eurovision 2009 Semi Final

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And now an experiment in temporal reporting. Tonight sees the first live semi-final of the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest. As I’m here in Moscow, and watching the dress rehearsals, I’ve recorded a commentary track for those who (a) are watching on the free internet stream at www.eurovision.tv and have no commentator, or (b) who would like something a little bit different to the regular TV commentators they may be used to. After you grab the MP3 files, you need to start the track at the correct time. If you start the MP3 before Eurovision starts, I’ll remind you of what

A Beginners Guide to Eurovision, Part 3

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In the last few years, the number of countries entering the Eurovision Song Contest has increased from around 20 to around 40. That’s too many for one live show on a Saturday night, so the Semi-Finals were introduced. The host country automatically qualifies for the final, as do the ‘Big 4’ of the UK, France, Spain and Germany (who put up the lions share of money to finance Eurovision). How are the other twenty finalists selected? That’s what today’s Beginners Guide to Eurovision is about. Part four can be found here.