European Broadcasting Union

So I was surprised at the timing of that and how quickly then the NPO had to get into gear.

So I was surprised to see in that aspect that we're participating today, and also very surprised to see that the head honchos of the EBU came out to Netherlands today to support this decision and to admit that a change in culture is happening within the EBU and that they're very happy to see one of the founders of Eurovision back.

Yeah, we'll get on to that because you've been talking to some important stakeholders in person today, keen to get some of their thoughts.

But if you can just kind of explain this.

For more information, see calsheet.com slash regulatory.

Let's get back to what you were saying earlier on.

You were in the presence of some of the higher-ups, the new broadcaster, and with the EBU as well.

Tell us who you've been speaking to and a bit of the gossip you got from today's announcement as well.

Yeah, I think it is quite similar.

So RT, what's the biggest difference is RT had more control there because they're part of the European Broadcasting Union, which is the organizer of the Eurovision.

So they couldn't countenance being part of an organization that continued to let Israel compete and use it as a mechanism for, you know, I guess some kind of Competition washing, you know, in the same way that sports washing we see is popular with countries.

But because they're part of the organization that puts on the event, they were able to remove themselves from it.

And they tried to fix that up in the last year.

And Last month, the EBU, which is the broadcasting union who run the awards, European Broadcasting Union, they announced that broadcasters would no longer be eligible to host the Eurovision Song Contest if their state was involved in an armed conflict or in a sensitive geopolitical situation, which means that if Israel did win, unlike last year, if they did win, they could no longer host the competition.

And I think, again, with Eurovision, there was so much appeasing of everybody and not taking a political stance that I think it – blew up in the EBU's face.

It causes more difficulty and controversy and it means more viewers have to make a choice politically as to whether or not they watch.

And it puts everything back firmly in the centre of discussion.

Odoide peitele se voide

This is Linda Woodruff, the official spokesperson for the Eurovision Broadcasting Union, the EBU.

You're listening to the Eurovision Showcase on Forest FM.

It's amazing.

En al menos un caso, los pagos procedentes de Bruselas fueron a parar a manos de militantes del grupo Estado Islámico ahí en Siria.

La red de periodismo de investigación de la Unión Europea de Radiodifusión, EBU, de la que forma parte la BBC, también encontró pruebas más amplias de que se utilizaban sistemas similares de transferencia de dinero en efectivo para el tráfico de personas y el narcotráfico.

The investigative journalism network of the European Union of Broadcasters, EBU, of which the BBC is a member, also found more extensive evidence that similar cash transfer systems were used for human trafficking and drug trafficking.

That the armed forces of persons and drug trafficking were used.

La red de periodismo de investigación de la Unión Europea de Radiodifusión, EBU, de la que forma parte la BBC, también encontró pruebas más amplias de que se utilizaban sistemas similares de transferencia de dinero en efectivo para el tráfico de personas y el narcotráfico.

El chat grupal, que contenía más de ochenta y dos mil mensajes enviados entre finales de febrero y diciembre de 2022, fue descubierto inicialmente por el juez de instrucción belga Vincent Guerra.

The group chat, which contained a m-s of eighty-two thousand messages sent between the end of February and December 2022, was initially discovered by the Belgian investigating judge Vincent Guerra.

They are registered with the HMRC.

We've come 15th or lower on the judging.

I mean, I suppose there are people who might say, what is the point of being part of it at all? It's sort of the European Broadcasting Union is one of those things that came out of the aftermath of the Second World War, building links between broadcasters in different parts of continental Europe and the U.K., In a sense, those links are well established.

We have a perfectly vibrant music industry.

Why do we even need to bother? I mean, is that also a question that you would want to ask?