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Some Insights Into JESC For The Older Fans Written by on November 16, 2013 | 2 Comments

With two weeks to go until the Eurovision Song Contest, are you all set for November 30th? Tickets bought for Kiev, and the parties planned? Or has Junior Eurovision skipped over you in the ‘six months to Eurovision Island?’ excitement? Thought so. We here at ESC Insight have been big fans of the Winter Contest. It would be fair to say that it’s the start of the ‘on-season’ for us, with three National Selection shows for ‘Adult’ and at least one artist announcement in December. So this is game time, let’s get ready to rumble, and all that. But before we board the flights to Kyiv, here’s a look back at some of our previous JESC coverage to get you in the mood.

The Awesome Contest

Let’s start with Ben Robertson’s look at Lilla Melodifestivalen. Just like it’s older counterpart, Junior Eurovision has National Finals all through the summer, and this year Sweden’s selection was the biggest show out there. Held this year on Sweden’s National Day, in the Gröna Lund Theme Park in Central Scotland, eight singer-songwriters took to the stage in front of the jury. Ben talked to the Contestants, took in the experience,  caught up with the Head of the Jury, a certain Christer Björkman, and found a selection process that was more fun, more varied, and just as exciting as ‘MF’ is. The Awesome Contest That Is Junior Eurovision.

Christer Björkman with TIlde Anvemyr at Lilla Melodifestivalen 2013

Christer Björkman with TIlde Anvemyr at Lilla Melodifestivalen 2013

What Is It Really Like At Junior?

The 2011 Junior Eurovision Song Contest was held in Yerevan, and it was the first Contest that ESC Insight attended. You can read our ‘behind the scenes’ eBook all about our travels to the Contest, the week in the stadium, and the experience of Yerevan in ‘It’s Cold And There Are Children Singing.’

Click here to buy ESC Insight's Junior Eurovision eBook.

Click here to buy ESC Insight’s Junior Eurovision eBook.

You can , or read the first chapter online here on ESC Insight.

In The Aftermath Of  Junior Eurovision 2012

JESC always seems to be balanced on the edge of failure in the minds of many. Where ‘Adult’ is expected to survive and somehow pull itself together, ‘Junior’ has a certain lack of momentum. After the 2012 Contest drew to a close in Amsterdam last December, we set out some of the challenges facing the Contest. It does appear that the EBU have made a positive decision and pushed to keep JESC in the portfolio. As for the other challenges, we’ll start to see how they have been addressed when we get to Kyiv on November 25th. The Challenge Facing The Junior Eurovision Song Contest

JESC 2012 Scoreboard

Keeping score at Junior Eurovision

Junior Is Part Of The Family

Before he was promoted to Dr Eurovision, Paul Jordan looked at the Eurovision brand, and as part of that addressed the positioning and image of Junior Eurovision:

Junior Eurovision has also seen successes of countries which have not necessarily set the scoreboard alight in the Eurovision Song Contest. Croatia, Spain, Georgia, the Netherlands have all scored victories and Belarus is the reigning champion with two wins whilst in the adult format the country has only qualified for the final twice since 2004 [Georgia have now joined the list as double-winners – Ed.]. The contest has also been staged in new territories – Bucharest, Limassol, Minsk and this year, Yerevan. Also in a first for the Junior format, the contest is going to take place in the winning country of the previous year’s contest. Whilst participant numbers have fluctuated the contest has stabilised. Of this year’s 13 entries only three (Netherlands, Belgium and Sweden) are from the “old school” (i.e. pre expansion) of Eurovision. It does however appear that Junior Eurovision is favoured more in Eastern Europe where children’s talent shows still draw large core audiences.

The Brand That Is New Eurovision.

That’s A Good Idea… We’ll Have That!

We’re going to look at some of the traditions and quirks that Junior has in the next week, but for now take a look at the elements from Junior Eurovision that the Contest does far better than the grown-up show in May. The interesting thing is how many of these were actually used in Mälmo 2013 – the parade of nations, forcing the crowd to mingle, highlighting local culture, and so on. Pity SVT didn’t think to speed up the voting JESC style…

Kristall and Evropa

This is how to do a Flag Parade and keep to the schedule.

Nine Things The Grown-ups Can Learn From Junior.

Hellooo Internet!

And then there’s the small matter of our Alternative Commentary. In previous years ESC Insight’s Ewan Spence and EscXtra’s Luke Fisher have joined forces to provide an online commentary for Junior Eurovision. Those voices will be available again this year… in a fashion. Keep reading and we’ll let you know how to hear our views from Kyiv. In fact, keep reading ESC Insight as we pack our bags, prepare for the trip to Kyiv, and get ready to take you backstage at one of the world’s biggest Song Contests for younger performers.

About The Author: Ewan Spence

British Academy (BAFTA) nominated broadcaster and writer Ewan Spence is the voice behind The Unofficial Eurovision Song Contest Podcast and one of the driving forces behind ESC Insight. Having had an online presence since 1994, he is a noted commentator around the intersection of the media, internet, technology, mobility and how it affects us all. Based in Edinburgh, Scotland, his work has appeared on the BBC, The Stage, STV, and The Times. You can follow Ewan on Twitter (@ewan) and Facebook (facebook.com/ewanspence).

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Have Your Say

2 responses to “Some Insights Into JESC For The Older Fans”

  1. Keley Ann says:

    A nice article but do you not have anyone that could do the commentary other than Luke fisher? His voice is extremely irritating

  2. Ben says:

    Bit harsh Keley! I like Luke. He is very knowledgeable but borderline obsessed.

    Junior Eurovision however, is dreadful. I do watch it every year in the hope there will be one decent song and I am always disappointed, and surprised that there are people who can take it seriously.

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