Show-business news

Home page

Show-business news

Svante Stockselius leaves Eurovision top job - PHOTO

Svante Stockselius leaves Eurovision top job - <font color=red> PHOTO</font>

30 August 2010 15:00 (UTC +04:00)

The upcoming Junior Eurovision Song Contest will be the 26th and last Eurovision event under his supervision.
Apart from supervising the two contests on behalf of the European Broadcasting Union, Stockselius has been Executive Producer of the 2000 Eurovision Song Contest in Stockholm. In 2002, he was the architect of the new Melodifestivalen format, which has grown out to Europe’s most successful national selection event for the Eurovision Song Contest.
In an exclusive statement to Eurovision.tv, Stockselius said: "When I took this challenge nearly eight years ago, the Eurovision Song Contest was at a crucial cross road. Since then it is has become one of the greatest TV-entertainment events in the world! After the successes of Moscow and Oslo, I decided that now would be a good moment to say farewell, and to give others the opportunity to take the event to the next level."
Under Stockselius’ supervision, a generic logo, a pan-European sponsor platform and semi-finals were introduced, while the involvement of professional juries was re-introduced as well.
"We have managed to get a fair voting system and I’ve had the pleasure of working with a great team at the EBU, with the members of the Reference Group, with great teams at over a dozen host broadcasters and with many delegations from over 40 countries," the outgoing Executive Supervisor said, jokingly adding that "after being seen on television by a cumulative number of over one billion people, it is time to move on!"
Stockselius joined the EBU shortly after the 2003 contest in Latvia and has, by the end of his mission, served the EBU for nearly eight years.
JÃ¸rgen Franck, TV Director ad interim of the European Broadcasting Union, said: "With the departure of Svante Stockselius we say goodbye to a highly respected colleague, one of Europe’s most experienced TV-producers and someone who has his Eurovision heart at the right place. He brought the song contest to where it is today, and deserves credit for the growing appreciation of the brand. We are grateful for his contribution to the Junior- and Eurovision Song Contest and we are looking forward to working with him one more time in Minsk, where the 8th Junior Eurovision Song Contest will take place."
The search for a successor will shortly commence, and is likely to be completed before the end of the year.