FANS of the Eurovision Song Contest can tune into its junior version – taking place a week on Saturday – via an Edinburgh community radio station, which has secured the broadcasting rights.
Junior Eurovision is taking place in the Ukraine and Castle FM will be broadcasting it, with live commentary being provided – from Kyiv, where the event is taking place – by Edinburgh-based broadcaster, podcaster, blogger and Castle FM presenter, Ewan Spence.
Spence is behind Eurovision Song Contest blog, escinsight.com, and an associated podcast. He started writing about Eurovision ten years ago, these last five years from behind-the-scenes at the main and junior events, as an accredited media representative. He presents a Friday afternoon show on Castle FM, Edinburgh Nights.
The broadcasting rights for Junior Eurovision had been offered by the competition’s operators, the European Broadcasting Union, to its members. But when no-one in the UK took up the offer, Castle FM – previously known as Leith FM – moved in.
The contest will be broadcast live on 98.8 FM across Edinburgh and The Lothians on Saturday, the 30th, from 6pm.
Said Ewan, in a media statement: “The broadcast also gives the station’s volunteers the experience of working with the EBU to bring a large-scale international broadcast to Edinburgh.”
The Junior Eurovision Song Contest has been held annually since 2003. Performers must be aged between ten and 15 years-old. It follows the same format as the Eurovision Song Contest.
It is understood that the last contest to be broadcast in the UK was eight years ago.
Castle FM’s Junior Eurovision coverage will start during the drive-time show on Monday, with reports from backstage at Kyiv throughout the week. A ‘Eurovision special’ is being broadcast a week tomorrow, at 3pm.
