The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

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The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews episodes

  • Episode 279: Perceived Aura

    Eurovision has given their branding elements a makeover in preparation for next year's 70th edition. Graphic Designer Justin Ladia joins Ben to discuss why rebrands happen, what the EBU may want to accomplish with this rebrand, and first impressions on the new fonts and images introduced for Vienna 2026.

    Perceived Aura Summary
    • Why do a rebrand? (2:31)
    • Examining the new Eurovision logo and fonts (7:08)
    • The Psychology of Branding (22:12)
    • Bonus Round: Eurovision 2000 (29:01)
    • Subscribe

      The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

      Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

      Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

      If you would like to help financially support the show, we are hosting the EuroWhat AV Club over on Patreon! We have a slew of bonus episodes with deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics.

      Eurovision Podcast Podcrawl

      What is the Eurovision Podcrawl? It's where the Eurovision podcast community picks a topic ("a year when a country first hosted Eurovision") and we all publish our episodes in our own styles. At the end of an episode, we'll point to the podcast with the next episode, and so on, through the summer! Here's the crawl:

      • ESC Insight: France 1959
      • Wind Machine Podcast: Austria 1967
      • The EuroWhat? Podcast: Yugoslavia 1990
      • Niall Points: Latvia 2003
      • 12 Points from America: Belgium 1987
      • That Eurovision Site: Denmark 1964
      • Douze Points: Azerbaijan 2012
      • Special Guest: Justin Ladia.

        Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

        Links:

        • Eurovision Song Contest gets brand refresh to celebrate 70 years of world’s largest live music event
      • How Cracker Barrel's attempt to rebrand led to a new logo that backfired | AP News
      • Justin Ladia
      • Justin Ladia (@justinladia.com) — Bluesky
      • 36 min
      • Episode 278: Welcome to Austria

        It's offficially the pre-season for Eurovision 2026 and we have a lot of news to get caught up on. We're heading to Vienna in May and planning for the national final season is underway. We also review Austria's CV at Eurovision.

        Welcome to Austria Summary
        • Willkommen in Wien (0:49)
        • National Final Updates: Austria, Germany, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, Ukraine (4:40)
        • Coming up: Eurovision's Rebranding and the Intervision Song Contest (11:14)
        • Austria at Eurovision (13:29)
        • Eurovision Asia J/K (22:17)
        • Subscribe

          The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

          Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

          Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

          If you would like to help financially support the show, we are hosting the EuroWhat AV Club over on Patreon! We have a slew of bonus episodes with deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics.

          Eurovision Podcast Podcrawl

          What is the Eurovision Podcrawl? It's where the Eurovision podcast community picks a topic ("a year when a country first hosted Eurovision") and we all publish our episodes in our own styles. At the end of an episode, we'll point to the podcast with the next episode, and so on, through the summer! Here's the crawl:

          • ESC Insight: France 1959
          • Wind Machine Podcast: Austria 1967
          • The EuroWhat? Podcast: Yugoslavia 1990
          • Niall Points: Latvia 2003
          • 12 Points from America: Belgium 1987
          • That Eurovision Site: Denmark 1964
          • Douze Points: Azerbaijan 2012
          • Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

            Links:

            • 🇸🇮 Slovenia: Official RTVSLO Statement on Participation Plans for Eurovision Song Contest 2026 - Eurovoix
          • Pig butchering - how to spot and report the scam - DFPI
          • 25 min
          • Episode 277: Nice

            As we wrap up our 8th season and Eurovision's 69th (nice) edition, we take a rapid fire tour of the Contest up to this point while trying to find something nice or interesting to say about each year. Content warning: goofiness.

            Subscribe

            The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

            Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

            Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

            If you would like to help financially support the show, we are hosting the EuroWhat AV Club over on Patreon! We have a slew of bonus episodes with deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics.

            Eurovision Podcast Podcrawl

            What is the Eurovision Podcrawl? It's where the Eurovision podcast community picks a topic ("a year when a country first hosted Eurovision") and we all publish our episodes in our own styles. At the end of an episode, we'll point to the podcast with the next episode, and so on, through the summer! Here's the crawl:

            • ESC Insight: France 1959
            • Wind Machine Podcast: Austria 1967
            • The EuroWhat? Podcast: Yugoslavia 1990
            • Niall Points: Latvia 2003
            • 12 Points from America: Belgium 1987
            • That Eurovision Site: Denmark 1964
            • Douze Points: Azerbaijan 2012 (week of September 8)
            • Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

              20 min
            • Episode 276: Lingua Franca

              The Grand Final of the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest featured 21 songs with non-English lyrics, the most to appear since the language rule was abolished in 1999. In this episode, we'll explore the history of the language rule and why language diversity has returned to the Contest.

              Lingua Franca Summary
              • The introduction of the Language Rule at Eurovision (4:17)
              • The End of the Language Rule (17:17)
              • What may be contributing to language diversity at Eurovision? (27:29)
              • Subscribe

                The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

                Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

                Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

                If you would like to help financially support the show, we are hosting the EuroWhat AV Club over on Patreon! We have a slew of bonus episodes with deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics.

                Eurovision Podcast Podcrawl

                What is the Eurovision Podcrawl? It's where the Eurovision podcast community picks a topic ("a year when a country first hosted Eurovision") and we all publish our episodes in our own styles. At the end of an episode, we'll point to the podcast with the next episode, and so on, through the summer! Here's the crawl:

                • ESC Insight: France 1959
                • Wind Machine Podcast: Austria 1967
                • The EuroWhat? Podcast: Yugoslavia 1990
                • Niall Points: Latvia 2003
                • 12 Points from America: Belgium 1987
                • That Eurovision Site: Denmark 1964 (week of August 25)
                • Douze Points: Azerbaijan 2012 (week of September 8)
                • Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

                  Links:

                  • 276 Lingua Franca Playlist - YouTube
                • Episode 59: 12 Angry Points
                • Episode 209: Millstreet
                • IDEA åk Sverden: DEKØDER Instructions
                • 38 min
                • Episode 275: Good to Go

                  Quite a bit has happened since we last checked in on Eurovision news. Executive Supervisor Martin Österdahl will be stepping down, there's a new head of the Reference Group, and we know which cities have made bids to host next year's competition.

                  Good to Go Summary
                  • Eurovision Host City: Innsbruck vs Vienna (1:00)
                  • Martin Österdahl Steps Down (4:48)
                  • Have you joined the Eurowhat AV Club? (10:43)
                  • 17 Participants so far for Eurovision 2026 (11:59)
                  • Eurovision YouTube: Non, Stop Hits (and Geoblock?) (21:17)
                  • Subscribe

                    The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

                    Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

                    Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

                    If you would like to help financially support the show, we are hosting the EuroWhat AV Club over on Patreon! We have a slew of bonus episodes with deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics.

                    Eurovision Podcast Podcrawl

                    What is the Eurovision Podcrawl? It's where the Eurovision podcast community picks a topic ("a year when a country first hosted Eurovision") and we all publish our episodes in our own styles. At the end of an episode, we'll point to the podcast with the next episode, and so on, through the summer! Here's the crawl:

                    • ESC Insight: France 1959
                    • Wind Machine Podcast: Austria 1967
                    • The EuroWhat? Podcast: Yugoslavia 1990
                    • Niall Points: Latvia 2003
                    • 12 Points from America: Belgium 1987 (week of August 11)
                    • That Eurovision Site: Denmark 1964 (week of August 25)
                    • Douze Points: Azerbaijan 2012 (week of September 8)
                    • Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

                      Links:

                      • ESC 2026 - Innsbruck vs Vienna: our analysis of the bids | ESC Xtra
                    • “Together on Top”: Innsbruck applies for Eurovision Song Contest 2026 - VIENNA.AT
                    • Bid for the ESC: Vienna wants to become the host city | Wien Uncovered
                    • Martin Österdahl to step down as Executive Supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest this summer | Eurovision.tv
                    • Bill proposal to privatize Kan passed ministerial committee | The Jerusalem Post
                    • The chairman of the board says the moment of truth has arrived for Eurovision | Vísir
                    • 24 min
                    • Episode 274: Yugoslavia 1990

                      1990 was the European Year of Tourism. The map of Europe was also changing, as the fall of the Berlin Wall and the movement toward what would become the European Union started to redefine the concept of borders. We’ll be taking a look at how the 1990 Contest in Yugoslavia reflected this new era in Europe, as well as how the 2025 Contest mirrors those reflections 35 years later.

                      Yugoslavia 1990 Summary
                      • #EurovisionAgain, again (1:55)
                      • A Brief History of Mascots and Postcards (4:14)
                      • The European Year of Tourism (10:20)
                      • How Yugoslavia Handled Tourism (15:21)
                      • Yugoslavia at Eurovision (18:53)
                      • The Year between Lausanne and Zagreb (22:47)
                      • The 1990 Eurovision Song Contest (28:12)
                      • After the Year(s) of Tourism (43:43)
                      • Subscribe

                        The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

                        Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

                        Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

                        If you would like to help financially support the show, we are hosting the EuroWhat AV Club over on Patreon! We have a slew of bonus episodes with deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics.

                        Eurovision Podcast Podcrawl

                        What is the Eurovision Podcrawl? It's where the Eurovision podcast community picks a topic ("a year when a country first hosted Eurovision") and we all publish our episodes in our own styles. At the end of an episode, we'll point to the podcast with the next episode, and so on, through the summer! Here's the crawl:

                        • ESC Insight: France 1959
                        • Wind Machine Podcast: Austria 1967
                        • The EuroWhat? Podcast: Yugoslavia 1990 (hey, that's this one!)
                        • Niall Points: Latvia 2003 (week of July 28)
                        • 12 Points from America: Belgium 1987 (week of August 11)
                        • That Eurovision Site: Denmark 1964 (week of August 25)
                        • Douze Points: Azerbaijan 2012 (week of September 8)
                        • Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

                          Links:

                          • How Do You See the World? experience - Christian Science
                        • Globe Museum - Atlas Obscura
                        • 1990, European Tourism Year | Commission of the European Communities
                        • The Role of Tourism in the Yugoslav Economy | CIA Reading Room
                        • Yugoslavia state tourism and how it affects your holidays today | High 50 Travel
                        • David Hasselhoff - Looking For Freedom (ZDF Sylvester Trümpfe 31.12.1989) - YouTube
                        • Protesters against overtourism take to the streets of southern Europe | Reuters
                        • Here's What You Need to Know About Overtourism in Europe
                        • See Amsterdam's newest campaign urging drunken British tourists to 'stay away' | Euronews
                        • 53 min
                        • Episode 273: Fan Media Roundtable

                          Eurovision has a unique ecosystem where the EBU and various blogs, podcasts, video channel, and other fans have a work relationship in covering the Contest. But is that relationship working? We discuss the current state of fan media with dudepoints, Niall from niallpoints, and Derek from 12 Points (all with good points).

                          Fan Media Summary
                          • How was your venue covering Eurovision 2025? (4:23)
                          • What is the distinction between fan media and "real" media? (11:27)
                          • The EBU / Fan Media Ecosystem (17:18)
                          • How does fan media view fan media? (23:44)
                          • What are you looking forward to in 2026? (46:54)
                          • The Eurovision Pod Crawl and other plugs (52:45)
                          • _Cover photo by Fernando Lavin on Unsplash

                            _

                            Subscribe

                            The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

                            Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

                            Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

                            If you would like to help financially support the show, we are hosting the EuroWhat AV Club over on Patreon! We have a slew of bonus episodes with deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics.

                            Eurovision Podcast Podcrawl

                            What is the Eurovision Podcrawl? It's where the Eurovision podcast community picks a topic ("a year when a country first hosted Eurovision") and we all publish our episodes in our own styles. At the end of an episode, we'll point to the podcast with the next episode, and so on, through the summer! Here's the crawl:

                            • ESC Insight: France 1959
                            • Wind Machine Podcast: Austria 1967
                            • The EuroWhat? Podcast: Yugoslavia 1990 (week of July 14)
                            • Niall Points: Latvia 2003 (week of July 28)
                            • 12 Points from America: Belgium 1987 (week of August 11)
                            • That Eurovision Site: Denmark 1964 (week of August 25)
                            • Douze Points: Azerbaijan 2012 (week of September 8)
                            • Special Guests: 12 Points from America, Dude Points, and Niall Fulton.

                              Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

                              Links:

                              • It's pronounced "dood-pwah", brah!
                            • niallpoints
                            • ESC Insight | Home of the Unofficial Eurovision Song Contest Podcast
                            • 12 Points from America – A Eurovision Podcast – from America!
                            • The Eurovision Pod Crawl | Linktree
                            • 56 min
                            • Episode 272: I Am: Celine Dion

                              We are opening the Patreon vault to share our discussion of Amazon's 2024 documentary I Am: Celine Dion, which chronicles the singer's rise to fame, her prolific career, and her struggles with Stiff Person Syndrome. Here's Amazon's description of the film:

                              Directed by Academy Award nominee Irene Taylor, I Am: Celine Dion gives us a raw and honest behind-the-scenes look at the iconic superstar’s struggle with a life-altering illness. Serving as a love letter to her fans, this inspirational documentary highlights the music that has guided her life while also showcasing the resilience of the human spirit._

                              If you were wondering why Celine was not able to make an in-person appearance in Basel, this documentary does a fantastic job of explaining why that was the case.

                              I Am: Celine Dion Summary
                              • What is I Am: Celine Dion about? (2:29)
                              • Who is this movie for? (9:38)
                              • Would you recommend this movie? (16:58)
                              • Subscribe

                                The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

                                Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

                                Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

                                If you would like to help financially support the show, we are hosting the EuroWhat AV Club over on Patreon! We have a slew of bonus episodes with deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics.

                                Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

                                Links:

                                • The Eurovision Pod Crawl | Linktree
                              • I Am: Celine Dion | Prime Video
                              • Aline | Prime Video
                              • Celine Dion Is Amazing | Rich Juzwiak
                              • 25 min
                              • Episode 271: Integrity

                                We ease into the off-season by getting caught up on the news in the immediate aftermath of the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest. We also dig into the jury and televote results and try to read the tea leaves for what might happen in Austria 2026.

                                Integrity Summary
                                • Is Everyone Still Mad at the EBU Season 2 Renewal (0:55)
                                • Eurovision 2025 Ratings (10:26)
                                • Patreon: Doctor Who and Gambamark (13:21)
                                • Eurovision 2025 Results Data Dive (15:00)
                                • Subscribe

                                  The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

                                  Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

                                  Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

                                  If you would like to help financially support the show, we are hosting the EuroWhat AV Club over on Patreon! We have a slew of bonus episodes with deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics.

                                  Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

                                  Links:

                                  • Israeli government agency paid for adverts targeting Eurovision Song Contest public vote
                                • Open Letter to ESC Community from Martin Green CBE
                                • Letter from MEPs to EBU
                                • JJ, ganador de Eurovisión 2025: “Ojalá el año que viene el festival se celebre en Viena y sin Israel” | Televisión | EL PAÍS
                                • Vital statistics: Eurovision 2025's record-breaking reach
                                • 28 min
                                • Episode 270: Bird Noises

                                  We have a winner! Eurovision Song Contest 2025 held its Grand Final in Basel, Switzerland and named a champion after tense rounds of juries and televoting. We discuss the show, the results, and what's in store for Eurovision 2026…

                                  Bird Noises Summary
                                  • Austria wins the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest (1:18)
                                  • What did you think of the Grand Final? (5:23)
                                  • How were the Interval Acts? (12:20)
                                  • What does Eurovision (and the EBU) look like for 2026? (15:43)
                                  • Eurowhat Off-Season Mode (18:55)
                                  • Subscribe

                                    The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

                                    Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

                                    Basel 2025

                                    Keep up with Eurovision selection season on our Basel 2025 page! We have a calendar with links to livestreams, details about entries as their selected, plus our Spotify playlists with every song we can find that is trying to get the Eurovision stage.

                                    Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

                                    If you would like to help financially support the show, we are hosting the EuroWhat AV Club over on Patreon! We have a slew of bonus episodes with deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics.

                                    Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

                                    22 min

                                  About The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

                                  From the publisher's feed

                                  The Eurowhat? Podcast launched in 2018 and features two Americans (Ben Smith and Mike McComb) attempting to make sense of the Eurovision Song Contest. The show tracks national selections and artist…

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