The European Broadcasting Union has today announced the new Head of the Reference Group for the Eurovision Song Contest.
Bakel Walden has been announced as the Chair of the Eurovision Song Contest Reference taking over from Dr Frank-Dieter Freiling who has stepped down after 13 years. Mr Walden was elected by the EBU’s Television Committee into the role and will now oversee the body which oversees the planning and changes to the Eurovision Song Contest.
Mr Walden is currently the Director of Development and Offering at the Swiss EBU member SSR SRG. He has previously worked at a variety of broadcasters across Europe including RTL, Alpha TV, and SRF. SSR SRG is the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation and oversees and operates SRF, RTS, RSI and RTR as well as their associated radio stations.
He said in a statement to the EBU that:
“I am honoured to have been chosen as the new Chair of the Eurovision Song Contest Reference Group. The Eurovision Song Contest is an iconic event that has been bringing people together for nearly seven decades, and I am excited to join the group at a time when the Contest has never been more popular and impactful. I look forward to working with the Reference Group’s members and stakeholders to advance and expand this unique event in an increasingly digital media landscape, while ensuring that the competition continues to be a celebration of music and diversity that unites the world.”
In addition to the announcement of the new Chair of the Reference Group, two new members of the group were announced: Ebba Adielsson (SVT) and Ana Maria Bordas (RTVE). While Sietse Bakker (NPO), Yuval Cohen (KAN), Astrid Dutrenit (NPO) and David Tserunyan (AMPTV) have all stepped down from the group or seen their term expire. The current list of members is:
- Ebba Adielsson (SVT, Sweden)
- Rachel Ashdown (BBC, United Kingdom)
- Felix Bergsson (RÚV, Iceland)
- Ana Maria Bordas (RTVE, Spain)
- Carla Bugalho (RTP, Portugal)
- Claudio Fasulo (RAI, Italy)
- Simona Martorelli (RAI, Italy)
- Alexandra Wolfslast (NDR, Germany)
- Martin Österdahl (EBU)
Image Source: EBU | Source: EBU
