NORWAY – Jon Ola Sand will return to his native Norway to begin a new role at the head office of public broadcaster NRK, overseeing their new strategy to create a powerful, innovative and forward-looking organization.
NRK have expressed their excitement to have Jon Ola home. NRK DG Thor Gjermund Eriksen said:
“It is brilliant that Jon Ola is coming home. With his background and vast experience, he will help develop NRK as a public broadcaster and production house and prepare us to move into our brand new home.”
While EBU praises his work the past ten years for the Eurovision Song Contest some of us will not miss him. Lots of backstage interventions, lack of taking responsibility (reminding the 2013 and 2015 scandals), unrevealed court cases with ethical-questioned background…
HIS ACHIEVEMENTS
Over the last 10 years, Eurovision has undergone growth in many areas, most notably in terms of its technological advancements and presence online. Over the last decade, Jon Ola helped the Eurovision Song Contest develop with the times, opening up to a younger audience with the introduction of the Contest’s app and official YouTube channel.
The Contest also proved its growing connection around the world, adding Australia to its roster of participating countries. Regarding their addition, Jon Ola said:
“Australia adds flavour, diversity,” he offers. “And (Australia) has sent consistently really good acts (to the contest). Australia’s passion for Eurovision, incredible history with the contest and its high fan base (make) it logical to be included.”
The way the running orders of the live shows are arranged also changed in the last decade. In 2013, it was decided that show producer and the EBU would decide the order of performances after a random draw selected which country will be showcased in which semi-final.
A few years later, in 2016, we saw another change to the way the voting results were delivered in the show format. Over the last handful of years, the jury vote has been entirely separate to the viewer televote. The jury points are announced first and the televote-awarded points are then calculated together before being added to the jury points.
“The way we present the voting – by splitting the jury and public vote – this creates much, much more excitement,” Jon Ola said of this change.
