The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

Iceland's television broadcaster RUV turns 60 this year and 2026 is also their 40th anniversary of entering Eurovision. We take a look at why it took 20 years for Iceland to join the party, how the country helped push the Contest into a more modern mode, and why they won't be in Vienna this year.

Icy Reception Summary

• History of Iceland Speedrun Any% (4:51)
• 1986: Iceland Joins Eurovision (19:38)
• Ice...

Boycotts, jury overhauls, technological shifts, major protests, religious and political violence, hot pants... Ireland had a lot to deal with when it hosted Eurovision for the first time in 1971.

All Kinds of Everything Summary

• Ireland at Eurovision (0:39)
• The State of Eurovison 1970-1971 (4:33)
• RTE presenting Eurovision in Color (13:53)
• Protests and Politics (22:29)
• Wrapping Up (35:43)

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Romania returns from its Eurovision hiatus this year, hopefully with some things figured out. We review the country's history at the Contest, its qualification troubles, and how their strategy at the contest may be high risk, high reward.

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The semi-final era has not been kind to Poland. Though the country has done okay at Eurovision the last few years, they haven’t reached the heights of their debut entry in 1994. We’ll be doing a deep dive on what worked 30+ years ago and identify where Poland may secretly have its finger on the pulse of what does well at the Contest.

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Finland's UMK is one of the premiere selection shows each Eurovision season, but it didn't start out that way. We explore the evolution of the format and how YLE continues to make the program must see TV.

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Lithuania isn't exactly a Eurovision powerhouse, but their lengthy selection processes have been showcases for the country's music industry. We take a look at the Baltic nation and how their approach to the Contest may be serving a different purpose than competition.

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Croatia is very specific about how it chooses to represent itself on the Eurovision stage. We take a look at the country's history at the Contest via its long-running national selection format Dora.

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Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an em...

Hey “Everybody”! Estonia and Latvia were the first two new countries to win Eurovision after the EBU expanded its membership in 1993. As we get ready for the Eesti Laul and Supernova selection processes, “I Wanna” take a look at the Contest history of these two Baltic nations.

Baltic Buddies Summary

• Estonia at Eurovision (1:03)
• Join the EuroWhat? AV Club (17:34)
• Latvia at Eurovision (18:45)

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Bulgaria returns to Eurovision following a three-year absence. We take a look at the country's history at the Contest: a rough start in its initial tenure, a renaissance after its first hiatus, and looking ahead to how Bulgaria's next tenure may go.

Rough Summary

• Selection Season So Far: Moldova, Malta, Luxembourg, Georgia, Israel, Switzerland (0:40)
• Join the EuroWhat? AV Club (4:29)
• Bulgaria's ...

Luxembourg returned to Eurovision in 2024 after a 30-year hiatus. When they left the Contest, they were tied with Ireland and France in having won the most times at 5 wins apiece. We’ll explore Luxembourg’s incredible run and see how they’ve adapted to the modern era as we preview the third edition of the Luxembourg Song Contest.

Bad Lucksembourg Summary

• Luxembourg Stats at Eurovision (1:20)
• Luxembourg Host...

Moldova has returned to Eurovision after a one-year break and has selected 16 songs to compete for a trip to Vienna in May. Malta has also streamlined their process a bit and will select their entrant from among 18 hopefuls. We’ll take a look at the history of these two countries and preview the selections that will be taking place on Saturday, January 17.

Folklore & Rock & Roll Summary

• End of 2025 ...

How do fans cope when the object of their fandom becomes problematic? Dr. Zoë Jay returns to the show to share insights from her research within the Eurovision community about this topic through the Eurovisionaries project. We also discuss ideas for fans who may be approaching 2026 with the mindset of new year, new me, new special interest.

Dr. Zoë Jay

Dr Zoë Jay is a researcher in international politics at the ...

With the passage of the EBU's new Eurovision rules, Israel will be in Vienna while the Netherlands, Spain, Slovenia, Ireland, and Iceland have withdrawn from the Contest. We’ll be discussing the fallout from the decision and figuring out how we’ll be navigating 2026...

Kerflooey Summary

• What happened at the EBU General Assembly Meeting (1:11)
• What is happening after the Eurovision vote? (19:16)
• What wil...

Over-the-top costumes, silly phrases twisted to make catchy hooks, and a backdrop that is not always taken seriously can cause a lot of Eurovision hopefuls to be lumped (or perhaps dismissed) into the category of “joke entries.” We’ll explore some examples and try to “get it” in terms of what might be happening under the hood of these songs. Chris Molanphy from Slate’s Hit Parade will join us to help with analyzing the nov...

Australia first competed at Eurovision when Austria hosted the 60th Edition of the Contest in 2015. As we approach the 70th Edition (also hosted by Austria), let’s explore Australia’s history with the ESC and do a pulse check on how the country is doing in the competition.

Down Under Summary

• Australian Artists at Eurovision: The New Seekers, Olivia Newton-John, Gina G (2:47)
• Why is Australia so into Eurovis...

It was a busy October in Eurovision Land: The EBU unscheduled an extraordinary member session, two countries announced their return to the Contest, and several national selections are getting their ducks in a row. We get caught up on the headlines as Eurovision 2026 starts to take shape.

Momentum Summary

• EBU cancels "extraordinary session" (1:32)
• Bulgaria and Romania return to Eurovision (3:21)
• Ge...

The European Broadcasting Union has postponed its plan to hold a membership vote to decide if Israel’s broadcaster KAN will be allowed to compete in next year’s Eurovision. While it remains unclear if the vote will still happen, it doesn’t fully resolve how the EBU got to this point in the first place. We’ll take a closer look at other times the EBU’s non-political stance has been tested and see what lessons can be applied...

Käärijä, Joost, Baby Lasagana, Tommy Cash... we've used the term "Weird Little Dudes" to describe these contestants from the last few editions of Eurovision. Something else they have in common: all were favorites to win and did extremely well in the televote. We attempt to define the term and try to identify what other Eurovision contestants may fall into this category.

Weird Little Dudes Summary

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)
• T...