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.
Photo by Filip Mishevski on Unsplash
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.
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 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 going forward.
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.
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:
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.
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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
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:
Special Guest: Justin Ladia.
Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews
Links:
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.
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.
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.
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:
Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews
Links:
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.
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.
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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
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:
Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews
Links:
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.
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.
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.
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:
Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews
Links:
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.
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.
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.
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:
Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews
Links:
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).
_Cover photo by Fernando Lavin on Unsplash
_
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.
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.
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:
Special Guests: 12 Points from America, Dude Points, and Niall Fulton.
Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews
Links:
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.
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.
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:
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.
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.
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:
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…
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.
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.
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.
Twenty songs have emerged from the Eurovision 2025 Semifinals and will join six auto-qualifiers on Saturday. We recap the shows from Tuesday and Thursday and get ready for the Grand Final.
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.
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.
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:
Eurovision Week for 2025 is upon us as well as the 37 artists gathered in Basel. We get caught up on the news leading up to this week before discussing the rehearsals and our predictions for who will advance to Saturday's Grand Final.
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.
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.
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:
Graphic designer and puzzler Justin Ladia returns to discuss the Eurovision 2025 auto-qualifiers: Spain, Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, and host country Switzerland.
Graphic designer, puzzle person, and kendo practitioner from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
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.
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.
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.
Special Guest: Justin Ladia.
Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews
Links:
Ned Raggett joins us to close out our coverage of the second semi-final for Eurovision 2025. This week, we approach the entries from Australia, Serbia, Denmark, Austria, Israel, and Georgia.
Ned Raggett writes a lot, is a denizen of social media, and more things besides. He has written for Pitchfork, the Guardian, The Quietus, Rolling Stone, The Wire, Shfl, Bandcamp Daily, Freaky Trigger, OC Weekly, Nashville Scene, Seattle Weekly, SF Weekly, SF Chronicle, KQED Arts, Vice, Careless Talk Costs Lives, Plan B, Loose Lips Sink Ships, FACT, Red Bull Music Academy, Fake Jazz and probably more than a few things that keep slipping his mind.
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.
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.
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.
Special Guest: Ned Raggett.
Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews
Links:
Critic and educator Maura Johnston joins us again to chat about the Eurovision entries from Finland, Latvia, Malta, Lithuania, and Armenia.
Maura Johnston is a writer and editor who teaches at Boston College. She lives in Allston Rock City with her cat, Nuno. Her favorite Eurovision song of recent years is Margaret Berger's "I Feed You My Love."
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.
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.
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.
Special Guest: Maura Johnston.
Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews
Links:
Music journalist Fred Bronson returns to start our conversations about Eurovision 2025 Semi-Final 2. We discuss Montenegro, Luxembourg, Greece, Czechia, and Ireland, plus some delightful stories about long distance friendships and phone calls.
Fred Bronson is the author of seven books: Rockin' the Kremlin with David Junk, The Jacksons Legacy (with the Jacksons), Dick Clark’s American Bandstand (with Dick Clark), The Sound of Music Family Scrapbook, The Billboard Book of Number One Hits, Billboard’s Hottest Hot 100 Hits and The Billboard Book of Number One Rhythm & Blues Hits (with Adam White).
Bronson has written the annual television specials The American Music Awards and Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve. His other credits include two episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation and an episode of the animated Star Trek series.
For SiriusXM Radio, he has interviewed Paul McCartney, Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus from ABBA and created "Smokey's Place," a series for Smokey Robinson's Smokey's Soul Town channel where the legendary artist recalls his Motown memories and plays Motown favorites.
He is a long-term contributor to Billboard, covering the Eurovision Song Contest and American Idol among many other topics.
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.
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.
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.
Special Guest: Fred Bronson.
Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews
Links:
Culture critic Euny Hong joins us to discuss the multiple genres represented by Croatia, Sweden, San Marino, Portugal, and Cyprus at this year's Eurovision.
Euny Hong is a journalist and bestselling author of three books that have been published in a total of over 20 languages. The Birth of Korean Cool: How One Nation is Conquering the World Through Pop Culture, an Amazon Editor’s Pick, is being re-released in April 2025. A Yale grad and former Fulbright Scholar, Frankfurter, and Berliner, she lived in Paris longer than any other city. She is a native-level bilingual in French-English and fluent in German and Korean.
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.
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.
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.
Special Guest: Euny Hong.
Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews
Links: