Staging and engaging with media events: A study of the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest

Skey, Michael, Kyriakidou, Maria ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4053-5961, McCurdy, Patrick and Uldam, Julie 2016. Staging and engaging with media events: A study of the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest. International Journal of Communication 10 , pp. 3381-3399.

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Abstract

Recent work on media events has questioned their integrative function, arguing that they operate as sites of symbolic struggle between different interest groups. However, relatively few studies have examined the experiences of those who design, organize, and attend such events. This article addresses this lacuna with reference to the biggest nonsporting live TV event in the world, the Eurovision Song Contest. Drawing on data from the 2014 competition in Copenhagen, Denmark, it examines the varying levels of commitment to the event among organizers, fans, broadcasters, and journalists and, in particular, notes how this shaped responses to a controversial incident involving the Russian entry. While those with an ongoing interest, including organizers and fans, tended to emphasize personal narratives and individual freedom of expression, mainstream media and audiences adopted a far more cynical standpoint, privileging geopolitical issues to make the event seem more relevant and compelling.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Journalism, Media and Culture
Publisher:	USC Annenberg Press
ISSN:	1932-8306
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	4 June 2018
Last Modified:	05 May 2023 17:30
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/111183

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