Since the EBU announced that it has cancelled Eurovision 2020, various broadcasters have expressed their opinions about the situation, most expressing sadness and regret, some looking ahead to 2021. Now the Director-General of San Marino‘s broadcaster SMRTV has issued a statement, strongly criticising the decision to cancel Eurovision 2020.
Carlo Romeo, the Director-General of San Marino’s national broadcaster SMRTV has issued a statement, expressing his displeasure with the EBU’s decision to call off the 2020 contest.
In the statement, the Sammarinese broadcaster shares the channel’s dissatisfaction with the EBU’s decision to cancel the Eurovision Song Contest for 2020. His prefered outcome would be to postpone the 2020 edition to either some time in the autumn or to the usual time in May 2021.
Romeo writes of the potential to have Eurovision open the television schedule for the 2020-2021 season, sending a strong signal through the “international language of music”. Romeo also stresses the importance of taking health precautions for such an event.
The EBU’s take on matters
However, the European Broadcasting Union has explained in a Frequently Asked Questions section why postponing the contest was not possible. The EBU wrote:
“The current situation across Europe is likely to remain uncertain for the coming months and at this stage we cannot guarantee we would be able to stage an event of this size with this many stakeholders later this year. A Contest later in the year would also reduce the amount of time the winning broadcaster would have to prepare for the following year’s competition.”
The EBU has not, however, confirmed if broadcasters will be able to keep their Eurovision 2020 songs for 2021. Ordinarily, songs cannot have been released prior to 1 September in the year before the contest. The EBU says this possibility will be “discussed with the Reference Group and the participating broadcasters and a decision will be communicated later.”
Other broadcasters have expressed an interest in using their Eurovision 2020 songs in the next edition of the contest, while others are already looking ahead to their 2021 national selection process.
Carlo Romeo’s statement regarding the cancellation of Eurovision 2020
“Carlo Romeo: Postponement yes, cancellation no
“Quite right – obviously – the decision by Eurovision 2020 to cancel the date of mid-May but as a broadcaster, and I am sure I am not the only one, it would certainly have been more logical not a total cancellation of the event but, as happened for the Europeans, a postponement to autumn 2020 or directly to 2021. It would be the choice of common sense that would avoid predictable aftermath between courts and media with potential class action or single actions by all the parties concerned, not least the artists themselves and Eurovision fans Postponing everything to the end of September or the beginning of October – without prejudice to health security, an absolute priority for all – would also give the possibility to all State radio and television stations to open their 2020-2021 schedules with Eurovision 2020, giving a significant and strong signal of taken up through the international language of music .”
San Marino’s history of complaints
This is not the first time Romeo has spoken out on behalf of SMRTV.
In 2016, he issued a statement complaining about the new Eurovision voting system, which gave San Marino a fake “televote” as the microstate was unable to support a real televote.
Later that year, Romeo contemplated taking legal action against either the EBU or 2016 host broadcaster SVT after Serhat was denied the ability to use holograms as part of his staging. Also in 2016, Romeo proposed a new televote system for San Marino, which would use a “people’s jury” in place of the traditional televote.
Following Eurovision 2017, Romeo teased a potential withdrawal from Eurovision, saying “There is no place for micro-states in the Eurovision Song Contest.” In the same year, San Marino again protested the fake televote, this time complaining that San Marino had only given three points to the Italian act — and big fan favourite — Francesco Gabbani.
San Marino had been due to compete at Eurovision 2020 with the Italian singer Senhit performing the disco song “Freaky!”.
What do you think? Should the EBU have postponed Eurovision 2020 instead of cancelling it? Would you like to see Senhit compete in the next contest? Tell us your thoughts below.
Didn’t you see, San Marino have even already created the official graphics for ESC 2021 in San Marino? They were ready to host not only in time the next year, but even earlier. So of course they don’t see any problem in postponing. The problem is… it would mean they should win.
There’s so many options from Waiting to Postponing to Satellite. EBU we all understand health is number one priority, but won’t it be easier with postponing? or doing Satellite on your own country stage? even without audience, heck even can add fake applause after finished song lmao. In this hard time people need competition like Eurovision even if it’s only televote without any Jury we all wanna have fun, celebrate, excitment who would win. Think about us and participants we all waiting a year for this and the artists are waiting many years for this one in a lifetime chance… Read more »
I’m sure they have considered all the options. It’s not as easy as you think it is.
Finally someone said something. It was really a stupid decision and a lot of time from the artists and the producers of the songs etc got completely wasted. They could’ve easily held the event remotely. I don’t see any reason they couldn’t do so.
This is going to be my first birthday without the Eurovision as I was born on May 15. Really sad. Usually I celebrate my birthday with a bunch of friends + family watching the ESC as the contest happens to be on every weekend of my birthday week. Even worse, I’m not sure if celebrating birthday will be much an option by the time May will come. Oh well, let the karma follow those who ruined my two biggest celebrations by releasing a virus, you sow what you reap.
I think we could have Eurovision 2020 in September or October. Or at least try. No need of spending a lot of money. Probably a more simple and less flashy Eurovision but all artists coming together and music uniting us.
why not in september or october?!!!
I didn’t know ESC was an outdoor event. Postponing would not mean that the show would take place in Rotterdam. The better solution was to schedule a remote show this autumn with the songs chosen this year. And not let the winning country host but stlll Rotterdam for 2021. If some would think that the artists would be denied to compete on a real ESC stage nothing is preventing the countries to send back the same artist with a new song in Rotterdam 2021 like it will happen anyway now. We just wanted to know what song and country would… Read more »
We should ignore that next year the competition was organized by the winning country and decide already the host will be next year.
Here’s what I’m going to say: Obviously I’m as sad and upset as everyone else. But strangely enough, I’m not as broken up as I thought I’d be when I realized this was probably going to happen. The last few days have been putting a lot of things into perspective for me. I would rather have everyone be safe and sound than put them at risk at any point in the year. It’ll be a bummer when May comes around, but to me, Eurovision is just as much about the community as it is about the contest itself. Eurovision has… Read more »
Even San Marino is against their own fake televote. The EBU is disgustingly unfair.
Make Eurovision 2020 in october or november and Eurovision 2021 in august. Plenty of time for preparations
They made Ukraine 2017 in just a few monts after that mess and crisis. Time would not a problem wanna think.
And if we had a more simple and less flashy/expensive Eurovision would be fine as well.
they definitely decided to cancel it bc they didn’t want to risk losing any money, the rest are excuses. safe and lazy choice.
The man is right! Hold it after all passes, and it will pass soon!
Most experts has said the epidemic will pass at the end of May so a postponement was the right thing
#Iamwithhim
Sometimes it feels like meant to be broken ….
Without doubt the artists won’t be able to use their current songs. I just cross my fingers we still get the official album.
people saying if artists sing the same song next year they would be boring, but people still enjoy listening to Lordi and Euphoria right? Those songs are muchhhhh older, so i really hope that some can sings the same song ;(
For many countries with NF, it won’t even be the same artist. For NF such as Melodifestivalen, Sanremo and Festivali i Kenges there will be a new winner that deserves to get his moment in Eurovision 2021 as well.
When will people learn that Sanremo is NOT a national final. It is it’s own song contest. Sanremo has been going on for around 70 years, even before they came back to Eurovision. Raphael Guallazi, Nina Zilli and Emma were not Sanremo winners when they represented Italy at the Eurovision. And I think that Festivali i Kenges falls into that category as well, but I am not sure about it.
Just because it’s primary purpose is something else doesn’t mean it’s not also a national final.
I think flexibility is the answer to that problem. Every country should have the right to send the same song from 2020 if they want to but not force every country do it. I think it would be something new and interesting to see participations from 2020 mixed with participations from 2021 competing with each other.
Either way every year new songs try to copy the previous ones. So what is the problem instead of sending on fire 2.0 or alcohol you 2.0 to send the original? 😉
He is right, As far as way know
According to the optimistic views by some doctors and Nobel prize winners
Corona might “end” until the middle of June or even before.
If they will to be right, the cancellation is really the wrong decision
As far as we may know, he could be wrong and as we’re talking about people’s health, it’s not really worth the risk, is it?
This is exactly why he think that postpone is better option.
If things will be better, all return to normal
If not then they can cancel
EBU will have more time to assess the situation
I would love to see Eurobision later this year… but I don’t know if it would be the right decission…
Jesc in Poland
Hmm… The country with most infected by covid-19 per capita thinks a short postponement to autumn would be suitable…. I guess music comes before people
Yeah, talking about irresponsibility.
Stop acting as if Corona is the Bubonic Plague. It’s not certain death. It’s going to pass sometimes, predicted end of May, beginning of June.