This year SBS have committed to showing the semi-final and final, as well as a mini-series of preview shows that showcase all 36 entries. All this coverage should be great news to Eurovision Song Contest enthusiasts. But some fans are not happy. Is there a problem?

The Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) in Australia has shown the Eurovision Song Contest the last several years, about 12 hours after the live broadcast (otherwise it would be on in the middle of the night). Australia�s not in Europe, nor did everyone�s ancestors come from Europe, but Australians love their Eurovision. Large ex-pat communities (British, Irish, Turkish, Greek�and so many others) and a general appreciation for things European make the contest very popular�so popular that SBS created a mini-series featuring all the preview videos. Each night last week portions of several videos were shown. A panel discussion followed each clip, with the panellist and host (Des Mangan) selecting a favourite. Panellists included politicians, news readers, entertainers and other celebrities.

The reaction has been very mixed � as evidenced in both the esctoday.com and SBS discussion boards. For purists, the general tone of the preview panels has been perceived to be mocking and disrespectful. Very few of the panellists seemed to like Eurovision, let alone any of the songs. Des Mangan, while claiming to love the contest, seemed to rather critical as well. Others think the coverage has been great and very Australian: cutting and sarcastic, but not mean-spirited.

Also at issue is who should give to commentary � if anyone. Two years ago SBS used an Australian commentator, after several years using Terry Wogan�s feed from the BBC. The negative response was so great that last year Wogan�s feed was shown first, with a local commentary � given by Des Mangan � a week later. This year it�s all Des. While many Australians are British or have lived in the UK (and strongly associate Wogan with Eurovision), many others feel the commentator should be an Aussie. Some think no commentary would be best�let the show (and music) speak for itself.

Who�s right? Both sides, of course. Few would argue that the Eurovision Song Contest is a solemn event: the range in style (and quality) of performances is part of the charm. But seeing the fun in something, and making fun of it � particularly with a lack of affection � is also bad. Much of this is new to SBS, and hopefully next year�s mini-series of previews will be better. If SBS needs to adapt things for next year, fans need to allow that process to happen.