Kjell Ekholm, the Finnish member of the EBU Eurovision reference group has been talking to the main Finnish Swedish language daily newspaper Hufvudstadsbladet (HBL). Ekholm is also the head of entertainment for the Swedish section of YLE. The three articles were published in the paper on the 15th July and 26th July. He tells openly about his ideas and worries for next years Eurovision Song Contest final in Helsinki.

On the cost

When Finland won in Athens it looked for a while like ESC 2007 could be arranged in Sweden or Estonia rather than in Finland. The reason was the cost of 13 million Euros. To host it is so expensive, that YLE can not manage it on their own, says Ekholm. But then the Finnish state stepped very quickly in. Amongst others, the prime minister Matti Vanhanen saw immediately the PR opportunity. Also Helsinki City will help financially. (It is reported that the Finnish government has reserved a sum of 4 million Euros for Eurovision in their first budget proposal presented on Thursday. Ed.)

“But we don’t have unlimited resources”, he says. ESC is not like the football World Cup where ticket revenue brings in fantastic amounts of money. The scene and the TV cameras take so much space, that there will be room for only 10 000 people in the Hartwall Areena. And even if the tickets will cost well over a hundred euros the ticket sales are still a small drop in the ocean. That is compensated by the fact that ESC is one of the oldest and most popular TV shows in the world. 100 million people in more than 40 countries will see the final on 12 May 2007.

YLE is experienced in big TV productions, especially in sports but this time they have not enough muscle of their own. YLE will do as the Greeks did and hire much of the expertise and the technology. Possibly it will be the same German company that looked after the stage, lighting and direction in Athens. In total will there be between 5000 and 6000 people involved in the arrangements.

But at least conditions are now better than before Lordi on one point: Lordi showed that ESC can increase record sales. The Finns also increased interest in the contest all over Europe. “This time around record companies are surely more eager to find good artists and songwriters.”

Kjell Ekholm, YLE

On the home entry

Two months into the mad summer after the winning frenzy and you would have thought that the search for the new Lordi would be on. Not so, says HBL. “Firstly there will be not another Lordi. Others might ape them but Finland will look for something else”, says Ekholm in the ESC headquarters. “Secondly, we have the probabilities against us. It is very unlikely to win twice in a row. The organizing country often ends up in the lower positions. That’s the bitter truth. The hosts have no time to think about the music. All our energies will go to think about the practical arrangements”, he says.

As HBL asks him where Finland will go from here, and whether YLE will be back to selecting a man with a flute (Vesa-Matti Loiri, ESC 1980. Ed.) Ekholm replies: “Maybe hip-hop or techno. I’d like to see the Finnish act Redrama in our national finals.”

On the theme and the hosts

HBL: ”Everything has to look good on TV. What message are we going to send to Europe, boring picture post cards like the Greeks?” “Some quirkiness. But we will have to strike a balance between wife carrying, swamp soccer, sauna competitions and everything else. The underlying theme could be the four seasons.”

The Finnish TV viewers have been doing some heavy lobbying for hosts for the ESC in 2007, says HBL. American chat show host Conan O’Brien has several petition lists doing the rounds, as has Thomas Lundin, a TV host at YLE’s Swedish section FST. (O’Brien has often referred to Finland on his NBC Show and he visited Finland last winter as part of his show Late Night with Conan O'Brien Ed.)

“That people are already so excited about the hosts shows what a great celebration it is going to be next year.” Kjell Ekholm has received so many suggestions, that he finds it easier to list the ones whose names have not come up. He won’t speculate, but tells that everybody from the Moomintroll to Lordi have been suggested.

“We are going to have to look at the bigger picture. Members of the public will base their opinions on what they have seen before, but they will not know what characteristich this show is goin g to have”, says Ekholm to HBL. “The demands for the hosts are very high. They will have to have good English and at least one of them must know French. They have to be able to include humour and wit to represent Finland and preferably have an Eurovision connection and some international fame. They will need previous experience in TV presenting. “We want to include some fun details, like when Lill Lindfors appeared to drop her dress in 1985, but nobody has been able to top that. Ekholm also says that the hosts do not need to be Finnish citizens, as long as they have a clear connection with Finland.

The most often mentioned names by the general public according to HBL include Mikko Leppilampi and Minna Haapkylä, Marco Bjurström and Irina Björklund, Peter Franzén, Axl Smith, Tarja Turunen and Maria Guzenina-Richardson, ranging from actors to popstars and well-known TV presenters. The current YLE Eurovision hosts and commentators Jaana Pelkonen and Heikki Paasonen have fans and haters in almost equal numbers.

YLE and EBU will start discussing the hosts in September. They are going to make a shortlist of candidates, maybe with the help of consults, and then to invite those who are free and willing to take part in an interview. The names will be announced in January.

On worries

Says Ekholm: “I worry that this is going to be expensive. And about everything that could go wrong. For four years ago in Kiev we landed in the middle of a revolution, even if everything worked out fine in the end. And in Athens we had problems with the transports. Which is remarkable, as the same transport worked fine during the Olympics in 2004. “ Also, “We have sky high expectations to live up to. Many people think it is nice to have ESC in Finland, as it is a country of high technology and buses and computers will work smoothly. Another thing bothering me is how we are going to better the tv spectacle (of Athens). That bit worries me.”

On winning

“On the pictures from the after party in Athens we saw Lordi go round with a bottle of whisky in the hand. How did you celebrate?” HBL asked Ekholm. “You could not get a beer at the after party so I went to back to my hotel and went to bed. The band was very well behaved during the whole trip. When we were due to fly back home the following day, the boys stood fresh faced in the hotel lobby at 8 am.”

Original articles in Swedish by Tommy Pohjola and Ingela West. Special thanks to Barbro Teir and Andrea Svanbäck at Hufvudstadsbladet.