Last but not least: Hope dies last
It was the first time since 2006 that Switzerland had reached the Eurovision Song Contest final. Media coverage leading up to Saturday’s event ranged from hopeful to euphoric. In Sunday’s newspapers—depending on the editorial deadline—you could read all sorts of things...
"The whole of Switzerland on an Anna high," said the Sonntagszeitung. Unfortunately, the paper did not know at the time of going to press that the Anna high would not extend beyond the country's borders. But there is a flowery report on the occasion. What became clear according to Sonntagszeitung: "the Schlagerfestival lives". More reserved the Sunday. Anna had once again put on a strong performance.
The situation was quite different for Sonntagsblick and NZZ am Sonntag, which already had the information that Anna came in last place with only 19 points. "They all have zero idea!" was the headline of Sonntagsblick. Unfair! Anna had exuded an incredible amount of charm. Nevertheless, Europe had let Switzerland down.
The NZZ article is less emotional, but sobering. The level of the song contest develops parallel to the euro exchange rate. Most of the songs are "a horror". And many of the singers don't hit the notes. The fact that tickets for the event sold out in no time, he said, proves that "there are people who survive without feeling pain." Thank you for the insightful report. The fact that quality is apparently not the decisive criterion in the competition is also a consolation for Switzerland's abysmal record over the past 15 years.
