Marcel Bezençon

Marcel Bezençon ( born May 1, 1907 in Orbe, † February 17, 1981 in Lausanne) was a journalist and longtime director of the European Broadcasting Union ( EBU).

Life

Bezençon studied literature at the University of Lausanne in 1932 and took a degree in art history. The same time he worked as a freelance art and theater critic and subsequently first editor of the newspaper Feuille d' Avis. From 1939 to 1950, Bezençon Director at Radio Suisse Romande, 1950-1972 Director General of the SSR. In this context, he was largely responsible for the introduction of television in Switzerland and a pioneer of language and music combining radio programs.

From 1954 to 1969 Bezençon had held the post of EBU program committee chairman. During a conference, the program committee in late January 1955 in Monaco, he argued the idea of ​​a European song contest modeled after the Sanremo Festival. On October 19, 1955 then, the General Assembly of the EBU, the promotion of a Grand Prix Euro Vision Song Contest Européenne, the future Euro Vision Song Contest, first held in 1956 in Lugano. The festival was founded in 1961 in television entertainment, Golden Rose of Montreux also goes back to Bezençon.

Price

Since 2002 the Marcel Bezençon Award for the best song, the best artistic representation and the best composition is reviewed annually during the Euro Vision Song Contest ( elected by accredited journalists, commentators and the participating composers ) awarded.