Marcel Bezençon
Bezençon (right) congratulates Johnny Logan after winning the 1980 Eurovision Song Contest
President of the European Broadcasting Union
In office
1955–1970
Personal details
Born
Marcel Bezençon

(1907-05-01)1 May 1907
Orbe, Switzerland
Died17 February 1981(1981-02-17) (aged 73)
Lausanne, Switzerland

Marcel Bezençon (French pronunciation: [maʁsɛl bəzɑ̃sɔ̃]; 1 May 1907 – 17 February 1981) was a Swiss journalist, media executive and the director of the European Broadcasting Union between 1954 and 1970.[1][2] In 1955, he conceived the idea of the Eurovision Song Contest, based on the famous Sanremo Music Festival.[3]

Bezençon graduated with a degree in art history from the University of Lausanne in 1932, and then started work as a freelance art and theater critic before becoming editor of the newspaper Feuille d'Avis.[4] In 1939, he joined Radio suisse romande (RSR), where he served as its director until 1950 when he became Director-General of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRG SSR), which he served until 1972. Bezençon also sat as a member of the board of directors of the Swiss Telegraphic Agency (SDA ATS) between 1963 and 1972.

In 2002, the Marcel Bezençon Awards were founded by Christer Björkman (Melodifestivalen winner and Swedish ESC participant in 1992) and Richard Herrey (Melodifestivalen and Swedish ESC winner in 1984 as part of the Herreys).[5][6][7]

References

  1. ↑ EBU award Archived 13 April 2007 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 13 November 2016
  2. ↑ "A diamond day for the Eurovision Song Contest". Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  3. ↑ "Allt är ditt fel Marcel!". Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  4. ↑ "Fernsehmuseum Hamburg: Virtuelles Fernsehmuseum Hamburg".
  5. ↑ "Israeli grand slam in the Marcel Bezençon Awards". Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  6. ↑ "Här är vinnarna av Marcel Bezençon 2015". Archived from the original on 14 November 2016. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  7. ↑ Sweden, Sveriges Television AB, Stockholm. "De prisades redan innan Eurovision Song Contest 2016 – vann Marcel Bezençon Award". Retrieved 13 November 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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