A year in the planning and now it’s all over. The Eurovision Song Contest reached its crescendo on Saturday night – Austria won and Switzerland came 10th.
But the Swiss press has nothing but praise – for the coverage and the tens of thousands of fans who descended on the city of Basel.
The Blick newspaper says the hosts, Hazel Brugger, Sandra Studer and Michelle Hunziker, were a joy and the crowds in Basel lived the slogan for this year’s show – United by Music.
In an editorial, it does heap praise on the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation. It says it shows its capacity for greatness with the mega-event.
The BaslerZeitung laments the Swiss entry Zoë Më didn’t do better with the public votes – she scored zero – although it says it was probably the best formed song of the evening. The jury placed her second – the paper concludes her tenth place is honourable.
But the Tribune de Genève says Zoë’s 10th place is a disappointment. However, it was happy that there were the most French language songs - 5 - in the competition since 1978, when there were 6. It was hosted in Paris that year.
In the southern part of the country, the Corriere del Ticino, says Switzerland was betrayed by the televoters - and then called the new song by last year’s winner Nemo, a bomb.
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