Marcel Bezençon | |
---|---|
President of the European Broadcasting Union | |
In office 1955–1970 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Marcel Bezençon 1 May 1907 Orbe, Switzerland |
Died | 17 February 1981 Lausanne, Switzerland | (aged 73)
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]
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