Ukraine is preparing to stage the ultimate music festival: the 50th Eurovision Song Contest, which is expected to attract an audience of several million people.  At the Palats Sportu, Kiev's major sports venue, the host TV station NTU (National Television of Ukraine) will assemble an array of lighting and audio equipment for the semi-final on May 19 and the grand final on May 21 that is unprecedented in the history of the Song Contest.  To make sure that everything runs smoothly during this mega-event, NTU has placed the microphone and monitoring technology in the trusty hands of audio specialists Sennheiser electronic.

"We shall also be celebrating our own small anniversary in Kiev," said Rolf Meyer, speaker for Sennheiser's Executive Committee, "as this will be the 20th Eurovision Song Contest that we have equipped with our microphone systems."  54 microphone channels and 16 wireless monitoring channels will be available for the artists from 39 countries.  The gigantic PA system at the Palats Sportu means that only hand-held and headset microphones will be used, as clip-on microphones would pick up too much ambient noise.  In addition, Sennheiser equipment will also be used in the press area as well as in the Green Room, where the artists will feverishly await the results of the voting.

The popularity of the Eurovision Song Contest continues to grow, and that means more work - and even longer working hours - for the sound engineers.  As Klaus Willemsen, Sennheiser's expert for wireless technology, points out: "In the past, they only sold tickets for the dress rehearsals.  But in Kiev, even most of the ordinary rehearsals are already sold out!  That gives a lot of Ukrainians the chance to experience the excitement of the Song Contest at first hand.  But for us it means that, from May 12 onwards, we have to stage a full-scale concert every day - from morning till night."  And Sennheiser's engineers also have to be wide awake when it comes to dealing with the radio frequencies for the microphones and monitoring systems, especially of course for the big evening shows on May 19 and 21.  "In the meantime, some countries have several TV stations broadcasting the events.  And unfortunately there are always a few black sheep that don?t stick to the rules, in other words they don't keep to the frequencies assigned to them and use the ones that are reserved for the microphones and monitoring systems.  That means that we have to track down the culprits as quickly as possible and switch off the interference.  At the same time, we have to ensure that the usual channels for the security staff are kept free."

Six generators will take care of the show's almost insatiable power requirements, with the lighting systems alone needing more than a million watts of power.  The stage uses moving elements and countless lighting effects and projection screens to provide each performance with its own individual atmosphere that harmonizes with the song.  Up to 10,000 people will be watching the event live at the sports arena when the presenters Ruslana, DJ Pasha and Vladimir Klitschko greet the millions of people watching the event on TV with the words "Welcome to Ukraine, welcome to Kiev".  A nice "by-product" of the Song Contest is that, from May 1, the Ukrainian government has abolished the visa requirements for EU citizens - making it easier to take a last-minute trip to see the musical event of the year...

As one of the world's leading manufacturers of microphones, headphones and wireless transmission systems, the Sennheiser Group with its headquarters in Wedemark near Hanover, Germany, had total sales of over €237 million in 2003.  The export share is about 80%. Sennheiser has a total workforce of approx. 1,600 employees, of whom 60% are employed in Germany.  Sennheiser is active worldwide and, in addition to other partnerships, has its own sales subsidiaries in France, the UK, Belgium, the Netherlands, China, Singapore, Canada, Mexico and the USA.

For further information about Sennheiser please visit us on the Internet at www.sennheiser.com or contact:

Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co. KG  
Pressereferat - Edelgard Marquardt  
Am Labor 1 - 30900 Wedemark   
Fon: +49 (5130) 600-329   
Fax: +49 (5130) 600-295   
e-Mail: marquare@sennheiser.com  

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