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| Sennheiser Equips Eurovision Song Contest with 68 RF Transmission Channels |
For the 16th time – and the fifth time in a row – German electro-acoustics specialist Sennheiser will be providing first-class sound for the Eurovision Song Contest, to be held in Copenhagen on May 12, 2001. In close
cooperation with the Danish Sennheiser partner Kinovox and the engineers of the Danish Broadcasting Company, Sennheiser has found an optimum sound transmission solution – no wires, no cables! The Copenhagen Song
Contest is the biggest yet and will use 48 RF wireless microphones for artists and background singers plus an additional 16 RF links for in-ear monitoring. Being wireless, the RF systems will give performers complete
freedom of movement.
“As a company with a long Song Contest tradition, we are once again proud to have won the trust of this year’s organizers,” says Rolf Meyer, President of Marketing and Sales at Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co. KG. ”These
occasions have always been great challenges for us. We have met them with our superior technology and experience.”
Steen Peitersen, Managing Director of Kinovox, adds: ”It is a great challenge and an honor for our company to cooperate with the worldwide leader in radio microphones. Together with the team from the Danish Broadcasting
Company and Sennheiser we will ensure the success of the contest.”
A Rebuilt Sports Arena
The Eurovision Song Contest in Denmark is the first ever to be held open air. Copenhagen’s Parken Stadium was rebuilt especially for this purpose, the stage was fitted with a glass roof. Measuring around 30 meters in width, the
stage will be twice the size of those in previous years, allowing the artists to include more show elements in their performance.
A total of 64 channels for wireless mics and in-ear systems will be reserved for the transmission between the stage and mixing consoles. To ensure optimum sound during the contest, these channels must be absolutely free
of interference. There must not be any walkie-talkies or even local TV or radio stations using these frequencies. When preparing the Song Contest, engineers carefully check all frequencies to find and coordinate enough free
audio channels. In this respect, the glass roof of the Parken stage presented yet another challenge. Unlike ”normal” walls and ceilings, a glass roof does not provide any protection from outside sources of interference.
To cope with the special open-air situation in Copenhagen, Sennheiser will use its top-of-the-range 3000 and 5000 Series. Among experts, these cutting-edge systems are considered the benchmark in RF wireless
technology.
German participant Michelle: “I am very much looking forward to singing with Sennheiser RF wireless microphones in Copenhagen. I used them for my last tour and I was thrilled by their sound and reliability.”
Facts and Figures
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|  | On May 12, about 35,000 spectators will witness the Song Contest in the Parken Stadium. The PA system
| | includes loudspeakers with a total weight of 5 tons. 1,500 fixed and 800 moving spotlights and floodlights will illuminate the stage and the auditorium. Power consumption is estimated at some 21,000 amps. ´
| | Around 300 million viewers in 23 countries will watch the event live on TV.
| | The crew: The Danish Broadcasting Company has a staff of 250 taking care of audio and vision. Twelve sound engineers are responsible for sound reinforcement in the stadium, while another six take care of the sound for the TV broadcast. In addition, three specialists from Sennheiser and Kinovox will be ready to help with the RF wireless microphones and in-ear monitoring systems, just in case.
| | With a total of 64 channels, the 23 performers will be using the biggest RF wireless system ever installed in Denmark.
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All the effort will only be worthwile if the system works perfectly on the night of the TV live broadcast. Jorgen Ramskov, Director of Programs at the Danish Broadcasting Company, is confident: ”Sennheiser and Kinovox
have given us every conceivable support for this project, and we are very pleased about the excellent cooperation.
I’m looking forward to the fantastic sound that the Sennheiser microphones will provide – for both the TV viewers and the audience in the Parken Stadium.”
As the world's leading manufacturer of microphones, headphones and wireless transmission systems, the Sennheiser Group, which is based in Wedemark near Hanover, Germany, registered a sales revenue of more than DM 380 million in the year 2000. The export share is approx. 80%. Sennheiser has a total workforce of approx. 1,300 employees, 800 of them in Germany. Sennheiser is active world-wide with subsidiaries in France, the UK, Belgium, the Netherlands, China, Singapore, Canada, Mexico and the USA, as well as independent
distributors in many other countries.
For further information, please 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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