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Broadcaster PBS takes over
Malta: Song Board to fall under PBS
She joined the Board in the year 2000, where she served for four years, after joining again in 2005 and was in charge of the restructuring of children’s programs on TVM.
Other members of the board include Joseph Bonello, Lara Tonna, Josef N. Grech and Isabelle Gatt.
Meanwhile, it was also announced, that the Malta Song Board will not be re-appointed.
Instead, the Board’s responsibility will fall under the remit of the PBS.
During PBS' talk show, DISSETT aired yesterday, it was revealed that PBS forks out around 94,000 Euros annually for the participation of Malta at the Eurovision Song Contest. Over 78,000 Euros are paid by PBS to the EBU as participation fee, while over 15,000 Euros are spent in the organisation of the Malta Song for Europe - Malta's national final.
On the other hand, Mr Robert Abela, former chairperson of the Malta Song Board revealed that the board spent around 90,000 Euros for the preparation of the Maltese Eurovision entry, financially backed by the Ministry of Culture and other sponsorships.
This sums up to over 180,000 Euros.
Hon. Mrs Dolores Cristina is the newly appointed Minister of Education and Culture, under whose responsability falls the running of the Public Broadcasting Services (PBS).
The PBS board at its first meeting will discuss the creation of a structure within PBS to assume the functions of the MaltaSong board.
It is common practice in many European countries for the selection of their representative to the Eurovision Song Contest to be made through a contest organised by the national broadcaster.
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btw, Sorry Malta but this i didn't enjoy the song you took to ESC!
Let's see how it goes in 2009 
I think Chiara is the best singer ever in ESC! She's brilliant, she sings so well, i love to hear her voice. Malta bring Chiara again.
Besides i like the winning song back in 1998 and 2005 i think the true winner in both years were Ciara. Fortunately she is always well placed. In 1998 the 3rd place and in 2005 the 1st place!
Congratulations Chiara! You have a fan in Portugal!
Do you know what I see as a winning song for Malta?...Chiara and Lawrence Gray, with their powerful, golden voices, singing a beautiful, strong ballad, and il-Puse' accompanying them on his violin....Pure magic...and hopefully, a winner!
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Bring back class from Chiara not trash singing about a Russian drink and fame will come again.
having a passion won't make you any proffesional... and theres nothing wrog about criticising... if people have their opinion, let them say so.
i would preffer if the board leave the work on UKAM / AKAM or any other music proffesionals so we can have people wise in the music industry, knows how to make contact with other countries for promotion, selecting the right judges (even from big music companies... it would be benificial cretaing such bond) and most importantn expert in the marketing field.
Deo,
I hope you are right my friend, Malta deserves to get again a good placing. But I really do think that there is more needed than an enthousiastic teacher to convince EBU about the scandalous televoting.... But we live in hope
heq hem i am not a teacher, not a paharmacist and not a financial advisor...........but persons with these jobs are good in management. They won't loose time, money or ideas. They are persons who listen to what others say and the are persons who ponder what they hear! I think we should stop all this criticism and give them a chance. Clare is the daughter of the popular actor Charles Thake and I can assure you she is great. She loves theatre and she loves beauty....she knows what she's doing. She is very passionate on her work! Beleive me.......she used to teach me english literature and she used to 'enchant' the whole class with the way she presented it. I might say that I am really looking forward for this years malta song. Moreover our new minister, at least was never mentioned for any political favours...therefore christina good luck to you and we hope that you could be the one that stops political infiltration in this festival!
heq hem i am not a teacher, not a paharmacist and not a financial advisor...........but persons with these jobs are good in management. They won't loose time, money or ideas. They are persons who listen to what others say and the are persons who ponder what they hear! I think we should stop all this criticism and give them a chance. Clare is the daughter of the popular actor Charles Thake and I can assure you she is great. She loves theatre and she loves beauty....she knows what she's doing. She is very passionate on her work! Beleive me.......she used to teach me english literature and she used to 'enchant' the whole class with the way she presented it. I might say that I am really looking forward for this years malta song. Moreover our new minister, at least was never mentioned for any political favours...therefore christina good luck to you and we hope that you could be the one that stops political infiltration in this festival!
Good news for Malta....and please, Vella/Borg are in need of a brake from the ESC too. They used to be good but Vertigo and Vodka were horribly camp songs.
it is a big pitty that Malta has never managed to ei this contest..please guys get all your efforts together and send a bombastic entry next year..i will be one of the first t support you then like i did with vertigo last year..good luck and stay in the ESC, please do :-)
Lucian:
you are right, but Romania was far from the only country swapping points in 2002. That could be the most corrupt voting ever, even worse than 1994... If all countries had voted fair and square, the outcome could have been very different.
Why are Maltese people complaining?
Malta has come 2nd twice in the past 5 years!
better than most !
I am a bit afraid that with the current way of voting, Malta won't stand any chance anymore. Sad but true. Ira Losco should have win with "7th wonder", I don't know what Europe was thinking, picking Latvia.... Did we already have televoting then ?
''Sad but true. Ira Losco should have win with "7th wonder", I don't know what Europe was thinking, picking Latvia''
Well, I was one of the people who had voted for Latvia back then. It was the only entry that had stood out that year for me...and I had loved the show.
To be honest, I didn't even remember 7th wonder, I had to go to YouTube..so I saw it and still don't remember it..not my cup of tea at all that song.
marc x
Some countries had televoting, some countries had jury.
Romania had a jury that made vote swaping with the other juries.
Romania gave 0 points to Malta and Latvia in 2002 (the only counntry that did that).
I hate our broadcaster
Daniel Laus | VODKA!!
Too bad, I really mis' her
praise to Malta for trying alternatives and their choice of appointed members shows that cultural values are still very much a part of the song selection process. I hope Malta will win next yaer but of course those we already know that it,s the turn of Georgia, Azerbaijan or perhaps even Russia again! sickening we can already predict the winner!
and how r they going to select juries if none of them is involved in the music scene? 
i'm not surprised seeing a teacher... wasn't Valerie Vella a Biology teacher?! and she had the PR of the maltasong board under her control
OH MY... OH MY!!!
can we be more tan nejk?!
And why did u decide to pick on the pharmacist?
What is a teacher doing there? And a lecturer? and the financial advisor?...well he can always advise them not to spend 25% of their budget on a video clip!
if only we knew xixi!!! I dunno what they were thinking!!
erm with all respect.. but what a pharmacist is doing in the board?! ordering anti-depressants pills? lol
no marketing managers? professional people in the music industry or organistaions?!
Ira Losco shows indirectly that she is over of Eurovision!
THE PEOPLE IN THE COMMITEE ARE:
Joseph Bonello: Financial Advisor
Lara Tonna: Teacher
Josef N. Grech: Pharmacist
Isabelle Gatt: Lecturer
Vodka was ok but but not enought 4 won esc 2008! Dima was better!!!
MALTA, SEND IRA LOSCO IN 2009
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