Eurovision is over for Maria Kozakou – Her long message

Journalist and presenter Maria Kozakou wanted to say her own goodbye to the Eurovision contest through a post on her personal Facebook account, as this will be the last year she will present.

After years of presenting the music competition together with Giorgos Kapoutzidis or Tzeni Melitas, from radio and television, Maria Kozakou greets her audience and her partners, with a quite moving message, talking in detail about her journey to Eurovision, and all that it presented and learned through it.

At the same time, he also refers to this year’s choice of ERT to choose Marina Satti to represent the country in the Eurovision contest in England, revealing that this particular artist was for many years the journalist’s proposal to the decision-makers.

Maria Kozakou’s post about Eurovision

“Eurovision is over. It’s so nice to go into an adventure with great joy and come out with even greater joy.
As I had decided since last year, right after Turin, this year at Liverpool would be my last in the presenting role. Since 2006, initially only for radio and since 2011 also for television, I have participated in the biggest television event of each year and the most popular product managed by our national television.

The job of the presenter, at least as I understand it and this is how we implemented it with George and Jenny, is that of the messenger, not the protagonist. Our concern every year, in addition to accuracy of information, has been to maintain that golden balance of comment and kindness/generosity for each entry. Everyone has dreams. We wanted and I believe we managed to stay away from critical reports, witticisms and of course the toxicity permeating the public discourse.

And as the years went by, we tried even harder to comment with kindness and even sweetness, so that we could make a difference. It has been my dream to broadcast Eurovision ever since I have been involved in the sport professionally. Because Eurovision has always been for me an opportunity to get to know languages, cultures, colors, habits, idioms, new talents and above all to abolish borders, to bring people, peoples, countries closer.

To open our eyes and our ears – and let them hurt sometimes – to what concerns societies far from us. Let’s break down the borders and see how similar we are.

The Eurovision scene has always been receptive and open to otherness long before it became fashionable. She was the first to be indifferent to formalism, while at the same time promoting political correctness, questioning it at the same time. He spoke politically even though he was fought ideologically. It was used by governments for promotion “ideas» sometimes with success and sometimes with failure. The more functional and transparent the Democracy, the more artistic and uncomplicated the participation of each country.

The more imperfect the Democracy and therefore the more dependent the respective public broadcasting, the more “closed” and serious the history of each country’s participation becomes. The withdrawal from the competition of countries that become conservative and isolated is not at all accidental.

What did I gain from Eurovision? I won love and intimacy from a very large audience, which I could not have dreamed of as a radio person. And especially from very young ages. But the most important thing I gained was a lifelong relationship. George Kapoutzidis it was the reason I kept broadcasting the last few years and trying to find something new, fresh, new in our broadcasts.

There is no greater “gain” than a warm, honest relationship with a super talented, well-rounded person. But these are personal and concern both of us. So Eurovision is over. I will never forget those who gave me a chance and trusted me and I thank them, they know. From the beginning until today. The criterion for me has always been and is to work with nice people, in a team spirit, of mutual help and support and in a value framework that puts ethics above all else.

This year’s choice of ERT in the person of Marina Satti also comes as a personal vindication, as it was my suggestion every year, even before “Mantissa”. So an amazing year is coming for the competition friends, who I also want to thank for always making me feel part of their company. I will never forget their discretion.
A chapter closes to open another, even more exciting, challenging and creative.
And of course, always “good luck Greece”“, he said characteristically.