Beach Restaurant SUMMERTIME - Strandweg 34, 2586 The Hague

Join us for a welcome drink before the meeting begins, an opportunity to exchange with peers and take part in the annual quiz!

08:30 – 09:00 REGISTRATION

09:00 – 09:30 WELCOME TO THE NEWS CONTACTS MEETING 2026

09:30 – 10:20 WHAT’S NEW WITH EUROVISION NEWS EXCHANGE (including Q&A)

Presented by Emilio San Pedro, Head of Eurovision News Exchange 

• Showcase of the year in the News Exchange - Emilio San Pedro and Massimiliano Desumma, Eurovision News Exchange Senior Producer, Data & Workflows
• Eurovision Social Newswire (ESN) Update - Thomas Hougaard, Deputy Editor, ESN
• Technical Update - Piotr Kaszynski, Senior Engineer
• Strategy and Transformation update - Luis Jimenez, Head of Business Development & Partnerships, EBU

10:20 – 10:50 SPORTS NEWS
A look into the past and upcoming Sport coverage, a look at FIFA World Cup, and an inspiring approach to sports news on digital platforms from TV2 Denmark.
Presented by :
Ine Bjolseth – Sports News Editor, EBU
Jakub Gregorowicz – Editorial Producer, TVP Sport (Poland) & Member of the EBU Editorial Subcommittee
Kirsten Nepper-Rasmussen –  Editor in chief News&Play TV2 Denmark

10:50 – 11:20 COFFEE BREAK

11:20 – 12:45  EUROPE’S LARGEST NEWSROOM

GENEVA NEWSROOM
Bringing Geneva to The Hague. See how the EVN Newsroom operates in real-time from the perspective of the News Editors and Producers. Ask your questions about how the process works.
Emilio San Pedro – Head of Eurovision News Exchange
David Mogrovejo – News Editor and the Eurovision News Team
Lucas Contor – Media Manager, RTBF (Belgium) & Member of the EBU Editorial Subcommittee
Sven Van Bijsterveldt – EVN Producer, NOS (The Netherlands)

MEMBERS’ NEWSROOM
Best practices - Working group
Emilio San Pedro – Head of Eurovision News Exchange
Jamie Whitbread – News intake, BBC News (UK) & Member of the EBU Editorial Subcommittee

12:45 FAMILY PICTURE

13:00 – 14:00 NETWORKING LUNCH

14:00 – 14:20 ICE BREAKER

14:20 – 14:30 ERNO PRESENTATION OF AWARDS

Presented by :
Katarina Gasperov – Head of National & International News Exchange, HRT (Croatia) & Member of the EBU Editorial Subcommittee
Zeljka Lekic-Subasic – Head of the ERNO Office

ERNO was created in November 2000. It is an exchange platform targeting PSM in the Southeast European region. ERNO aims to facilitate regional broadcasters access material from neighbouring countries; to re-establish cooperation with other broadcasters after the period of conflicts; and to support media development.

14:30 – 17:00 EVN OFFERS SURVIVAL GUIDE (Including coffee break)

Presented by :
Anita Fichtinger – News Contact, ORF (Austria) & Member of the EBU Editorial Subcommittee
Emilio San Pedro – Head of Eurovision News Exchange
Cathy Milner – News Editor, Eurovision News Exchange
David Mogrovejo – News Editor, Eurovision News Exchange

Dopesheets and shotlists are a crucial part of the EVN content as they help all of us know what's in the edits being shared. In this workshop we take a closer look and discuss how to write stronger leads and informative scripts and shotlists that relate to the content being shared. We will examine best practices utilizing an interactive approach that will open up a wider discussion on the subject.

17:00 END OF DAY ONE

19:00 Bus departure from the Kurhaus hotel to the restaurant

Venue: Restaurant DUDOK, The Hague
+ visit NOS in small groups

22:00 Bus departure from the restaurant to the Kurhaus hotel

OPTIONAL SESSIONS

• 08:15 – 11:15 CONTACTS MEETING SIDE SPORTS NEWS SESSION 
  with Ine Bjolseth, Sports News Editor, Jakub Gregorowicz - Editor, TVP (Poland) & Member of the EBU Editorial Subcommittee and Nicole Roger - Sports News, EBU
   
• 09:00 – 10:00  DATA, FINANCE AND EVN RULES (including Q&A)
  with Liz Corbin, EBU Director of News and Massimiliano Desumma, Eurovision News Exchange Senior Producer, Data & Workflows
  How to find out how your content is used and how others use yours. Also, what that means for your organization’s membership fee, and the wider EBU financial context.
   
• 10:00 – 11:00  EUROVISION NEWS EVENTS (including Q&A)
  with Emilie De Schaetzen, Head of Eurovision News Events

11:00 – 11:20   COFFEE BREAK

PLENARY SESSION

11:20 – 12:30   SHAPING AI IN PUBLIC SERVICE MEDIA: FROM NEWSROOM APPLICATIONS TO COLLABORATION

Presented by :
Michael Wegener – Head Visual Content, ARD (Germany) & Member of the EBU Editorial Subcommittee
Luis Jimenez – Head of Business Development & Partnerships, EBU
Andrew Smith – News Producer, Eurovision News Exchange, EBU

This session looks at how AI is being used in public service newsrooms, blending real-world broadcaster examples with new innovation experiments across the EBU. We'll cover editorial applications—from transcription and fact-checking to more advanced workflows—and introduce the idea of a “Public Service Algorithm.” Participants will explore the opportunities, risks, and the future role of AI in strengthening collaboration in the News Exchange.

• Real-world newsroom application: the ARD case
   
• Innovation: Digital News & Data Hub use cases and editorial AI workflows

• Using AI to promote public service values (the “Public Service Algorithm”)

• Interactive group discussion on challenges and strategic priorities for News Exchange

12:30 – 12:50  Q&A SESSION

Opening remarks:
Liz Corbin, EBU Director of News

A space to bring all your questions, comments, and ideas, and receive direct feedback from the EBU teams and the Editorial Subcommittee.

Also on stage:
Emilie De Schaetzen – Head of Eurovision News Events and Content
Luis Jimenez – Head of Business Development & Partnerships, EBU
Martin Reznicek – Chair of the EBU Editorial Subcommittee
Emilio San Pedro – Head of Eurovision News Exchange

12:50                 CLOSING REMARKS

13:00                 END OF DAY TWO

Optional visit of 

• Walking city tour of The Hague
• or  visit of The Mauritshuis Museum