Bio

Ewan Spence is a freelance broadcaster and journalist, with a particular interest in media, technology, music, and the arts. He has been the UK radio commentator for Junior Eurovision since 2013, and the US radio commentator for the Eurovision Song Contest since 2018. As Scotland’s first podcaster, he was nominated for a BAFTA (Best New Creative Media) in 2005. He is known for his strong views on mobile technology and ensuring accessibility to all; a love of trivia; the new media landscape on the internet; and the effect technology and communication will have on the public conscious and existing businesses. He joined Forbes in 2011 to cover the fast moving world of smartphones and mobile technology, with a mix of opinion pieces, industry diary notes, reviews, analysis, and regular columns. Until 2014 he was one of the linchpin writers for the ‘All About‘ websites (writing for ‘All About Symbian’, ‘All About Palm’, ‘All About N-Gage’, and All About Windows Phones), spending over ten years reviewing software, hardware, covering trade shows, writing editorial features, and being a vital conduit between companies and communities. Ewan started his involvement with podcasting in November 2004, launching The Podcast Network with Cameron Reilly in February 2005 and helped define the early years of podcasting through shows including the ‘TPN Rock’ music show. In August 2005 he started daily coverage of The Edinburgh Festival Fringe in the eponymously named podcast. This ran annually until the disruption in 2020, was simulcasted on radio stations around the world, and was nominated for a BAFTA in its first year. He has presented a number of shows on radio stations in Edinburgh, across Scotland, and beyond, including a weekly arts review show (Edinburgh Nights), three overnight General Election shows, and a Europe-wide showcase of new music from international artists (Europe’s Heartbeat). Ewan co-founded Eurovision Insight (escinsight.com) in 2010 and under his editorship it has grown to become an influential force in the world of the Eurovision Song Contest. He hosts its weekly Insight News podcast, the annual Juke Box Jury review show, and the daily coverage from backstage at the Song Contest every May. He hosts syndicated Eurovision radio programming produced by Radio Six International which can be head throughout the year on radio stations around the world. Participating broadcasters have also asked Ewan to be on song selection and competitive juries. Ewan has written three books; ‘Rapid Mobile Enterprise Development for Symbian OS‘, ‘It’s Cold And There Are Children Singing‘, and ‘Eurovision: Beyond The Sequins‘. He blogs at ewanspence.co.uk, and can be found on Twitter @ewan.