Search
30.11.2023
NEWS

HISTORY

TRADITIONS, CULTURE

PERSONALITIES

USEFUL CONTACTS

PHOTOS OF THE ROMA

VARIOUS

RADIO PRAGUE










Česky English Deutsch Francais
Czechs pull out of Eurovision after three years and “nul points”
23-07-2009 - Rob Cameron
It wasn’t a very auspicious start, and it didn’t end very well either – Czech Television, the country’s national broadcaster, has confirmed that it’s withdrawing from the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest due to lack of public interest. The Czech Republic only made its debut in the competition in 2007, but its first three attempts have been disastrous – the most recent gaining the dreaded “nul points”.

'SuperGipsy' “Aven Romale”, the ill-fated and frankly ill-conceived Czech entry to the 2009 Eurovision song contest in Moscow. Written and performed by Gipsy.cz - an otherwise exciting and talented group headed by Romany rapper Gipsy - “Aven Romale” featured the artist bounding across the stage dressed up as a fake comic character called ‘SuperGipsy’ to the strains of a distinctly average track from the band.

The Eurovision audience – that great arbiter of musical taste - voted with their feet, and Aven Romale exited in the semi-finals after coming last with “nul points”, the first country to do so in five years.

The competition had already suffered from lack of interest even before the contestants packed their bags for Moscow. The public vote to choose a contestant was abandoned due to lack of interest, and Czech Television ended up choosing “Aven Romale” themselves. But even viewer numbers for the final itself were disappointing, and Czech Television has decided to pull the plug. Spokesman Ladislav Sticha confirmed the news to Radio Prague:

Photo: Kristýna Maková “I can confirm that Czech Television is no longer counting on broadcasting the Eurovision Song Contest. The chief reason is that the contest has so far failed to attract Czech viewers. Viewing numbers were extremely low, and to be honest the response from journalists writing in the media was fairly harsh. It seems that even the experts believe the contest is rather tired in its format, and the demand in the Czech Republic is for a different kind of musical entertainment competition.”

The Czech Republic made their Eurovision debut in Helsinki in 2007, with this number “Mala Dama” or “Little Lady” from Czech heavy rockers Kabat…

…and it garnered just one point, from Estonia – thanks Estonia – and the Czechs went home in the semis.

The following year, in Belgrade, things looked brighter when Tereza Kerndlova won nine points in the semi-final with “Have Some Fun”…

But not even this was enough to make it to the final in 2008. 2009, as we’ve already heard, saw the country reach a new low. Next year in Helsinki the Czechs will be conspicuous by their absence, although they will be spared the ignominy of another nul points.



Related articles
DateTitleFeature
07.04.2019Romany music from the Czech RepublicNews
19.09.2010NewsNews
07.09.2010Gipsy.cz – A phenomenal mix of hip hop, rap, r n’b and traditional gypsy musicNews
11.05.2009Gipsy.cz proud to represent Czech Republic and Roma minority at EurovisionNews
23.08.2008The popular Czech Roma band Gipsy.cz in South KoreaNews
13.05.2008Out of Home highlights problems of children’s homes, integration in Czech RepublicNews
26.11.2007Ukrainian “Gypsy punks” Gogol Bordello collaborate with rapper Gipsy.czNews
01.08.2007Hip-hop musician Gipsy appointed ambassador for minoritiesNews
26.06.2007Gipsy.cz play Glastonbury FestivalNews
All related articles
Article
Format for printing
Send as e-mail

Also in section "News"
31.10.19  Roma children’s choir Chavorenge and members of the Czech Philharmonic to perform in UK
13.09.19  Archaeologists discover graves of Roma persecuted during WWII in Lety camp
02.06.19  Ida Kelarová and her Romany children’s choir Chavorenge
29.05.19  Two Roma activists to receive Charter 77’s František Kriegel Award
07.04.19  Romany music from the Czech Republic
13.03.19  Czech singer Věra Bílá, dubbed the Ella Fitzgerald of Gypsy music, dies days before her comeback tour
21.11.18  Roma social worker from Ostrava listed on BBC 100 Women list
12.10.18  Why are there so few Roma politicians?
17.09.18  Virtuoso pianist Tomáš Kačo: When I tell somebody I’m a Gypsy in the US, they’re excited about it
06.06.18  Study indicates ethnic hate is contagious
Archive of the section

Most popular articles
3153053   26.02.00 Some Basic Information about the Roma Population in the Czech Republic
290319   27.01.05 The 'Devouring': A look at the Romani Holocaust
184516   26.02.00 The History and Origin of the Roma
141463   26.02.02 The Language of the Roma
107706   13.06.00 The History of the Roma Minority in the Czech Republic
105260   26.02.00 The Traditional Family Life of the Czech Roma
103929   02.06.03 The Roma Holocaust
88238    World famous Roma Personalities
88174   21.02.04 Extreme right activists demonstrate for skinhead in jail
74801    Photographs by Romani Children
Copyright © Český rozhlas / Czech Radio, 1997-2023
Vinohradská 12, 120 99 Praha 2, Czech Republic
E-mail: info@romove.cz