Printed 30.01.2023 10:10 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”.
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:
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. Copyright © Radio Praha, 1996 - 2003 |