The EBU has withdrawn member services from Romanian public service broadcaster Televiziunea Română (TVR) following the non-payment of debts totalling CHF 16 million. Romania will now no longer be able to participate in the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest. TVR will lose access to other EBU member services including the Eurovision News and Sports News Exchanges, the right to broadcast specific sporting events, legal, technical and research expertise and lobbying services. And of course with that also this signal to broadcast Eurovision song contest 2016. Not broadcasting it should, at least in theory, mean that TVR won't be able to participate also in 2017 contest....
EBU Director General Ingrid Deltenre said: "It is regrettable that we are forced to take this action. We are disappointed that all our attempts to resolve this matter have received no response from the Romanian government. In recent weeks the EBU has taken note of the Ministry of Finance’s suggestion that TVR may be placed into insolvency proceedings which may in turn lead to a profound restructuring of the broadcaster. The EBU is a not-for-profit association which represents 73 Public Service Broadcasters in 56 countries. The continued indebtedness of TVR jeopardizes the financial stability of the EBU itself."
"This is of course disappointing for the artist chosen to represent Romania, for our colleagues at TVR who have prepared their participation so well this year and, not least, for Romanian viewers and the many Eurovision fans in the country," says Jon Ola Sand, Executive Supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest on behalf of the EBU.
Ovidiu Anton published on his facebook the following statement:
Dear friends, I have finally received the official communication.. I am trying to smile and not get carried away, but it is unfair. I am still the same, same honest artist, same fighter that won fare and square both from the jury and from the public's vote... but yet, I have to declare I have been "defeated".... by whom? why? Fair?... I don't know how to put it nicely, so I abstain.."
This blogger feels for Ovidiu, but totally understands and stands by EBU in this decision. The timing may seem a bit unfortunate but then, how do we know what's going on behind closed doors and if EBU has tried to solve the problem four times this year alone, and TVR gives them the finger and just keeps ignoring them... Bye bye!
All this said, in the end it might be Ovidiu who is the winner here (remember Anna Book?. Besides I doubt Romania would have qualified with that song, and instead Ovidiu would have been remembered as the one who failed to qualify for the final....
All this said, in the end it might be Ovidiu who is the winner here (remember Anna Book?. Besides I doubt Romania would have qualified with that song, and instead Ovidiu would have been remembered as the one who failed to qualify for the final....
Then there are the ridiculous ones cashing on any opportunity in the spotlight:
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