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ORF says 'No' to Eurovision 2008
Austria will not go to Belgrade
According to Edgar Bohm, entertainment head for the Austrian public broadcaster, there are still too many open questions regarding the two semi-finals in 2008 for ORF to commit now to sending an entry.
"We must send our application to the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 right now, but at this time important points ... have not been clarified," Bohm said. While it's clear that there will be two semi-finals in 2008, the entertainment chief said that ORF is not sure how the countries will be divided into the two semis. As esctoday.com has previously reported, the Eurovision Broadcasting Union (EBU) that organizes the competition plans to assign countries to "pots" based on statistical patterns and other criteria. These "pots" would be used to determine the participants of the two semis. However, ORF points out that the procedure has not been finalised. "We could still find a division between East and West, and that variation is certainly out of the question for us."
The ORF programme director Wolfgang Lorenz added, "The Song Contest is clearly a sign of the complicated nature of a united Europe. We've already seen in 2007 that it's not the quality of the song, but the country of origin that determines the decision."
In recent years the quality of the Austrian entries have failed to impress many viewers. However the ORF programme director has gone on record saying, "As long as the the Song Contest is a political parade ground and not an international entertainment programme, ORF has no desire to send more talent out of Austria to a competition where they have no chances."
"Should the situation change, we'll be happy to take part again," the programmer director finished.
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Sadly this is the first of many steps to the Eastvision Song Contest.
I respect the Austria's decision. As i wrote before, temporary stopping Estonian participating for several years is good decision.
I think that Austria has well done. It' s strongly recommended, that my home country, Estonia ends the participation in ESC too for many years. Very sad to hear every year comments from Estonian participiants as "We are well done, but Europe has not voted for us". This is a political game, with music has this spectacle nothing to do.
Although I don't think Austria have sent a really good song since 1999 - I think they are the first of many western countries who will bow out over the coming years.
Oh well less points for Serbia, Bosnia and Turkey
If it sounds like im so dissapointed cause of the worse result for Austria 2007...i never said i like that entry...(although it has an very important and good spirit)...It is totally wrong to send a song like this...it's like tell an vegetarian that he finds the best vegetables at an butcher....i think jury votings are more exciting cause then you never know who will get the points....with televoting you can be sure that your neighbours are getting points (of course thats not true for every country example Austria-Germany)...to bring strong and better songs into ESC (speaking for Austria) we will need an National Qualification like an whole Starmania Season searching for the representer...why?...cause that will be bring back the interest of Austrian viewers to ESC (even if we end up last again)....cause that is what ORF wants - not more....
Hugs, Sascha 
austria 2007 was a crap like other years...they cant send a better song..and then complaning about voting system....thatss soo stupidd........Austria should find another pretext....????????
1. they should blame themselfs first cause they send crap to the eurovision, their last entry was espcially awful.
2. there is indeed a problem with the voting system but as we witness it's being taking care of
3. to all of the people here commenting again "oh my god here is the end of eurovision!! the end has started" i suggest you take something cool to drink and calm down - cause every year some people say it and the Eurovision just getting bigger and bigger
never the less i think they will feel out of the party and will want again in 2009 so no harm no foul.
@ drusus 1:
How true, and most Austrians will agree with that.
With such entries, it's no wonder to end up that low, ORF got what it deserved!
@ Greg Z - and the ESC would survive and continue. Some go, others already wait to join, it is a come and go.
@ Sascha - instead hoping for a boring old jury- system, the ORF should simply send stronger & better entries. I am sorry to say so, don`t take it personal but the last Austrian ESC entries deserved their final results very well. The western televoters weren`t really amazed by them too...
As an Austrian of course im very sad 
but somehow i feel it's the right desicion right now...
EBU bring back jury voting...it has an reason why Austria's only winner so far Udo Jürgens said after his win "MERCI JURY"...lol
anyway....of course i hope we (Austria) will be back very very soon...Just heard today that ORF "MAYBE" will be air the ESC 2008 even when we don't take part....a good sign?
I hope so for ever Austrian Music Fan and ESC Fan (like me!)
Hugs, Sascha
Sadly, Austria is showing the way of the future for this contest. I too see many more countries, especially from the west, dropping out of the competition in the next few years.
@ Marino 2008
The 2003 voting was exciting , down to the wire of slovenia's votes at the end and that was all televoting if im not mistaken.
I agree. Why shame on Austria? It is not a crime to not compete in Eurovision. Really pathetic to react like that. Austria competed more then 50 years and now they don't want to anymore. It is that simple. Nobody gets hurt. Yet there are people who claim the country is a bad loser. They lost more then 40 times and didn't complain. So why are they bad losers?
@ Borjan (and others with similar comments)
I do not understand your reaction at all. What kind of obligation does any country/broadcasting corporation have to participate in the Eurovision? If they don't think it's fun anymore, they quit. It is as simple as that, and there should be no problem! No one participates only in order to please a handful of other countries that still enjoy the show. Why should they?
I suspect there may be other quitters in the next few years.
Maybe Austria will return in 2009. It wouldn't be new.
...just few words...SHAME SHAME SHAME SHAME...SHAME ON YOU AUSTRIA
SemiFinal woes for Austria?
There is a saying:
If you do not and/or cannot succeed
then, you just try, try again ...
instead of ...
better not try again ...
Political voting? Yeah.. But Austria hasn't sent a good song since 1991..
The East/West division or "semis by geography" would probably strike right at the "problem" we have on our hands. But such a solution is morally bankrupt and would do more harm than good in the long run, I think, given that it's not without its own set of problems. However with rats already abandoning the ship, I genuinely wonder what's the right thing to do.
an East West division would be very recistn they really can not do that (I wouldn't mind) . No I believe they will do it through picking countries out of a bowl...
I think Jii Vee makes a very good point. The EBU should have decided on all of the details of the format before this deadline. How else can the broadcasters assess whether on not they are happy with the new system?
There must be a lot of arguing going on behind closed doors for them not to have reached a decision yet. The Western countries are probably pushing for an East-West split, whilt the East probably wants a random draw; the result will doubtless be some sort of fudge.
Just one little detail to those who complain about Austria getting in and out of the contest during the past three years: If I remember correctly, Austria decided to get back in 2007 only after some eager ESC-fans had petitioned that they should. From an Austrien perspective, I guess (not being from Austria myself), the re-entry into conetst in 2007 was a mistake and they now go back to the line that they chose two years ago.
Also, in the statement, they refer to problems in EBU decision making as part of the reason for non-participation. (I would call it that rather than withdrawal, because they are not cancelling an earlier announcement of participation.) And it really is a bit funny that you should register for an event and the format of the event is not finalised.
For those who ask ORF to review their decision: ORF can not do that for the 2008 Belgrade contest anymore, the registration dead line was 15 November.
@ leo jones
there were plenty of good songs in esc in the 70s and 80s, and if u watch the contest u will see that mr wogan is STILL making the same comments , in fact hes worse now. and as a matter of fact he is one of the biggest critics of televoting, so u cant have ur cake and eat it !
@Anthony Borowitz
Very well said. Austria's been playing hard to get for too long!
i repeat....................... its not fair thats so many countries will make the finals with a rubbish or an average song, while others need just an outstanding song to get a small chance to make it.
Do we take ESC way too seriously? If you mean "taking seriously" is to vote fair, then ok. Nobody likes to lose, especially not to lose because of other's cheating. Thinking in that way is not pathetic-what IS pathetic is to cast 20 votes for your own country.
You people take this ESC way too seriously! I'm a fan since I remember and have never forgotten that ESC is a circus!!! Gliterry, glamorous, camp, but the circus nevertheless.
Predictable 12's are part of the charm, that's why it is important to send a good contemporary song with good performance and catch, collect, grab all those other points. You all focused on 12's. Pile of 12's will not make any country win, it is the pile of 4-8 points with couple of 12's only.
Would you really like to return to 70s and 80's???
Remember, those years are the ones which made ESC being laughed at, ridiculed and a target of TerryWogan-esque comments.
22 winning sons in English and 14 in French!!! Yikes!
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