1996 Absence
ARD had selected an artist and song to represent them at the Eurovision Song Contest 1996, set to be held in Oslo, Norway. Due to the large number of countries wanting to compete at Eurovision, the EBU decided to use a pre-selection method to reduce the 30 countries wanting to compete down to 23. Unfortunately for Germany its entry, Leon with "Planet of Blue", failed to get enough points to progress to the final. ARD and the EBU were not happy with this, as Germany was the biggest financial contributor at the time. This was the only time that Germany was absent from the broadcast final.
Read more about this topic: Germany In The Eurovision Song Contest
Famous quotes containing the word absence:
“Baseball is the religion that worships the obvious and gives thanks that things are exactly as they seem. Instead of celebrating mysteries, baseball rejoices in the absence of mysteries and trusts that, if we watch what is laid before our eyes, down to the last detail, we will cultivate the gift of seeing things as they really are.”
—Thomas Boswell, U.S. sports journalist. “The Church of Baseball,” Baseball: An Illustrated History, ed. Geoffrey C. Ward, Knopf (1994)