A German victory in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010, and a seemingly likely Austrian entry to the 2011 contest could well have been the final two catalysts that gave Liechtenstein broadcaster 1FLTV the final push needed to submit their application for EBU membership this week.
There has been a great deal of speculation previously as to whether or not Liechtenstein will make its debut at the contest in the near future, but such rumours have repeatedly been quashed and dismissed as impossible. The biggest obstacle facing Eurovision participation for this tiny Alpine country was the fact that their national broadcaster FLTV1 has not yet been approved as a member of the EBU.
It has been claimed that Liechtenstein were ready to participate as far back as 1969 with the song Un Beau Matin by Vetty, but due to rules in place at the time stating that entries must be performed in the national language, this quickly put a spanner in the works for what could have been Liechtenstein’s debut. A further seven years would pass before Biggi Bachman and Little Cowboy looked like a serious contender for the first Liechtenstein entry in 1976, but the attempt was thwarted due to the fact that the country at the time had no national broadcaster.
A potential Eurovision participation surfaced again in 2008, upon the founding of the first national Lichtenstein broadcaster 1FLTV in August 2008 by Austrian businesswoman Beatrix Schartl. Furthermore, in July 2009, the broadcaster made clear its intentions in applying for EBU membership, originally with the intention of participating in the 2010 contest from Oslo. The MD of 1FLTV, Peter Kölbel has added further fuel to the speculations, stating that a national final would be developed along the same lines as the German format used in Deutschland sucht den Superstar.
1FLTV finally submitted its application for membership to the EBU on the 29th July, and acceptance seems to be a mere formality now, paving the way for Liechtenstein’s debut in 2011. Hollywood musician Al Walser is one of the names being mentioned in local media as a strong contender for the job of representing the country, and is reported as engaging in discussion with 1FLTV while on a trip to Switzerland. Walser has previously worked with the likes of Lionel Ritchie.
