No Broadcasts, No Eurovision: Liechtenstein’s sole public radio station, which once aspired to bring the country to the Eurovision stage, ceased operations permanently, leaving the nation without a national broadcaster. What will be the consequences for Liechtenstein’s future at Eurovision?
On April 3rd, 2025, Liechtenstein’s only public radio station, Radio Liechtenstein, ended its broadcasts permanently. The station, which had long aimed to secure the country’s debut at the Eurovision Song Contest, fell victim to political and economic shifts that halted public funding and thwarted privatization efforts.
With 55.4% of The Votes: Public Referendum Seals Fate
The closure followed an October 2025 referendum initiated by the Democrats for Liechtenstein (DpL) party, which proposed abolishing laws governing public broadcasting. A decisive 55.4% of voters supported the move, terminating government funding for the station. Though the budget cutoff was slated for December 31st, 2025, operational challenges forced an early shutdown in April.
The current move effectively prevents Liechtenstein from continuing its accession process to the EBU, and as a result, also blocks the country’s future participation in the Eurovision Song Contest.
Everything Goes North
For many years, Radio Liechtenstein received approximately 70% of the nation’s public media budget – an annual sum of around 4 million Swiss francs (approximately 4.21 million Euro). The government of Liechtenstein, which sought to preserve public radio broadcasts, urged the public to reject the initiative, arguing that there was a tangible risk of nationwide radio broadcasts ceasing entirely. However, the public chose otherwise.
Now, not only has the public radio ceased to exist, but there is also no new or private radio station to fill the void. The implication: Liechtenstein, a country with a population of fewer than 40,000 residents, is left without a national radio station for the first time in its history.
The Shattered Eurovision Dream
The story of Radio Liechtenstein‘s closure is also one of a vanished dream. For years, the station expressed interest in bringing Liechtenstein to the Eurovision Song Contest – one of Europe’s most prominent cultural symbols. The process of joining the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) was meant to pave the way for the country’s potential participation in the competition. However, with the station’s broadcasts ending and public funding terminated, this possibility now seems more distant than ever.
In its statement, the Democrats for Liechtenstein (DpL) party emphasized that “this vote does not mandate full privatization”. Yet in practice, it abolished the legal framework that enabled the station’s existence and paved the way for its final closure.
Source: Radio.li.
