Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004

{{main|Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest}}

Prior to the 2004 contest, {{lang|ro|Televiziunea Română|i=no}} (TVR) had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest representing Romania five times since its first entry in 1994. To this point, its highest placing in the contest has been ninth place, achieved {{esccnty|Romania|y=2002|t=in 2002}} with the song "Tell Me Why" performed by Monica Anghel and Marcel Pavel. In {{esccnty|Romania|y=2003|t=2003}}, "Don't Break My Heart" by Nicola placed 10th in the contest.{{cite web|title=Romania Country Profile|url=http://www.eurovision.tv/page/history/by-country/country?country=33|access-date=15 January 2015|publisher=EBU}}

As part of its duties as participating broadcaster, TVR organises the selection of its entry in the Eurovision Song Contest and broadcasts the event in the country. The broadcaster has consistently selected its entry through national finals that feature a competition among several artists and songs, a procedure which TVR opted for once again to select its 2004 entry.{{Cite web |last=Yazıcıtunc |first=Gunec Gulun |date=2021-04-14 |title=Eurovision 2004: Romania’s Sanda in focus |url=https://eurovisionary.com/eurovision-2004-romanias-sanda-in-focus/ |access-date=2024-05-28 |website=EuroVisionary |language=en-GB}}

{{lang|ro|Selecția Națională 2004}} was the national final organised by TVR in order to select its entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2004. The competition consisted of three shows: two semi-finals featuring up to twelve songs to be held on 28 February 2004 and 6 March 2004, respectively, and a final featuring twelve songs to be held on 13 March 2004. The broadcaster held all shows at its studios in Bucharest and were televised on România 1 and Romania International.{{Cite web |title=Romania: Selecția Națională 2004 |url=https://eurovisionworld.com/national/romania/selectia-nationala-2004 |access-date=2024-05-28 |website=Eurovisionworld |language=en-gb}}{{Cite web |title=Primele şase finaliste pentru Eurovision |url=https://www.crisana.ro/stiri/magazin-12/primele-sase-finaliste-pentru-eurovision-133232.html |access-date=2024-05-28 |website=crisana.ro |language=ro-RO}}

TVR opened a submission period for artists and composers to submit their entries between 17 January 2004 and 9 February 2004.{{Cite web |date= |title=Programul concursului |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040404010731/http://tvr.ro/euroviziune/program.htm |access-date=2024-05-27 |website=tvr.ro |language=ro}} The broadcaster received 156 submissions after the submission deadline passed.{{Cite web |last=Dobrescu |first=Petre |date=2004-02-13 |title=Radu Fornea acuza |url=https://www.libertatea.ro/stiri/radu-fornea-acuza-80456 |access-date=2024-05-28 |website=Libertatea |language=ro}}{{Cite web |date= |title=Sanda Ladosi cu melodia Admit [compozitor: George Popa, versuri: Irina Gligor] va reprezenta Romania in acest an la finala concursului Eurovision 20 |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040402001003/http://tvr.ro/euroviziune/stiri.php |access-date=2024-05-28 |website=tvr.ro |language=ro}} A five-member expert committee reviewed the received submissions on 12 February 2004 and selected twenty-four entries for the national final.{{Cite web |date= |title=Preselectia nationala |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040404005656/http://tvr.ro/euroviziune/preselectia_nationala.htm |access-date=2024-05-27 |website=tvr.ro |language=ro}} The competing entries were announced on 16 February 2004.{{Cite web |last=Bakker |first=Sietse |date=2004-02-16 |title=Romanian broadcaster announced participants |url=https://esctoday.com/2231/romanian_broadcaster_announced_participants/ |access-date=2024-05-27 |website=Esctoday}} The song "Listen to My Heart", written by Mihai Ogăşanu and Claudia Pavel, was later disqualified from the competition after performer Delia did not show up for TVR's video recording of the song.

The two semi-finals took place on 28 February and 6 March 2004. The first semi-final which featured twelve competing songs was hosted by Mălina Olinescu (who represented {{esccnty|Romania|y=1998|t=Romania in 1998}}) and Dan Teodorescu (who represented {{esccnty|Romania|y=2000|t=Romania in 2000}} as part of Taxi), while the second semi-final which featured eleven competing songs was hosted by Monica Anghel and Marcel Pavel (who both represented {{esccnty|Romania|y=2002|t=Romania in 2002}}), joined by Cătălin Măruță and Alina Sorescu who both hosted segments from the green room.{{Cite web |date=2004-03-13 |title=Comunicate |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040403234026/http://tvr.ro/euroviziune/comunicate.htm |access-date=2024-05-28 |website=tvr.ro |language=ro}} In each semi-final six entries qualified to the final based on the 50/50 combination of the votes from a seven-member jury panel and public televoting.{{Cite web |title=ROMANIAN SEMI-FINALS 2004 |url=http://natfinals.50webs.com/90s_00s/Romania2004SF.html |access-date=2024-05-28 |website=natfinals.50webs.com}} The members of the jury panel that voted during the semi-finals were: Mircea Drăgan, Viorel Gavrilă, Andrei Partoș, Eugen Mihăescu, Mihai Pocorschi, Irina Radu and Robert Anghelescu.{{Cite web |date= |title=Rezultatele primei semifinale |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040404012416/http://tvr.ro/euroviziune/semifinala1.htm |access-date=2024-05-28 |website=tvr.ro |language=ro}}{{Cite web |date= |title=Rezultatele celei de-a doua semifinale |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040404012840/http://tvr.ro/euroviziune/semifinala2.htm |access-date=2024-05-28 |website=tvr.ro |language=ro}}

The final took place on 13 March 2004, hosted by Dan Teodorescu (who represented {{esccnty|Romania|y=2000|t=Romania in 2000}} as part of Taxi) and Nicola (who represented {{esccnty|Romania|y=2003|t=Romania in 2003}}) with Cătălin Măruță and Alina Sorescu hosting segments from the green room. Twelve songs competed and the winner, "I Admit" performed by Sanda Ladoși, was determined by the 50/50 combination of the votes from a seven-member jury panel and public televoting.{{Cite web |title=ROMANIAN NATIONAL FINAL 2004 |url=http://natfinals.50webs.com/90s_00s/Romania2004.html |access-date=2024-05-28 |website=natfinals.50webs.com}} Ladoși won the jury vote as well as the televote with 4,994 votes.{{Cite web |title=Sanda Ladosi este castigatoarea selectiei pentru Eurovision |url=https://www.muzicabuna.ro/articole/sanda-ladosi-este-castigatoarea-selectiei-pentru-eurovision.html |access-date=2024-05-28 |website=muzicabuna.ro |language=ro}} The members of the jury panel that voted in the final were: Irina Radu, Andrei Partoș, Mirela Fugaru, Mihai Alexandru, Laurențiu Duță, Ionel Tudor and Adrian Ordean.{{Cite web |date= |title=Finala - Selectia Nationala |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040404002609/http://tvr.ro/euroviziune/finala.htm |access-date=2024-05-28 |website=tvr.ro |language=ro}}

In addition to the performances of the competing entries, the interval acts featured performances from Șerban Huidu and Mihai Găinușă, Dan Bittman (who represented {{esccnty|Romania|y=1994|t=Romania in 1994}}), Dana International (who won Eurovision for {{esccnty|Israel|y=1998|t=Israel in 1998}}) and competition hosts Mălina Olinescu, Dan Teodorescu with Taxi, Monica Anghel and Marcel Pavel, and Nicola.

File:Abdi İpekçi Spor Salonu (cropped).jpg in Istanbul, Turkey]]

{{further|I Admit (Sanda song)#In Istanbul}}

It was announced that the competition's format would be expanded to include a semi-final in 2004. According to the rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country, the "Big Four" (France, Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom) and the ten highest placed finishers in the {{escyr|2003||2003 contest}} are required to qualify from the semi-final in order to compete for the final; the top ten countries from the semi-final progress to the final. As Romania finished tenth in the 2003 contest, the nation automatically qualified to compete in the final on 15 May 2004. On 23 March 2004, an allocation draw was held which determined the running order and Romania was set to perform in position 24 in the final, following the entry from {{esccnty|Turkey|y=2004}} and before the entry from {{esccnty|Sweden|y=2004}}.{{Cite web |last=Bakker |first=Sietse |date=23 March 2004 |title=Eurovision 2004: this is the running order! |url=http://esctoday.com/2382/eurovision_2004_this_is_the_running_order/ |access-date=15 February 2022 |website=Esctoday}} Romania placed eighteenth in the final, scoring 18 points.{{cite web |title=Grand Final of Istanbul 2004 |url=https://eurovision.tv/event/istanbul-2004/grand-final |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210418181619/https://eurovision.tv/event/istanbul-2004/grand-final |archive-date=18 April 2021 |access-date=18 April 2021 |publisher=European Broadcasting Union}}

The two shows were broadcast in Romania on România 1.{{Cite web |last=Dobrescu |first=Petre |date=2004-05-11 |title=Sanda Ladosi "vorbeste" acum doar prin semne |url=https://www.libertatea.ro/stiri/sanda-ladosi-vorbeste-acum-doar-prin-semne-85602 |access-date=2024-05-28 |website=Libertatea |language=ro}} TVR appointed Andreea Marin as its spokesperson to announce the results of the Romanian televote during the final.

Below is a breakdown of points awarded to Romania and awarded by Romania in the semi-final and grand final of the contest. The nation awarded its 12 points to {{esccnty|Greece|y=2004}} in the semi-final and the final of the contest.

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{{Reflist}}

{{Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest}}

{{Eurovision Song Contest 2004}}

2004

Category:Countries in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004

Eurovision

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