Macedonia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009
The Republic of Macedonia, present in the contest as the "former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" ("FYR Macedonia"), participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009. It was represented by the song "Nešto što kje ostane" by the group Next Time. It earned tenth place in the first semi-final, failing to proceed to the final round. Before Eurovision. Possible withdrawal. A possible withdrawal of Macedonia from the 2009 contest was rumoured, due to financial difficulties within MKRTV which could have ended in bankruptcy or liquidation of the company. As such, there would have been  no Macedonian broadcaster within the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the contest’s organisers, and so a withdrawal of Macedonia from the contest would have been inevitable. Despite this, MKRTV confirmed Macedonia’s participation at the 2009 contest in Moscow, Russia, officially revealing that they were looking for a new selection method for the country for the Eurovision Song Contest 2009. Weekly debate programs were held by MKRTV on television, which were used as a platform for discussion between MKRTV and the Macedonian public on how the selection process for the Macedonian entry can be fair and successful. Skopje Fest 2009 . "Skopje Fest 2009" was a song contest organized by MRT that served as Macedonia's national final to select their entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2009. The competition consisted of three shows held between 19 and 21 February 2009, all taking place at the Universal Hall in Skopje, hosted by Zoran Ljutkov and Biljana Gjorgjiovska and were broadcast on MTV 1, MTV Sat and via radio on Macedonian Radio. Format. Thirty-two entries in total competed in "Skopje Fest 2009", which consisted of two semi-finals on 19 and 20 February 2009 and a final on 21 February 2009 . Sixteen entries competed in each semi-final with the top eight qualifying to the final from each semi-final. In the final, the winner was selected from the remaining sixteen competing entries. The results of the semi-finals and the final were determined by the 50/50 combination of votes from an expert jury panel and public televoting. Competing entries. A submission period was opened for interested artists and composers to submit their entries between 26 November 2008 and 25 December 2008. MKRTV received 142 submissions at the closing of the deadline. Thirty-two entries were selected by a selection committee  consisting of Gordana Andrashevska, Ljupčo Mirkovski, Meri Popova, Radica Mitić, Ariton Krliu and Danail Darkovski. The competing artists and songs were announced on 6 January 2009 and 15 January 2009 respectively. Semi-finals. Two semi-finals took place on 19 and 20 February 2009. Sixteen entries competed in each semi-final and the top eight entries qualified to the final by a 50/50 combination of public televoting and a jury panel. Final. The final took place on 21 February 2009. Sixteen entries competed and a 50/50 combination of public televoting and a jury panel selected "Nešto što kje ostane" performed  by Next Time as the winner. At Eurovision. The song competed in the first semi-final but failed to qualify for the final, finishing 10th. The commentators for MKTV were Karolina Petkovska and Aleksandra Jovanovska. The spokesperson for MKTV, i.e. the results of the Macedonian televote in combination with the jury were given by Frosina Josifovska.