In the 1960s, Hungarian state television, under Soviet influence, broadcasted a popular show called "The Quiz of Knowledge." One episode featured a question about "great Hungarian inventors." When a contestant answered László Bíró—the inventor of the ballpoint pen—the producers were horrified. Bíró had fled Hungary during the 1940s and had become a symbol of Western ingenuity, which was against Soviet ideology. The answer was immediately disqualified, and the contestant was told to choose another inventor.
Fourty years before this funny story, Hungary launched its first radio broadcast. Radio quickly became a popular source of news and entertainment, especially during World War II, when it played a vital role in keeping the public informed. Television arrived in 1957, with **Magyar Televízió** (MTV, hehe...) broadcasting its first programs. During the Communist era, both radio and TV were tightly controlled, often used for propaganda. In the 1980s, a wave of technical innovations brought color TV to Hungary, but it wasn’t until 1990, following the fall of the Soviet regime, that private television and radio stations emerged, ending the state monopoly on broadcasting.