A fact from Belweder (TV set) appeared on Wikipedia's Main Page in the Did you know column on 5 September 2006. The text of the entry was as follows:
Did you know... that the first television set made entirely in Poland, the Belweder, cost 7000 złoty at the time when the average monthly salary ranged from 1 to 2 thousand?
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This is an attempt at a translation of the Polish Wikipedia Featured Article. I thought it would be good for it to have a counterpart in English, but I have to admit what I have created is a rather lousy attempt as of now, as I was typing that while watching the Elton John concert in the telly (no, not a Belweder). Some good copyeditining and proofreading would be very welcome. Do also forgive me for not translating all the technical details, I guess I messed it up already with the ones I tried to (I can basically turn the telly on and off, that's what I know about TV technology). Cheers, Bravada, talk - 21:29, 2 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Was there any particular TV program that was popularized by this TV? When TV in Japan became widely available back in 1950s, sport programs and documentaries were most watched. --Revth07:45, 5 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Well, given that all Belweders (and presumably even all Neptuns) were made before I was born, I can't answer this question with absolute certainty, but in the beginning, when there was lass than 500,000 TV sets in Poland in total, there was just one (state-run, of course) channel with only a few hours of programming per day, aired by a branch of the state-controlled Polish Radio. It was also some more or less light fare entertainment within the constraints of the political situation at that time, including a very intellectual cabaret-style unique show called Kabaret Starszych Panów (with quite elaborate numbers going live, as everything in television's early period).
I can also recall that the first TV series (i.e. pre-recorded) was Wojna domowa, also a comedy (with first-rate cast, I must say, since there was no competition for talent :D ) about everyday life and parent-child conflicts and neighbourly relations. There was also the scary lady called Irena Dziedzic (she was considered a "lady" in her own time, but I must say she had pretty rude manners and poor style for my tastes) who ran the first chat show , where she gave invited guests not only a list of questions she would ask, but also a list of what their answers should be!
If I am not mistaken, the first game show was Wielka Gra, which ran continuously until just a week or two ago, when the ingenious new management of the government-controlled TV station in Poland decided to dump it for no apparent reason! Even if this was all authority-controlled, proaganda-infested, or at least censored entertainment reflecting the bleak reality of a socialist country, I must say those programs have now achieved somewhat of a cult status in Poland. I got quite carried away, didn't I? Bravada, talk - 08:16, 5 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]