“Megasztar” helps out
“Megasztar” is the biggest hit on Hungarian station TV2. Up to 600,000 viewers watched the show last year – and helped out the victims of the Red Sludge spill.
In October 2010, 800 residents of the western Hungarian town of Kolontár had to flee their homes. A poisonous red sludge, a waste product from aluminum production, had flooded from the reservoirs at a nearby plant. TV2 decided immediately to help out. For every vote cast via SMS during the casting show "Megasztar," the station donated 50 forints (about 19 euro cents), also via SMS. The effort raised nearly three million forints (about €11,000) for the victims.
TV2's casting show regularly supports efforts to help people who need it. Without the station's support, one baby would not have been able to have life-saving surgery. "Megasztar" host Claudia Liptai auctioned off a dress to help the family - and raised three million forints from a viewer (about €3,700). Enough to pay for the operation.
