Carte Blanche, produced by Combined Artists, is the flagship
magazineMagazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
and actuality programme on
M-NetM-Net is a subscription-funded television channel in South Africa, established in 1986 by Naspers....
, a pay-TV channel broadcasting in Southern Africa. Carte Blanche was launched in 1989 and broadcasts during prime time viewing on Sunday evenings.
To celebrate 22 years on air on 12 September 2010, Carte Blanche allowed their audience to direct the show live via Facebook and Twitter. Viewers could choose which stories went out and in which order, and could also help write the studio script. It was a first for South African television
The programme broadcast a special on 21 September 2008 to celebrate 20 years on air. The Making a difference campaign was launched under the birthday special with the aim of raising funds for paediatric units in public hospitals across South Africa. To date it has raised over R73-million.
The show consistently ranks in the top 10 on
M-NetM-Net is a subscription-funded television channel in South Africa, established in 1986 by Naspers....
and enjoys a local viewership of about 500 000 people every week.
Carte Blanche has developed a high degree of credibility in South African television journalism and has been awarded over 120 local and international awards.
Stories have included investigations into the abuse of the elderly, the South African Paralympic team, the traumatic journey of a young
anorexiaAnorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by refusal to maintain a healthy body weight and an obsessive fear of gaining weight. Although commonly called "anorexia", that term on its own denotes any symptomatic loss of appetite and is not strictly accurate...
sufferer, the tracking and arrest of high profile criminals, and recently uncovering a scandal at
EskomEskom is a South African electricity public utility, established in 1923 as the Electricity Supply Commission by the government of South Africa in terms of the Electricity Act . It was also known by its Afrikaans name Elektrisiteitsvoorsieningskommissie . The two acronyms were combined in 1986 and...
that plunged South Africa into darkness. Carte Blanche has also covered the story of a world champion
free diverFreediving is any of various aquatic activities that share the practice of breath-hold underwater diving. Examples include breathhold spear fishing, freedive photography, apnea competitions and, to a degree, snorkeling...
.
Ruda Landman and Derek Watts have anchored the programme since its first broadcast and were the longest-running anchors on South African
televisionTelevision is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
. Landman stepped down from the show on 24 June 2007.
Carte Blanche Medical
Carte Blanche launched
Carte Blanche Medical on 18 January 2010, anchored by Bongani Bingwa. The 30 minute show airs in primetime viewing at 7pm every Monday. The show, which ran for four seasons, was replaced by
Carte Blanche Extra on 24 January 2011.
Carte Blanche Medical strives to enlighten and empower viewers about medical and health-related issues.
The series throws the spotlight on trailblazing medical breakthroughs, both from South Africa and abroad, and delves deeper into the viewpoints of experts regarding new ways of treating medical and related conditions.
The first two stories that were broadcast were on
Baby Hope, thought to be South Africa's smallest prem baby at 390g, and
Tasting the light, a story about a device that helps blind people see.
Carte Blanche Consumer
Carte Blanche launched
Carte Blanche Consumer on 21 January 2010, anchored by Devi Sankaree Govender. The 30 minute show airs in primetime viewing at 7pm every Thursday. The show, which ran for four seasons, was not recommissioned for 2011.
Carte Blanche Consumer is a South African current affairs television series produced by Combined Artists for M-Net as a spin-off of Carte Blanche, which assumes the role of a consumer rights watchdog that demands accountability and exposes hidden agendas.
It’s a show that aims to not just entertain, but also educate and inform viewers about their rights as South African consumers.
Carte Blanche Africa
Carte Blanche Africa broadcasts to 45 countries in
AfricaAfrica is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. Broadcasts, which began in 1994, were suspended at the beginning of 2008.
Carte Blanche Interactive
Carte Blanche Interactive is a more recent addition, providing
internetThe Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
,
telephonyIn telecommunications, telephony encompasses the general use of equipment to provide communication over distances, specifically by connecting telephones to each other....
,
emailElectronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
and
interactive televisionInteractive television describes a number of techniques that allow viewers to interact with television content as they view it.- Definitions :...
.
In September 2003, Feb. 5th, an enhanced information service was added for viewers on the digital satellite platform. This allows viewers to get extra information on topics discussed in the show while they are watching. On the web, the digital story library extends to May 1999.
Carte Blanche Interactive provides interactive services such as live web chat, interactive guides, polls and discussion forums. It also serves South Africans living in other countries around the world, as well as foreigners interested in South African issue.
Carte Blanche Interactive, under the handle carteblanchetv, also manages the social media aspects of the programme.
Statistics
Carte Blanche has to date:
- Done 2680 stories (over 830 Carte Blanche Domestic broadcasts, 592 Carte Blanche Africa broadcasts)
- Won over 120 awards
- interviewed 19 600 people
- visited 55 countries
- travelled 4 million kilometres
- Shot 9 million metres of footage
- 200 people creating the show every week
- had 4000 questions put to experts in online chats
Recent Awards
| Producer |
Story |
Award (2006) |
| Joy Summers |
DDT Pesticide |
SAB The South African Breweries , then called Castle Breweries, was founded in 1895 specifically to serve a new market of miners and prospectors in and around Johannesburg. Two years later, it became the first industrial company to list on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange...
2010 Environmentalist and Environmental Journalists of the Year Award - Merit (Broadcast category) |
| Eugene Botha |
Lotz Murder |
SAFTA - Best News & Actuality Programme |
| George Mazarakis and Karolina Andropoulos |
Carte Blanche Making A Difference Trust |
Support of Philanthropy in the Media: 4th Annual Inyathelo Philanthropy Awards |
| Odette Schwegler and Nicola de Chaud |
In sheep's clothing |
Taco Kuiper - Award for investigative Journalism AND CNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
African Journalist Awards - Runners up (Television Category) |
| Joy Summers |
Water in the works |
Vodacom Vodacom is a pan-African mobile telecommunications company, and was the 1st cellular network in South Africa. It provides GSM service to more than 35 million customers in South Africa, Tanzania, Lesotho, Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Revenue for the year ended 31 March 2008...
Journalist of the Year - National winner (TV Feature) AND Joint Winner, Health Category - SiemensSiemens may refer toSiemens, a German family name carried by generations of telecommunications industrialists, including:* Werner von Siemens , inventor, founder of Siemens AG...
Profile Awards for Excellence in Scientific Journalism |
| Michael Duffet |
Debt Admin |
Citadel - Breaking news electronic award |
See also
- Combined Artists
- DStv
DStv is MultiChoice's multi-channel digital satellite TV service in Africa, launched in 1995. It operates from two satellites over Africa, broadcasting on Ku band via Eutelsat W7 and Intelsat 7 , which only requires a small satellite dish...
- Multichoice
MultiChoice is a South African company which operates the DStv satellite television service, the main satellite TV service in Sub-Saharan Africa. It was formed out of the subscriber-management branch of the M-Net terrestrial pay TV company, and broadcasts the full range of M-Net channels on the...
- M-Net Literary Awards
The M-Net Literary Awards were established in 1991 by M-Net , a commercial television station based in South Africa. It is among South Africa's most prestigious literary honors...
- List of South African television series
External links