South Africa Edition 2

Since 2000, the team has taken Carte Blanche
to viewers across Africa. Under the leadership of
current executive producer George Mazarakis,
the show has grown ever stronger, acquiring the
international recognition it deserves.
In its years of “active duty”, Carte Blanche
has taken South Africans through the incredible
changes the country has undergone - from the
release of Nelson Mandela to the massively
celebrated “Ten Years of Democracy”. Always,
it has remained true to its audience by bringing
facts without prejudice.
THE PRODUCT
“You have the right to see it all” is the very core
value of the Carte Blanche brand. The programme
is a current affairs magazine show with a strong
entertainment bent, carrying an average of four
stories per episode. Items vary greatly in subject
matter and may include matters of social and
environmental importance, juxtaposed against
issues such as the war in Iraq, and global scams.
The programme has been recognised for its
coverage of human rights issues and its broad
scope ensures there’s something to match most
interests in every show.
With a brief story life and a short production
cycle, the Carte Blanche team goes where others
fear to tread. Twelve core producers and 20
non-core producers get the facts right and the
emotional balance required for intense viewing,
creating a following that may discuss the issues
for weeks after the show.
A recent show investigated a so-called
“Angel” who had been interviewed on Carte
Blanche before and lauded for her work among
disadvantaged South African children. Where
others may have tried to save face, Carte Blanche
announced to the country that it had been wrong:
the “Angel of Soweto” had subsequently been
accused of fraudulently receiving funds from
around the world - including donations from
Oprah Winfrey and the American National
Basketball Association. Such follow-ups are a
Carte Blanche hallmark.
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
A promotional video, “You have the right to see it
all”, flighted recently on M-Net and various DStv
channels, bringing a warm public response.
Carte Blanche’s content team has grown
to enable producers and researchers to get
stories early and keep the content topical and
entertaining.
The show has always cultivated a strong
audience bond with its presenters. Derek Watts
and Ruda Landman have carried the show since
1988, with Devi Sankaree Govender joining in
2002 and John Webb in 2004. Each brings his
or her own flavour to the mix. Carte Blanche
presenters are well known by the South African
public, and - as the “faces” of Carte Blanche -
are well trusted. A new addition to the team is
Bongani Bingwa, who is working in the field
locally as well as being the anchor presenter for
Africa.
PROMOTION
Carte Blanche promotes itself to its target market
in several ways, including on-air promotions
across the analogue and multi-channel pay
station DStv platforms and through the following
mediums:
• Specialist trade magazines
• Newspapers
• Magazines
• Radio stations
• Outdoor - electronic billboards
Radio ads on a Friday connect with business
people traveling home from work to give them
a brief insight into that Sunday’s show. Another
effective strategy has been to run excerpts from
that night’s show on Sunday from 5pm, leading
up to the actual broadcast at 7pm.
Being the station’s flagship programme, Carte
Blanche is always a feature of M-Net’s generic
advertising.
BRAND VALUES
When Carte Blanche says, “You have the right
to see it all”, the statement epitomises values
viewers have come to expect from the show:
• Honesty, courage and objectivity as the ideals
of Carte Blanche
• Challenging convention
• Fresh, cutting-edge news and views
• Trust, innovation and passion for the truth
• Real stories about real life
Viewers rely on Carte Blanche to offer
“edutainment” - intriguing (if sometimes
shocking) facts that can give rise to broader
perspectives. The promise that the show makes
to its viewers is that it offers in-depth reporting,
the full story, and their right to know the truth.
Carte Blanche aims for professional
investigative journalism with actuality and indepth
features of highest quality. It is committed
to acting in the best interests of all the people of
South Africa.
The show’s logo has a high recognition
factor among South African television viewers.
Always bringing reliable, credible reporting
to its audience, the Carte Blanche brand offers
consistency and reliability.
The Carte Blanche mission statement is:
• Carte Blanche aims to provide professional
investigative journalism with actuality reports
and in-depth features of the highest quality
• Honesty, courage and objectivity are our
ideals
• We resist the usual, and challenge
convention
• We transcend borders and strive to open minds,
stimulate debate, and nurture understanding
and tolerance
• All this we do with the conviction that our
audience has the right to see it all
THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW
ABOUT CARTE BLANCHE
Carte Blanche is a firmly established
institution in the lives of television
viewers, not only in South Africa, but also
across some 44 countries on the African
continent
Carte Blanche has won 105 awards from
1989 - 2007
Carte Blanche is the flagship show, and
one of the most watched programmes on
M-Net
Carte Blanche was the first show in South
Africa to have a website and the first
current affairs show to launch interactive
television
The Biggest Sex Survey in South Africa
was conducted by Carte Blanche in 2005
and garnered 63 000 responses
Carte Blanche is often granted exclusive
interviews which have included people
such as Tony Blair, Mikhail Gorbachev
and many more