Backch@t explained

Num Episodes:	75
Network:	TVNZ
Country:	New Zealand
Presenter:	Bill Ralston
Executive Producer:	Dave Gibson
Runtime:	90 minutes (1998-1999) 60 minutes (2000)
Camera:	Multiple-camera setup
Company:	Gibson Group
Producer:	Gordon Harcourt

Backchat (stylised as Backch@t) is a New Zealand arts and culture show that aired from 1998 until 2000 on TV One.^{[1] [2] [3] [4]} The show was hosted by Bill Ralston with movie reviews by Chris Knox.^{[5] [6]} It had won Best Lifestyle Programme at the New Zealand Film and Television Awards for all the years that it aired.^{[7] [8] [9]} It also won Best Television Media Programme at the 1999 Qantas Media Awards.^{[10] [11] [12] [13]}

Background

First aired on 22 March 1998, Backch@t looked at the arts and culture through a broad current affairs lens with each episode focusing around panel discussions, magazine-style segments, topical interviews and film, music and book reviews.^{[14] [15]}

Each episode was initially 90 minutes long and screened at 12:00pm on Sunday afternoons, with a repeat screening at around 10:30pm that night. Within two years, the show was reduced in duration to an hour long and screened at around 10:30pm on Sunday nights.^{[16] [17]}

Backch@t ended on 20 August 2000 and ran for a total of 75 episodes over its three-year run.^[18] It was produced by the Gibson Group for TVNZ with funding from NZ On Air.^[19]

Reporters included Mark Crysell^[20] (1998–2000), Miriama Kamo^[21] (1998–2000) and Jodi Ihaka^[22] (2000).

Notes and References

1. Web site: NZ On Air 2000. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20190122171859/https://d3r9t6niqlb7tz.cloudfront.net/media/documents/local_content_report_2000.pdf . 22 January 2019 .
2. Web site: Ralston goes from making news to running it. 3 August 2021. NZ Herald. en-NZ.
3. Web site: Ralston edited out of frame at retro Metro. 3 August 2021. NZ Herald. en-NZ.
4. Web site: Matthews. Philip. 28 October 2000. Ch@t lines. 3 August 2021. New Zealand listener (1994), 28 October 2000; v.176 n.3155:p.28-29; issn.
5. Web site: 1 July 2009. Chris Knox may not walk again after stroke. 25 October 2021. Stuff. en.
6. Web site: 9 August 2011. ScreenTalk: Bill Ralston. 4 August 2021. The Big Idea. en.
7. Web site: TV: Gosh, didn't that year on Backch@t whiz by. 25 October 2021. NZ Herald. en-NZ.
8. Web site: 14 October 2008. Gibson Group. 3 August 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20081014135136/http://www.gibson.co.nz/production/entry/backcht/behind_the_scenes. 14 October 2008.
9. Web site: 1 September 1998. Everybody's talking. 3 August 2021. Architecture New Zealand, Sep/Oct 1998; p.114-118; issn.
10. Web site: Screen. NZ On. Gordon Harcourt NZ On Screen. 3 August 2021. www.nzonscreen.com. en.
11. Web site: 18 February 2010. Super logo needed for supercity. 3 August 2021. Stuff. en.
12. Web site: TV: Talk turns serious over Bachch@t's demise. 4 August 2021. NZ Herald. en-NZ.
13. Web site: Sidelined drama sweeps local TV awards. 25 October 2021. NZ Herald. en-NZ.
14. Web site: Wichtel. Diana. 11 April 1998. Top of the Bill. 3 August 2021. New Zealand listener (1994), 11 April 1998; v.163 n.3022:p.71; issn.
15. Web site: Television and Radio – The University of Auckland Library. 25 October 2021. www.media.library.auckland.ac.nz.
16. Web site: Daza . Backch@t (1998-99) . 2024-03-07 . Kiwi-TV . en-gb.
17. Web site: 2024-03-08 . TV: Talk turns serious over Bachch@t's demise . 2024-03-07 . NZ Herald . en-NZ.
18. Web site: 2024-03-08 . Ralston goes from making news to running it . 2024-03-07 . NZ Herald . en-NZ.
19. Web site: 2024-03-08 . TV: Gosh, didn't that year on Backch@t whiz by . 2024-03-07 . NZ Herald . en-NZ.
20. Web site: STUDENT PROFILE: MARK CRYSELL .
21. Web site: 2024-03-08 . Miriama Kamo: Not just a Sunday girl . 2024-03-07 . NZ Herald . en-NZ.
22. Web site: Screen . NZ On . Credits Backch@t Series Television NZ On Screen . 2024-03-07 . www.nzonscreen.com . en.