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Street Cents
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Street Cents was a TV show for adolescents that aired on CBC Television, produced in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It was one of a few shows focused on consumer and media awareness for young people. The series was developed by John Nowlan, and he cites Short Change as one of the inspirations for Street Cents. SC won several Gemini Awards and even an International Emmy for Best Youth Programming or Series. The series was lauded by critics for its efforts to be inclusive and representative of Canada's youth.
Like CBC's Marketplace, the show aired without commercial interruption, because the producers did not want the bias of advertising revenue to affect the potential criticism of the advertisers' products and/or services. The show promoted safety and ethics and action while empowering young people.
In August 2006, the network airing Street Cents, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, decided to cancel the series, as its target demographic, teens and preteens, have shown a decline of viewership. The last episode aired October 1, 2006.
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Originally, there were 3 hosts, and a sneaky agent named Ken Pompadour (played by Brian Heighton) and various small hedgehogs named after coins, and a pot-bellied pig. Ken was a weak willed lackey for the "evil" corporation BuyCo, which always sold inferior, overpriced and shoddy products, and marketed how great their products were in a stereotypical parody fashion. Eventually, Ken's boss (whose face was never seen) died over Aruba, and Ken got promoted to the head of BuyCo. As boss, Ken's image changed completely, as he was cool, wore all black leather (including pants), had a goatee, and always was able to snap his hand to reveal an item for dramatic effect. He also had his own team of lackeys or "yes men". Since Brian Heighton left the show, the BuyCo storyline completely disappeared, and the show became less story oriented.
By the ninth season, Street Cents took on a more news-magazine style while maintaining a focus on empowering young people to make their own educated decisions about the media and products they consume. Despite being based in Halifax, the show still maintained its efforts to include all of Canada in the segments it produces by featuring segments from across Canada in each episode. During the final few years, the show has also expanded by featuring segments on various teen issues such as divorce, interracial dating and eating disorders.
- What's your beef? (Viewers send letters, phone calls, and emails to be investigated by the hosts or a guest viewer.)
- Fit for the Pit (An inferior product, which the producers believe is not worth paying for, for whatever reason, is dramatically tossed into a fiery pit inside the Street Cents studio.)
- Me Inc. (A profile about a teenage entrepreneur who works hard to create a niche business that benefits the teenager and is ethical.)
- Street Test (Real teenagers/children test out a variety of products blindly to see which one is the best. The most expensive and/or marketed is usually not the best, and is sometimes the worst.)
- Streeters (Person on the street interviews with adolescents/teenagers. Usually airs at the beginning and at the end of the show.)
- Jamie Bradley
- Benita Ha
- Brian Heighton as Ken Pompadour
- Jonathan Torrens