Street Cents

You may not realize it - but Street Cents has been around for a long time. Over the years it has grown and evolved. Here's a quick look at how it got started…

In 1988 CBC Halifax produced a "pilot"- a kind of test-episode that was used to gauge the program's appeal to the audience. The show was called "Money Penney."

Here's a clip - and watch closely!

If Money Penny was a hit with viewers, CBC said it would give the show the go-ahead to make 12 more episodes.

Needless to say, a lot was riding on that one episode.

It was a hit. The name Money Penny was changed and Street Cents was born.

And, as it turns out, there's still one person here at Street Cents who likes to take credit for Money Penny's success.

Check out that clip again.

Do you recognize the girl in the middle? It's Street Cents host Kim D'Eon. She's the 12-year-old in the middle. Kim says she always knew she wanted to be a Street Cents host.

"I thought it was my big break," says Kim. "Yeah, for sure, I knew TV was my calling at that point!"

Kim remembers humbly approaching John Nowlan, Money Penny's producer. "I went up to him in my little lispy voice and said, 'if you ever need any help again, just call me.' He didn't."

But, as Kim points out, it didn't matter. "I'm here now!"

To keep the series commercial-free, Street Cents forged partnerships with government departments, foundations and private industries interested in programming for youth.

And season after season the show has stayed commercial-free.

Sure, we've changed our look a few times over the years, but Street Cents continues to inspire, provoke and go to bat for the youth of Canada.

Over the seasons the show has been made up of dramatic elements and funny sketches, combined with reports from the field. For the first dozen seasons our hosts were based in a TV studio in Halifax. Now, everything we do comes to you from the real world - from the schools, streets, shops and restaurants where you hang out.

And a lot of talent has come through Street Cents over the past thirteen years. To name only a few…

Jonathan Torrens, who hosted the show for seven years, went on to host his own talk show/sketch comedy called Jonovision. He now has a new comedy series on CBC called Jonathan Cross's Canada. He's also appeared in movies and other television shows, including Trailer Park Boys.

Demore Barnes hosted Street Cents for three years and then went on to land a leading role in the CTV drama series The Associates. He's been nominated twice for Gemini awards for his performance in that series.

Benita Ha, also a former Street Cents host, has made a number of TV appearances on shows like The Outer Limits, The X-Files and Madison.

Anna Dirksen went on to study journalism, and graduated from Columbia University in New York. She is now a reporter for CBC TV in Montreal.

Street Cents has won its share of national and international awards, including an International Emmy.

If you have any comments or questions about the show, send us an e-mail at streetcents@cbc.ca

Listen to the Streetcents Theme.

Download the MP3.

Click here for info and pics of Connie, Kim and Darryl.

Click here to read about the International Emmy and other awards Street Cents has won