Jonovision
"Jono's Psychic Fair"

Paul Bowser

"Jonovision" ( http://www.tv.cbc.ca/jono/) is a CBC Canada talk show geared toward teenagers. On November 10, they aired a show called "Jono's Psychic Fair". The stage was set up with small tables. Each table had a different "psychic" giving a reading to a volunteer from the audience. There was a palm reader, a tea leaf reader, a tarot card reader, an astrologer, an "aura" reader, and a "channeler". All gave vague readings that would apply to any teenager. The tea leaf reader, whose volunteer was a large football-player type wearing a Nike logo across his shirt, told him "you like athletics, you would like to receive a college scholarship". Amazing. The most ludicrous was the "channeler", who reclined on a La-Z-boy lounger while his wife summoned spirits "from the 28th dimension" to dispense answers to questions from the audience. He told one boy, who asked when he would die: "there is a 76.3 percent chance that you will die in your 76th year".

Throughout the program there was no hint of any skepticism from the host, who asked banal questions like "how long have you been a psychic" or "could I become a psychic" of each guest. Nor was a skeptic present to debunk the demonstrations. The absence of a skeptical viewpoint was particularly dismaying because of the youthful audience, but also because the host, Jonathan Torrens, formerly hosted another CBC kids program called "Street Cents" ( http://www.halifax.cbc.ca/streetcents/) , which teaches a skeptical viewpoint on consumer affairs!

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