TV Tonight

Money for Jam

m4j2Things I learned from Money for Jam:

- If your workmates all make lunch for the boys instead of buying take away you’ll save enough money in a year to fly to Disneyland.

- If you fill out online surveys you can get paid quick cash on the side.

- Scott Cam has to appear in just about every show that Shelley Craft is in.

- The National Australia Bank has stitched up a nice little branding deal with the Nine Network.

- Anything’s got to be better than another week of Australia’s Perfect Couple.

Ok, I might have learned a few helpful bits along the way too, but I’m not sure they were particularly insightful or any more informed than a quick segment on any current affairs show. Still that hasn’t stopped Better Homes and Gardens from booming week after week either.

Money for Jam is Nine’s latest infotainment show designed to give viewers recession-busting tips and uncover some unique small business ideas that have separated themselves from the pack. It’s headed up by former Money host Paul Clitheroe, Deputy Editor of PBL’s ‘Money’ magazine Effie Zahos, and Nine resident personalities Shelley Craft and Shane Crawford.

The format of the show moves swiftly through several stories of varying length, with one of the four presenters on hand to brighten up our gloomy world in crisis. Segments also vary in terms of their financial benefit from saving a few bucks in your week to creating home business ideas.

Former AFL champ Shane Crawford tells us he has ‘bounced back’ plenty of times, which presumably is the extent of his financial knowhow given he didn’t allude to anything else (would he therefore have fallen flat on his face a few times too?). Thankfully his story on a guy who has created a range of clothing with inbuilt stubby holders and bottle openers had an original idea -even if it was rather flippantly packaged. Again this is something we’d see in 4 minutes on current affairs footnoted with a clever pub crawling pun by the host.

It was at least more inspiring than the ridiculous “lunchbox challenge” proposed by Shelley Craft who took a bunch of tradies -one of whom just happened to be Scott Cam- and got them to each make lunch for their mates one day a week instead of all buying take away. Well bugger me. After several supposedly comic minutes of twisties on a bun and salad sandwiches the gang realised they had apparently saved a few bucks. A pity the segment producer hadn’t realised if you’re going to make the guys look like they’ve lived through a week try not to film them wearing the same dusty shirt with the same dusty marks?

Effie Zahos’ segment on a booming cupcake business was better. The stories of real people building something from imagination and determination is where this show works best. Lightweight hints enacted by presenters with slight financial cred are a bit of a worry….

Clitheroe also doesn’t do enough in the premiere episode. He doles out a few tips on tax and savings but it just doesn’t feel like much meat and bones when he clearly has the ability to carry it off. This is the Getaway of financial advice, with sexy music and bite size hints supered on the bottom of the screen.

Ironically this show goes to air in the same climate that sees Nine pushing to meet its debt payments, but Clitheroe didn’t seem to have any hot tips for David Gyngell this week. Probably a lot more jam required than selling a few cupcakes there….

The National Australia Bank is also heavily embedded into this show, with an advertiser offer to viewers to switch banks and get a low credit rate that expires at midnight on the night of the show, and a NAB expert online after the show for viewer advice.

In the closing credits it says, “Thanks to NAB for their services provided under commercial arrangement.”

It also said, “This programme is produced as an information service. It contains general information and has been produced without taking account of any person’s objectives, financial situation or needs. This program should not be relied upon as a substitute for specific financial advice.”

Especially when it involves Scott Cam making twisties on a roll?

3_starsMoney for Jam premieres 8pm Wednesday on Nine.

39 Comments to “Money for Jam”

  1. bron says:

    really disappointed that you are following the trend and showing how ‘easy’ it is to win competitions and yet again Sherry will be on the screen. We are sick of it. We are sick of Sherry, Andrew and Craig. How about doing some research and finding out how hard and frustrating comping can be and interview some regular compers instead of the ones conning people into spending money to buy their books and pay to join their website? All you are doing is giving them free advertising and presenting marketing disguished as a story. Look up some Free comping sites and speak to real people on there. Yes our members have some big wins, and a lot have little wins but it’s nowhere near as easy as all these stories try to portray. Its damn hard work!

  2. Illawarra says:

    Hi,
    Totally agree with most of the comments. I was really looking forward to this show and have been bitterly disappointed. Not one good idea to be found. Channel nine would have been much better off producing a show that had a team of experts helping individual people, couples, families with their financial problems. Giving real people real solutions. We all could have learnt something from such a show. I’m sure Money for Jam will not last long.

  3. David Knox says:

    Already answered below.

    Please check comments before making me repeat myself? Thanks.

  4. Mary says:

    How can i get in touch with jeremy samson my son has asberger and life for him is very hard.

  5. David Knox says:

    It’s produced in house by Nine. Try their Factsheets.

  6. julie says:

    how does one find a contact no for jeremy samson his appeal to the asberger kids seems to work well would like more info on his fitness first outlets. thanks

  7. tardis3 says:

    I still can’t get past the story they had on episode 2. You drive around your neighbourhood picking up furniture from the naturestrip that is just sitting there for free. And this furniture is in mint condition – ready for sale with no faults. You then load it into your tray van (that you hired for the occasion) and take it to a second hand furniture shop where the guy comes out to have a look …. greets you like you are old friends … then proceeds to offer you $60 for this, $200 for that, $150 for the other and you get $1,000 before you know it.

    This must be some sort of alternative reality universe.

  8. Astrid Boulton. says:

    Thank you for the opportunity Shane Crawford to show my son Toby on TV, doing exercises with Jeremy Samson. Toby’s running and co-ordination is better and he has more zest for life! How do I keep him interested in running and moving; big problem.!!
    The money for jam program has given me quite some good (saving) ideas. Great!

  9. Mike, love this show, great ideas. would it be possible to get the address or email address of the company runing the scooters towing the advertisements behind them. I have a full motorbike licence, for many years now, and ride a kawasaki 1000cc.,

    regards Mike.

  10. tommy says:

    how do i find out about the suit in my area??..

  11. kay brymer says:

    I really love the show. What great hints to make money for jam.

  12. Akunak Cakap says:

    Re Jed’s comment – ‘Scott Cam, Shane Crawford, Shelley Craft. Nuff said’. I concur wholeheartedly.

    More middle of the road, middle Australia, Anglo Saxon mediocrity from Nine.

  13. Tim says:

    im the same as stan…. anyone know what that song is???

  14. Paul says:

    So the guy in the dog suit got paid in cash and no tax taken out.Should be more jobs like that!

  15. David Knox says:

    Esther TV Tonight isn’t part of Nine….

  16. Dear Sir/Madam,

    I notice on last night program there is the possibility of jobs for those with a motor cycle license.

    I have been riding motor bikes/scooter since 1980 (
    Sydney) and last year purchased another motor scooter. My license is current and update (I checked with the police prior to purchase) and have re-read all the books and road rules yet again (2008).

    I would like to link to that job of going around in a group of (3) around. They show that the scooter (red) were pulling advertising behind them.

    Thanking you in advance.

    By the way – I love the program and as you can see I am paying attention.

  17. stan says:

    does anyone know the song that is played in the commercial for money for jam?

  18. Heléna says:

    tanked Amy :)

  19. Studley Dudley says:

    No advice on shoplifting, yet again

  20. amy says:

    was mostly crap… but what was the name of the clothing line that had bottle openers in them. the money for jam website was useless to say the least!

  21. John says:

    - Scott Cam has to appear in just about every show that Shelley Craft is in.

    Hahahaha. Talk about over exposing two people…

  22. Gabby says:

    Thought Paul Clitheroe had retired? Ohhh yeah… the GFC must have reduced the earnings he made as a financial planner so he’s trying to make a million again! I watched the ‘Money’ special he did in 2006, and have repeatedly asked why he couldn’t run that again. I got lots of help from that show – even tracked down one of the reporters (Carmel ) who runs a budgeting company. She got me out of trouble big time and taught me how to get in front. I’ll watch the show but I think your review has told me that I’ll be wasting my time

  23. matthew says:

    frankie

    can’t post links (comments policy)

    google rewards central, pureprofile, valued opinions

    As Andrew says you’ll only make $50 a year

    matt

  24. Straight Shooter says:

    Great review … sounds like a total commercial sell out of a subject matter that should be treated with more depth, sensitvity and far less commercial hype.

    I take my money very seriously … and given Nine’s current fiscal position, it’s obvious they don’t.

    I would have expected much more from those involved on the credibility front too … especially if they have devised some poorly thought out segment that is a blatant attempt to flog people more credit card debt.

    Shame Channel Nine … Shame.

  25. Boy Wonder says:

    “Money For Jam”. Now I have heard some incredibly bad names for tv show but this takes the (jam) cake. Whoever is making decisions at 9 must be on some serious pharmacuticals.

  26. frankie fox says:

    thanks to everyone about paid surveys, i guess its true there is no free lunch

  27. Andrew says:

    wow that’s amazing, make your lunches at home to save bucks… had never thought of that… perhaps they should call the show Money For Dummies??

    And online surveys… yeah been there, done that… not really the sort of stuff you could fund your mortgage repayments from! You’d only get a couple of dollars here and there and even those sites are feeling the financial bite themselves and cutting back on their payouts…

    How many episodes are they going to make of this ‘entertainment’?

  28. RichoTB says:

    I take it this means they’re keeping the double 2.5 men on Wednesdays.

  29. Ruth says:

    Loved the review David !
    Didn’t watch the show and certainly won’t be watching now. Methinks Ch Nine thinks we are all idiots who must be re-educated.

    Re: Online Surveys for extra pocket money. I have been doing these online for several years and if you choose carfully there are several good ones. However you are lucky to make $50.00 a year. ……not really worth the time as Matthew has already commented.

  30. Zambora says:

    If Channel 9 stopped paying ridiculous salaries to “talentless folk”
    If Channel 9 stopped warehousing “talent”
    If Channel 9 actually had a person in programming department with commonsense…then Channel 9 might have some viewers.
    Do I win ??

  31. frankie fox says:

    Mathew i have been trying some of these paid survey sites and of most them are bogus , can you suggest any real and safe sites

  32. Jed says:

    Scott Cam, Shane Crawford, Shelley Craft. Nuff said

  33. matthew says:

    Yea you do get paid for online surveys but you get $2-$4 for 30 minutes of your time.

    So your looking at $4-$8\ hour and its a intense hour, So you have to weight up do i spend 1 hour doing a leisure activity or doing i earn peanuts answering online surveys

    matt

  34. Bass says:

    Why do some celebrities insist on being an ‘everyman type’. I had to laugh about the “Former AFL champ Shane Crawford tells us he has ‘bounced back’ plenty of times” What? A former footballer who was making nearly $1 Million a year from football, isn’t this the same Shane Crawford who had a writeup in this past week’s Sunday Herald Sun about expecting to get $1.6 Million from the sale of his St Kilda Apartment? Geez, I’d love to be able to bounce back from even half that!… gimme a break.

    Hey Shane, try earning less than $50,000 (a year not a week/fortnight) like the other 90% of the population, trying to break into a housing market, driving a crappy Korean car and having to save for a rainy day just in case you lose your job in the current ecomonic environment on top of the other usual expenses that the rest of us in the real world have to battle.

    With any luck people will see through this lame attempt, its bad enough we have a Rich Labor PM patronising us using terms like “mate” and “fair shake of the sauce bottle” trying to appear like an everyman whilst the wife is out there adding to her $200 million empire. I’m not against anyone being succesful, just don’t try to then patronize everyone with crap like that.

  35. Richard says:

    Channel 9, you’re a bit late! From all reports, the recession is just about over and we are on the way up again!

  36. mikeys says:

    Nice crit – so good in fact that I won’t be watching… There’s already enough shows with short, snipped together segmenets with questionable ‘new’ infomation on TV as it is…

  37. Rob says:

    Make a sound decision by changing banks in the middle of the night after a long day at work. There is never a shortage of sharks targetting those who may be vulnerable is there.

  38. Craig says:

    Do we get paid to watch it?

  39. Ted says:

    Should have been called “State The Bleedin` Obvious”

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