Nickelodeon, the cable-television network for children, has packed its schedule with pro-environment programming this month in conjunction with its Kids World Council meeting, a three-day conference on environmental issues at the network’s studios in Orlando, Fla.
The Children’s Earth Fund’s “Plan It for the Planet’’ campaign is the theme for the April 16-18 meeting, which will examine ways in which children can help the nation reduce carbon dioxide emissions and help make sources of renewable energy popular.
Nickelodeon is promoting the meeting with shows such as “Letters to the Earth,’' a half-hour collection of remarks from children around the world about the environment. The show airs at 6 P.M. Eastern time on April 17 and will be repeated several times later in the month.
Linda Ellerbe, the host of “Nick News W/5,’' will produce and host a half-hour “Nickelodeon Special Edition: Plan It for the Planet,’' to air at 8 P.M. on April 17.
“Learning Matters,’' the monthly Public Broadcasting Service show that addresses education issues in a news-magazine format, has its first corporate underwriter.
Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. begins its support for the series this month, joining foundations such as the Pew Charitable Trusts, the Lilly Endowment, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, and the Rockefeller Foundation.
The series is co-produced by South Carolina Educational Television and the American Community Service Network.
The host of the program is John Merrow, the former education correspondent of the “MacNeil/Lehrer News Hour.’'
Viewers should check local listings for “Learning Matters,’' which local PBS stations fit into their schedules at their discretion.
PBS has renewed “Ghostwriter,’' the weekly children’s mystery series that promotes literacy, for a second season.
PBS has committed $1.8 million for 24 new episodes of the show, which is produced by the Children’s Television Workshop.
The television series has received generally high marks from a number of educators and television critics. The show features a multicultural cast of children who solve mysteries with the aid of a ghost, who communicates clues through reading and writing.
“Ghostwriter,’' which made its debut last fall, has been accompanied by classroom materials, a weekly newspaper feature, magazines, and a series of paperback books.
More than 120,000 children have written to the show, with many saying it is the first time they have written a letter, PBS said.--M.W.
