Two new television shows examine the impact on children of violence--on the street and on screen.
The Nickelodeon cable channel looks at the topic of television violence in a special edition of its “Nick News’’ show, entitled “Are You What You Watch?’' The half-hour show was to air Oct. 18 at 8 P.M. (Eastern and Pacific times). It will also air next week on the 169 regular television stations that carry “Nick News’’ in syndication.
The special includes interviews with network executives and the children’s-TV advocate Peggy Charren. The newswoman Linda Ellerbee is the moderator.
Street violence affecting young people is the focus of the Oct. 28 edition of “The Merrow Report’’ on the Public Broadcasting Service. The education correspondent John Merrow is the host for the monthly PBS show, formerly called “Learning Matters,’' which examines education issues.
The “Caught in the Crossfire’’ edition of the show looks at the impact of violence on one New York City neighborhood, including a visit with a woman who has lost three sons to street violence. Another segment looks at the effort of one young man to break out of the cycle of violence by attending a prep school in New England.
The show will be scheduled by local PBS stations, so viewers should check listings.
The Home Box Office cable channel this month is airing a 90-minute documentary about a year in the life of an inner-city elementary school.
“I Am a Promise: The Children of Stanton Elementary School’’ looks at a Philadelphia school where nine out of 10 pupils come from single-parent families with incomes below the poverty line.
The documentary focuses on several students, such as a 10-year-old girl who is a gifted writer but has parents who are both addicted to crack, and a 7-year-old boy who has seen his mother working as a prostitute on a street near the school.
The documentary was produced by Alan and Susan Raymond, who have made others for HBO’s “America Undercover’’ series. The special debuted earlier this month and was to be repeated Oct. 19 and 28. Viewers should check listings for times.
Barbara Bush, who as First Lady championed efforts to boost literacy, will continue to push literacy and reading when her children’s-radio program, “Mrs. Bush’s Story Time,’' returns to ABC Radio on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 25.
The show features Mrs. Bush reading children’s stories with such celebrity guests as the actor Ben Kingsley and the singer Harry Connick Jr. Four specials will air between Thanksgiving and the New Year’s holiday.--M.W.
