• The Indie Caucus, a group of a dozen independent filmmakers, wrote an open letter Monday to Washington, D.C.’s WETA, criticizing the network’s practice of scheduling its documentary programs outside of primetime. The letter applauded Dawn Porter, Indie Caucus member and director of the Black History Month doc Spies of Mississippi, for opposing the station’s decision to schedule her film in a late-night weekend time slot.
• Raytheon Co. and Boston’s WGBH announced a new initiative today to support adoption of Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) in K-12 classrooms across the country. Teaching NGSS Engineering Design Through Media will use WGBH children’s programming, including Design Squad and Nova scienceNOW, to show students that engineers “invent, design and create things that matter.” The initiative’s content will be streamed through the PBS LearningMedia service.
• New guidelines on the use of the Sesame Street brand in a national campaign to encourage kids to eat fruits and vegetables are slated to be released March 31. A two-year agreement will allow the Produce Marketing Association’s community of growers, sellers and retailers to use Sesame Street‘s brand without a licensing fee. Sesame Workshop and the PMA joined the Partnership for a Healthier America initiative last October.