FIRST OFF . . .

European Community ministers Tuesday in Brussels agreed to devote “where practical” a majority of air time to European programs and prevent “television without frontiers” from flooding viewers with sex, violence and “cheap series” from the United States. Agreement was reached by a majority of the 12-nation bloc, despite opposition from West Germany, Denmark and Belgium over secondary matters. An average of more than 70% of fiction programs shown on Community screens are imported, with more than half coming from the United States. With satellite technology enabling broadcasters to beam programs across borders, the ministers wanted to set common standards for TV.