FIRST OFF . . .

A House committee approved legislation Tuesday to reimpose limits on commercials in children’s TV shows and require broadcasters to provide quality TV programs for young viewers or lose their licenses. The House Energy and Commerce Committee, on a voice vote, sent the Children’s Television Practices Act to the full House, where it is expected to pass easily. Congress passed the same bill last year but President Reagan let it die without his signature. Authors of the new bill say it is designed to stop the “overcommercialization” of children’s TV shows by reinstituting limits on the amount of ads that can be shown on such programs. The Federal Communications Commission in 1974 limited commercials to 9 1/2 minutes per hour on such shows but repealed those limits in 1984. Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) last week said some stations have increased their ads to as much as 12 to 14 minutes per hour on such shows since 1984, while the average amount of advertising on adult shows is only about 8 minutes per hour. The bill limits ads to 12 minutes per hour on weekdays and 10 1/2 minutes per hour on weekends. It also requires TV broadcasters, before their licenses can be renewed, to demonstrate their commitment to quality programs for children. A companion measure has been introduced in the Senate.