P. M. BRIEFING : Congressmen Assail TV Barrier

U.S. congressmen today complained to European officials that a plan to limit the broadcast of American and other foreign-made TV programs amounted to “just a plain old trade barrier.”

The legislators, part of an 11-member delegation, wound up a five-day trip with a stop in Brussels to visit the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the European Community.

Rep. Richard A. Gephardt (D-Mo.) said the legislators held a “spirited exchange” with officials of the 12-nation trading bloc about the new measure that presses local TV stations to air a majority of European-made entertainment programs.

“We feel very strongly about this issue,” said Gephardt. “It’s especially troubling for Americans to see a product that we do have some skill in . . . and some advantage, to be closed down to any extent,” he said.

Rep. Howard L. Berman (D-Panorama City) said, “It’s a question of access in one of the few areas where the United States has maintained a positive balance of trade.”