FIRST OFF . . .

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences added seven new names to its Hall of Fame Wednesday. Roone Arledge, Fred Astaire, Perry Como, Joan Ganz Cooney, Don Hewitt, Carroll O’Connor and Barbara Walters--who between them have won a roomful of Emmys--will be inducted this fall in ceremonies that will be taped for airing on Fox Broadcasting. Accompanying the announcement of the honorees were comments on why they were selected: Arledge, for creative work and innovative quality in sports and news programming during his 30 years at ABC; Astaire, for making a classic transition from theatrical motion pictures into Emmy-winning television specials, and outstanding dramatic acting versatility; Como, “one of the most popular singers and variety hosts” in the history of television; Cooney, for her dedicated service as chief executive officer of Children’s Television Workshop, which she co-founded in 1968; Hewitt, the executive producer of “60 Minutes,” for his outstanding 40-year career with CBS News; O’Connor, for turning Archie Bunker “into a global icon that opened new dimensions of American television comedy”; and Walters, “acknowledged worldwide as one of television’s most respected interviewers and journalists.”