TV & VIDEO - Aug. 21, 1989

ABC News, acting within hours of CBS News’ Friday announcement of a weeklong series of reports on the nation’s drug crisis, appears to be trying to beat its rival to the punch, albeit murkily. CBS’ reports, on the “CBS Evening News” and “CBS This Morning,” start on Sept. 11. ABC News said it will make a “division-wide effort,” centering around President Bush’s Sept. 5 speech on the drug problem, “to give a sense of the entire spectrum of the drug problem in the country.” But ABC, having said its push will continue from “sign on to sign off,” didn’t give a start date or say which of its news programs will carry the drug reports. Details will be announced later, it said.