FACING FACTS

AIDS consciousness has come to cable: HBO plans a video guide called “AIDS: Everything You and Your Family Wanted To Know . . . But Were Afraid to Ask,” to be hosted by Surgeon General C. Everett Koop.

Planned as an hour “informational special” in October, it will be based on Koop’s recent report on AIDS. Also featured will be Asst. Secy. of Health Robert E. Windom and Dr. Gary Rollin Noble, the Public Health Service’s AIDS coordinator. Filming will start shortly.

“We know both from our own research and from the media that there is a great appetite for complete, accurate, direct information about AIDS, and HBO seemed the perfect source for such information,” said Bridget Potter, HBO sr. v.p. for original programming. She said that a cable service can be “more direct and explicit” than commercial TV networks.