FIRST OFF . . .

It’s nyet from Moscow on a CBS News request for an interview with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev during his visit to Washington next month. The Soviets denied the request because of the network’s coverage of Afghanistan and a human-rights question posed by Dan Rather during a press conference two years ago, CBS said. ABC reported it is still waiting for a response to its request for an interview, and a spokesman for NBC News said that “it has nothing to announce” regarding its request for a one-on-one interview with Gorbachev when he meets with President Reagan. CBS News President Howard Stringer sent a letter to Gorbachev, telling him that CBS News was “shocked and disappointed” by the turndown and asked him to reconsider.