FIRST OFF . . .

Responding to pressure from political organizations, the Fox Broadcasting Co. has begun making inquiries about the cost of subscribing to the network feed for Sunday night’s 90-minute presidential candidates’ debate between Vice President George Bush and Gov. Michael Dukakis. But Fox officials stressed Thursday that no decision has yet been made to pick up the debates, which both political parties wish to have seen by as many people as possible. Costs are a factor, says Kim Montour, executive producer for special events for Fox, as are potential number of viewers Fox could reach by providing alternative TV fare to those uninterested in the debate. Meanwhile, Montour, Fox President Jamie Kellner and other sources at Fox reiterated Thursday that the network has no intention of preempting its Sunday entertainment lineup, which is on the seven Fox stations and 122 affiliates around the country, reaching 86% of the nation’s 90.4 million TV households. Fox might offer the debate on a tape-delayed basis to its seven owned stations, but no one at Fox could comment on that possibility Thursday.