A Primary Coverage Primer : Television: ABC and NBC plan specials on New Hampshire results. CBS stays with Olympics.

Only ABC and NBC of the Big Three networks are planning special programs focusing on the New Hampshire presidential primary tonight. CBS, which is broadcasting Olympics coverage from 8 to 11 p.m., plans at least two updates during prime time and a third during its 11:30 p.m.-midnight Olympics wrap-up. The network will also provide another update to affiliates for use during their late local newscasts.

Cable News Network will have reports beginning at 2:30 a.m. Bernard Shaw and Catherine Crier will anchor continuous live coverage during “Prime News” at 5 p.m. and “World News” at 7 p.m. “Crier & Co.” will broadcast from New Hampshire at 8:30 a.m. “Inside Politics ‘92” will broadcast from Manchester, N.H., at 1:30 p.m. Live reports are also due at 9 and 9:30 p.m.

“For us, the Olympics changed the equation somewhat because we’re committed to this major (Olympics) coverage, but we’ve worked out things very well with sports,” a CBS News spokesman said. “We’re in constant touch with them and worked out a schedule where we can get information on the air as quickly as possible and still be committed to the Olympics.”

In 1988, ABC aired New Hampshire primary coverage at midnight after devoting all of prime time and 11:30 p.m.-midnight to the Olympics. CBS and NBC each devoted an hour of prime time to the ’88 New Hampshire primary and ended up with the week’s two least-watched prime-time programs on the three major networks. ABC’s Olympics telecast was the week’s most-watched show.

From New York, Tom Brokaw will anchor NBC’s (Channels 4, 36 and 39) “Decision ‘92: The New Hampshire Primary” from 10 to 11 p.m. Analysts weighing in will include John Chancellor, Democratic political consultant Bob Squier and former George Bush media adviser Roger Ailes.

ABC (Channels 7, 3, 10 and 42) is preempting “Nightline” for “The ’92 Vote: The New Hampshire Primary” from 11:30 p.m.-12:15 a.m. Peter Jennings and David Brinkley will anchor from New York, with Jeff Greenfield, Cokie Roberts and Jim Wooten in New Hampshire.

C-SPAN, cable’s public affairs network, will air coverage from WMUR-TV, New Hampshire’s only network affiliate, from 5-7 p.m., followed by a two-hour nationwide call-in show. Local stations sending reporters to New Hampshire for on-scene coverage include KCBS Channel 2 (Bob Jimenez), KNBC (Linda Douglass) and KABC Channel 7 (John North). KCOP Channel 13’s Bill Press will deliver his nightly commentary from Manchester.