Daily News from New York, New York • 156

HE SICKER DOW JONES 132.65 10,787.80 NASDAQ 74.87 2,564.98 B. Smith's eatery needs new home ood queen and TV hostess Barbara Smith is searching for a new location for her popular theater district after a falling out with her partner, Ark Restaurants' Michael Weinstein. Smith said she's closing B. Smith's, at W. 47th Street and Eighth -JtLr i- 1 Avenue, because she and Weinstein were unable to renegotiate a partnership agreement that expires at the end of the year.

Robert Johnson, head of BET, to announce Internet venture. BET set to unveil Net plan LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION a- ft It It was not amicable," she said. Smith complained that Ark, a national restaurant company with $117 million in sales last year, took advantage of her during their 10-year arrangement. "Over the years it's been a very bad deal," she said. Smith also tried and failed to buy control of the site from Weinstein, who has the long-term lease.

But she contends he put too high a price on it because of the revitalization of nearby Times Square. Smith who also operates a B. Smith's restaurant along the water in Sag Harbor, Long Island said she is looking for space in midtown for a new restaurant about the same size as the Eighth Avenue eatery, which has 140 seats in its main dining room and space for private parties and special musical events upstairs. Weinstein declined to comment on the details of the breakup, but said he wishes Smith well. "I enjoyed the relationship," he said.

"They were successful and we were successful." In the latest link between en tertainment companies and the Internet, Black Entertainment Television is expected today tc announce details of an online venture with Microsoft, USA Net works and other media giants. The companies are expected to jointly develop an online project dedicated to African American and urban audiences. Black Entertainment Televi Sources said the rising media star is eying a penthouse atop a swank co-op on 86th between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue, said to be worth more than $1 million. The move is surprising because Stephanopoulos spared no expense in decorating his apartment, which was even featured in Architectural Digest. However, Stephanopoulos, who was spotted in front of the 86th St.

building late yesterday, told a source he was renting there, not buying. HILF1GER EXPANSION Tommy Hilfiger, the high-flying fashion company, is continuing to gobble up space on 39th Street. The trendy manufacturer, headquartered in the 16-story building at 25 W. 39th has leased of space at 42 39th St. for offices and showrooms, a company spokeswoman said.

Tommy Hilfiger also recently took additional space at 35 39th St. The company's annual sales now exceed $1.6 billion, thanks to its acquisition last year of Pepe Jeans USA. "The company is growing significantly," the spokeswoman said. sion provides cable programing ranging from movies to comedy specials. With chairman Robert Coke looking to pay up for past commercials Coca-Cola and the Screen Actors Guild are searching for about 180 people who appeared in Coke advertisements as far back as 1953 and are owed residual payments for the work.

The issue arose in 1996 when the world's largest soft drink maker began running old ads at its World of Coca-Cola attractions in Atlanta and Las Vegas and at its retail store in Manhattan. After an actor in one of the ads complained about not being paid, the union and the company began hunting for others in the same position. Payments could range from $50 to $2,000 per actor. If a performer can't be located, the actor's money will be given to the SAG Foundation. Losses lowered Sunbeam, still seeking to recover from a 1998 accounting scandal, narrowed its losses in the latest quarter to $46.9 million, or 47 cents a share, from a loss of $344 million, or $3.41, in the year-ago period.

Analysts were expecting a loss equal to 33 cents a share, but the stock traded up 3 a to $6.31. Revenues in the latest quarter rose 14 to $661 million. Nearly a year and a half ago, before Sunbeam became tainted by the accounting scandal, its shares peaked at $52. The '98 quarter's losses were aggravated by onetime charges biamed on accounting and inventory practices under ousted chief exec Al (Chainsaw) Dunlap. a turnaround specialist known for deep job cuts at old-line industrial companies.

Seeds of change Reacting to Wall Street's recent chilly reception to Internet initial public offerings, Garden.com is delaying its Wall Street debut. It is the latest in a number of skittish technology companies to put a stock issue on hold. The Texas-based company, which sells plants and gardening equipment over its Web site, had hoped to raise more than $45 million in the offering. Garden.com officials had no comment. Though about 30 IPOs were planned for this week, many companies are delaying, cancelling or reducing the size and price of their offerings after demand by investors began fading last week.

Political edge Politics.com has purchased competing Web site PoiiticalJunkie.com. The site, officially launched on Election Day last year, is listed in the top 1 of sites on the Web by Alexa Internet, a subsidiary of Amazon.com. The site, which has never been advertised, receives approximately 100,000 visits per month. It has more than 1,000 links including 90 newspapers, over 100 political columnists, most governor's offices, and information on 17 declared and undeclared Year 2000 presidential candidates. Terms weren't disclosed.

18M toy deal Online toy vendor eToys signed a three-year, $18 million marketing deal with America Online that expands the agreement the two have had since '97. AOL will give eToys top billing as a retailer of children's products on certain parts of its online service, and eToys will be the exclusive retailer in parts of AOL's children's service. AOL closed up 73 a at $92.37, while eToys rose to $31.37. Johnson, parent company BET Holdings is one of the leading black-owned-and-operated me dia and entertainment compa nies in the U.S. Microsoft, the software giant has been looking to get more in volved in projects involving con CHARLEY 0-NO Another stormy relationship in the restaurant business has ended: Madison Square Garden has refused to renew the Riese Organization's lease of Charley O's and is replacing it with a steak-house run by Restaurant Associates, sources said.

There has been a history of bad J. I IkL tent. Another partner includes USA Networks, which owns the USA, Home Shopping and Sci-Fi cable channels. Erica Garcia Stocks get tech boost DAVE CHECKETTS Led by the technology sector. stocks rallied yesterday after the Federal Reserve's monthly economic report showed no broad increase in inflation with just scattered signs of a rise in 1 1 wages.

The Nasdaq composite index heavily weighted with tech stocks, jumped more than 3 adding 74.87 points to 2,564.98. The Dow Jones industrial aver blood between Dennis Riese, the head of the restaurant company, and Madison Square Garden president Dave Checketts. In 1997, Riese unsuccessfully sued the Garden after Checketts revoked the Riese family's mid-court season tickets for Knicks and Rangers games. He charged that Checketts was being spiteful because Riese would not agree to his proposed changes to a Beefsteak Charlie's restaurant in the Seventh Avenue arcade leading into the arena. Since then, the Beefsteak Charlie's has been taken over by Vomado Realty.

The closing of Charley O's severs the only remaining Riese relationship with the Garden. Riese declined to comment. Barry Watkins, a spokesman for Checketts, said the decision not to extend the Riese Organization's lease "had nothing to do with personalities." He wouldn't confirm plans to open a steakhouse. STEPHANOPOULOS ON THE MOVE Former Clinton aide George Stephanopoulos might need a whole bunch of empty boxes. A source said the author and ABC political commentator has signed a contract to sell his Riverside Drive apartment, less than three years after plopping down $550,000 for his bachelor pad.

age rose 132.65 points tc 10,787.80. The 500 gained 20.50 to 1,301.93. The techs were bolstered Intel and Cisco Systems. Intel surged 414 to $76 amid optimism that personal comput er sales will be strong in the sec ond half of the year, benefiting the world's largest computer chip maker. Alter reporting strong profits late Tuesday Cisco shares jumped 4Ji6 tcl $62.93.

Cisco is the world's larg est maker of computer network ing equipment. News Wire Services!.