Daily News from New York, New York • 4

DAILY NEWS, TUESDAY, MARCH 18 1380 4 is US9 RlinsddJ si veteran newsman, would neither confirm nor deny they've already come to an agreement William Small, president of NBC News, said: "If he's made up his mind, he still hasnt indicated it to me. It (Mudd's decision) is still in abeyance." And Richard Salant, vice-chairman of the board of NBC, told The News: "I hope you're right It's a big decision for Roger to make and I think he's sitting it out" Salant said he has been calling Small every day to find out if an agreement has been reached. Both he and Small said they admire Mudd's work and would welcome him aboard. Would he become the anchorman for Nightly Small, who conceded they've discussed any number ofpossibilities, said: "John Chancellor is the anchorman now and may be for some time." Chancellor, however, has indicated in the past that he would like to step up, not down, and take on different network assignments. Commentary was his No.

1 choice before David Brinkley was handed the job and Chancellor became a single anchor. The change was not, however, especially to Brinkley's liking. It was no secret that Mudd was hurt and angry after Rather was picked to replace Cronkite. This was indicated in a statement he released which read: "The management of CBS News has made a decision on Walter Cronkite's successor to its present values and standards." Yesterday Mudd refused to comment on I'affaire Rather. "Maybe somewhere down the road I will, but not now." By KAY GARDELLA Television Editor of The News The television industry was rife with rumors yesterday that news correspondent Roger Mudd, a veteran of CBS News since 1961, is on the verge of signing a lucrative, five-year deal with NBC News.

His CBS contract expires early in 1981. "It depends upon what you mean by on the verge," said Mudd yesterday. "When all the wires have been pulled out of the wall it takes time to make a decision. I won't be making one for at least a couple of weeks." Mudd, passed over by CBS when Dan Rather was named successor to Walter Cronkite as anchorman on the "CBS Evening News," has had offers from several directions, he said, including NBC and ABC But the Daily News learned yesterday NBC is the favored network. Mudd would not confirm or deny that this is where he's headed.

He did say that he would stay in broadcasting, and not, contrary to one report, go into teaching. "It's nice to be wanted," he commented." Mudd has-been given all the time he wants by CBS News to plan his future strategy. In a meeting with William Leonard, president of CBS News, a week and a half after Rather was named Cron kite's succesor, Leonard told Mudd he could remain at the network and do anything he wanted to do anything, of course, but anchor the "CBS Evening News." He has not been going into the office since. NBC executives, anxious to land the 1 I i ft jj UJI Roger Muddmvoutd he rather switch? Stallone lick graiarEds oseveit tranra rlderi By RICHARD EDMONDS Despite a tumultuous protest over the filming of "Hawks," starring Sylvester Stallone, bitterly divided residents of the close-knit state housing development on Roosevelt Island were told yesterday that their aerial tramway to Manhattan will be shut down to accommodate producer Martin Poll's shooting schedule but only during business hours tomorrow through Friday and all day Saturday. The arrangement, hailed as a compromise by officers of the island's residents association, will allow operation of the tram for commuters during the morn i i -5 1 I v.

a j. 'J it- a T-r vl 1 "v' i i- vv is by the state's Urban Development the island's landlord, that the filming would take place concurrently with a shutdown of the. tram for a major maintenance operation. Then, at the last moment he said, "the parts failed to arrive from Switzerland." He said that Poll and the urban corporation were his hosts at a luncheon at an East Side restaurant in January at which they described the tram contract between the state agency and Universal Pictures. The state expects to receive taxes from $600 million worth of movie commitments from "Hawks" and other films shooting in New York City.

Reports woman spits at Stallone David Ozerkis of VSL a private contractor that operates the tram, refused to talk to reporters yesterday. At an angry protest rally Sunday night, residents shouted Stallone down when he attempted to defend the tram's closing. Pasha Gray, 18, of 575 Main St on the island, said: "One woman spat at him." Poll said yesterday: "I'm in the middle of a problem that was not created by me. You cannot do 80 of a film and not have an end of it" Theodora Sklover of the state's Office of Motion Picture and Television Development, who brought UDC and Universal Pictures together for the tram contract said yesterday: "We could have just shut the tram down for weeks without notifying anybody; but we chose not to do it that way." Carbonetti said bus service into Manhattan through Queens would be available for the duration of the shutdown. mew.

jj 1 ing and evening rush hours before 9 am. and after 4 p.m. The shooting of the movie, which depicts a terrorist takeover of the tram with residents as hostages, was supported yesterday by Roosevelt Island Residents Association president Louis Car-bonetti, who said that the association's executive board had decided that inconveni Sylvester Stallone UPI Cops give her a new title ence to residents would be outweighed by Poll's donations to the island's youth program. "If it takes people calling me a prostitute who sold out for $20,000 for our youth, then I'm happy with that," Car-bonetti said. He reported that he had been informed Delia Leslie, Miss Greek Tourism 1979, has been named by Athens police as one of 15 "wonderful-looking girls" involved in a call-girl ring.

Women, including two Americans known as Black Aphrodite and Jamaica, allegedly pocketed up to $500 a night at "Roman-style orgies" featuring cocaine and champagne, staged for wealthy Greek and Arab businessmen in Greek luxury hotels. ii firewater Ms sqbd Sfi Pat JIMMY HEELED The milkman was having a drink while the waitresses were setting the place up for the day. "Maureen, are you pregnant?" Kitty, one of the waitresses, said. "Not at all," Maureen said. "Then you can work like the rest of us," Kitty said.

"You'll have a great day today," Gerry Toner, the owner, said. "You think forward to it?" Kitty said. Toner turned his back to her. "Next time you see me, don't even talk to me," he said. "And I won't" Kitty said.

I had walked out of the subway and into the place, the Green Derby, on Second Ave. off 52d St, for coffee and some morning reading, which this time was a New York Daily News newspaper from Jan. 20, 1977, the day Jimmy Carter was inaugurated in Washington. The newspaper carried ads for boneless beef roasts at $1.10 a pound; today they are $3.29. Loose-leaf filler was 200 sheets for 69 cents; the price now is $1.59.

Sliced bacon was 99 cents a pound; today it is $1.69. Navel oranges, 12, for -li fbeynow, are four for The proprietor said that for his big holiday party on St Patrick's Day in 1977, a few weeks after Carter's inauguration, he charged $1.50 for. beer and $2 for liquor. For yesterday's party, he was charging $25 for beer and $3.50 for whisky. "Do you want to pay for the corned beef Tm putting out?" Toner asked.

"No." "Neither do he said. Toner threw himself onto the bar and pulled another beer for the milkman. "The oil is causing the whole thing. And they can't do a thing about it?" "Carter has a plan to tax imported oil," he was told. "Ten cents a gallon, is it?" Toner said.

"It is supposed to come to $4.65 for each barrel of crude imported by a refiner." "That's the big boys, Exxon and Mobil and the like Toner said. "Yes." "And how much oil do they import?" "They report that they import 8,800,000 gallons a Thin-sliced veal cutlets were $2.78 a pound; today they're $8, and up to $10. A STUDIO APARTMENT AT Lefrak City was $175; now it is $255. A two-bedroom apartment at Lefrak was $278; now it is $425. The subway was a quarter; now it is a half dollar and going up.

A house mortgage was 8H, a personal loan for one year 9. Mortgage rates now are 16V4; personal loans today 14. A Pontiac Grand Prix was now it is $8,900. The Daily News newspaper Was 15 cents ad ihow it is" a quarter. tw'.