U.S. Advertising Rises 7.9% to $24.2 Billion

U.S. advertising spending jumped 7.9% to $24.2 billion in the first quarter, fueled by gains in cable television and broadcast TV commercials, Nielsen Monitor-Plus said.

Cable television advertising rose 16% to $4.35 billion and network TV sales increased 10% to $5.7 billion, Nielsen said. Local radio stations had the smallest gain, rising 2.7% to $947 million, while Spanish-language ad sales dropped 13% to $458 million.