COMPANY TOWN : Networks Sell Record $4.3 Billion in ‘Upfront’ Advertising Season : Television: The 18% increase for the 1994-95 period reverses years of lackluster growth.

The four broadcast networks, after several years of lackluster advertising growth, have rung up $4.3 billion in the “upfront” advertising selling season, an increase of 18% over the past year and better than the previous record set in 1990-91.

Network executives were surprised at the demand by advertisers, who usually commit to buying advertising a year in advance. The current upfront selling season covers the period from the fall of 1994 through the summer of 1995.

The big winners appear to be ABC and Fox, both of which posted increases of up to 9%. Fox sold $700 million worth of ad time, up from $550 million last year. “It was more than good,” Fox Inc. Chairman Rupert Murdoch said. “I’d say it was a lot better than that.”

Network TV advertising is usually linked to the state of the national economy and is a measure of how advertisers feel about future consumer spending habits, as well as a reflection of recent corporate performance. All present signs are highly encouraging.

The nationwide recession of the early 1990s slowed the growth of the major broadcast networks, which in turn hampered their ability to spend money on programming and other investments. In recent years, cable TV and syndication have also cut into network advertising.

But in the recently concluded TV season, cumulative ratings for basic cable TV dropped below their year-ago level, while the ratings for network TV rebounded somewhat.

Industry analysts say the erosion in network viewing is slowing now that cable is a mature business.

“It’s the largest upfront market in history,” said Marvin Goldsmith, president of sales and advertising for ABC TV Network. “The national economy is going well, businesses are expanding and advertisers have recognized the value of network TV to move their product.”

Typically, the networks sell advertising time in “packages,” mixing in hits such as ABC’s “Roseanne” or NBC’s “Seinfeld” with lower-rated shows. The networks sell about 70% to 75% of their advertising in the upfront market, holding back the remaining time to sell in the “scatter” market later in the season.

Industry executives said ABC has so far sold about $1.35 billion in prime-time advertising for next season, followed by CBS with $1.2 billion and NBC with about $1.1 billion.

Last year, the four networks sold $3.6 billion in prime-time advertising.

Although CBS has been the No. 1-ranked network in prime-time ratings, ABC attracts a greater segment of the key 18-to-49-year-old audience that advertisers are willing to pay a premium to reach. Fox can also charge higher rates because it attracts more hard-to-reach young adults.

Among the big network TV spenders this year are the auto, fast-food and telecommunications companies, as well as the movie studios, said Joe Abruzzese, executive vice president at CBS. “There’s been a lot of pent-up demand.”

Network executives said one of the reasons for the big jump in this year’s ad sales was the absence of the Winter Olympics, which diverted as much as $200 million last year. Olympic advertising is sold separately and is not counted among upfront sales.