COMPANY TOWN ANNEX

Cable Ad Income Soars 19.3%: Advertising revenues at basic cable networks rose to $3.7 billion last year, gaining ground on network rivals, the Cabletelevision Advertising Bureau said. Cable won new customers, particularly in sports and children’s programming, as demand drove network ad rates to new highs and strong early-season buying locked some advertisers out of the market. They sought cable spots as an alternative to the costly and hard-to-get network spots. Declining viewership rates during the fall season also tended to push sponsors away from networks and into cable. Network ads rose a scant 2.8% to about $12 billion last year, according to industry figures. The New York-based cable group said ads are likely to top $4.1 billion in 1996.