Business: Indicator of the Week

Despite widespread predictions of a further slowdown in the economy, companies that advertise on television are betting that consumers will still have a lot of money to spend in the months ahead.

All three networks report that their prime advertising time for the fall season is more than 90% sold and, according to the weekly Broadcasting, ad time is extensively sold into next year as well.

Prices have been especially high for the fall, and the discounts that network salesmen traditionally proffer to sweeten the deals have been small. One minute of commercial time on CBS's All in the Family had a record list price of $128,000; a minute on NBC's Sanford & Son commanded as high as $90,000; and a minute on ABC's Marcus Welby, M.D. cost $76,000. Total prime-time advertising sales so far in 1973 are running 15% ahead of last year. Says Mike Weinblatt, NBC-TV vice president of sales, the record bookings are a "vote of confidence" in the economy.