B-to-b ad spending is slow to recover; Overall spend grows 9.6%, led by internet advertising,...

Byline: KATE MADDOX

Ad spending is bouncing back in 2004, according to several recent studies, with b-to-b spending slowly picking up.

In the first quarter, overall ad spending reached $31.5 billion, up 9.6% over ad spending in the first quarter of 2003, according to a June report by TNS Media Intelligence/CMR.

Almost all media, with the exception of national spot radio, grew during the first quarter. Growth was led by Internet advertising, which increased by 28.1% to $1.8 billion, according to TNS/CMR.

"The Internet has emerged as a ma