Gauge from TV ads hints of good year for industry

If television is any indicator of economic activity, there's a good year ahead for American industry.

According to James E. Duffy, president of the ABC Television Network, in a speech before the Jacksonville, Fla., Downtown Rotary Club, more new products and brands are being introduced on television in the coming months than ever before. Monitor TV critic Arthur Unger reports that prime-time buying is showing a three-network gain of 22 percent, for a total of $2 billion, compared with the same time last year. Mr. Duffy said that the television industry has ''never been healthier and more in demand,'' despite the nation's economic uncertainties and the competition from cable.