time period, expressed in days, from the day of deposit until funds are credited to an account's collected balance, are available for spending or investment. Funds availability is determined by average clearing time, allowing for mail float and federal reserve float.
broadcast time period available for purchase for a commercial message. When it has been determined by the media planner (who is frequently the media buyer as well) where an advertiser will best profit from commercial placement, he or she will contact the station or the station's sales representative and ask for Avails (the time periods that are available). The station or rep will then supply the buyer with a list of these time slots, together with prices and estimated ratings of the shows in or around the available times. The ratings, and thus the prices, are based on the most recent ratings of the shows, as reported by the rating services.
