New Usage of "Availability"

[Shapiro, Fred]

I haven't researched how old this usage is, but I notice on cnn.com the following usage of "availability":

* Mike Huckabee is in Wisconsin, where he attends rallies and hosts media availabilities in Madison, La Crosse, Rothschild and Green Bay.
* John McCain holds a media availability in Burlington, Vermont, and a rally and media availability in Warwick, Rhode Island.

Fred Shapiro

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org