coverage orig. U.S.
(ˈkʌvərɪdʒ)
[f. cover v.1 + -age.]
The act or fact of covering; the area, range, number, etc., that is covered by something; spec.: a. The aggregate of risks covered by an insurance policy. Also attrib.
| 1912 Agents' Record (Hartford, Conn.) 17 June, There will be nineteen policyholders disillusionized and disgusted with the limited coverage contract. |
b. The area within range of a radio or television transmitter; the number or percentage of people able to receive broadcast transmissions. Also, the section of a community that is reached by a particular advertising medium.
| 1930 Proc. Inst. Radio Engin. XVIII. ii. 1627 This transmitter was designed to fill the need for an inexpensive high quality transmitter..where the coverage desired is smaller. 1934 Webster, Coverage (Advertising), the portion of a group or of a community reached by a particular advertising medium. 1937 Discovery Feb. 43/2 Experts..foresee an inland television service in Britain, providing a far greater coverage of the country than is now possible. 1941 Times 22 May (Advt.), Magazines have always given the widest possible coverage, since they are passed on from hand to hand. 1952 Charter of Incorporation in BBC Handbk. (1957) 263 To develop and use..frequencies of more than thirty megacycles a second with a view to extending the coverage..of the Corporation's broadcasting transmissions. 1962 E. Godfrey Retail Selling & Organ. x. 107 The advertisement usually has a national coverage. |
c. The inclusiveness or range of functions of a service, business, industry, etc.
| 1930 Prospectus Press Clipping Service (N.Y.), This superb coverage costs you no more than the average press clipping service. 1933 Planning I. xii. 14 A public concern on the London Transport model, with a wider coverage and no direct municipal affiliations. 1958 Times 25 Mar. (Suppl.) p. xi/3 It [sc. the electronics industry] covers such a wide range of functions..that the problem is to give a clear definition of its coverage. |
d. An amount of money, gold, etc., available to meet liabilities.
| 1931 Daily Express 22 Sept. 1/6 Prohibiting the acceptance of orders in future, except for winding-up purposes and unless they are accompanied by a coverage of 40 per cent. |
e. The act of covering (see cover v.1 15 c) an event, subject, etc.; the extent of reporting by a newspaper, radio station, etc.; reporting.
| 1931 Kansas City Star 19 Nov. 22 It gives its readers thorough coverage on animal news. 1934 BBC Year-Bk. 283 The type of news-giving which..is graphically known in America as ‘spot coverage’; that is to say, the running commentary or eye-witness account broadcast while the event is actually taking place. 1950 Manch. Guardian Weekly 9 Mar. 2 It is an election coverage Mr. White is writing about. 1953 Economist 3 Jan. 13/1 The Soviet radio gave greater radio coverage to this peace congress than to any previous one. 1964 Ann. Reg. 1963 179 The shooting was witnessed by millions of Americans who were watching live television coverage of the prisoner's transference. 1970 Daily Tel. 14 Apr. 1/5 There will be live coverage of the replay on BBC Television. |
f. The range of a lens; the area over which a lens can give a sharply focused image.
| 1936 Discovery Aug. 237/2 These mirrors, mounted at an angle to increase the coverage of the wing lenses, give the camera an unusual appearance. 1961 G. Millerson Telev. Production iii. 31 For any camera, the longer the focal length of the lens it uses, the narrower its coverage or angle of view. |