UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-K
x | ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2013
OR
¨ | TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
COMMISSION FILE NUMBER 000-26497
SALEM COMMUNICATIONS CORPORATION
(EXACT NAME OF REGISTRANT AS SPECIFIED IN ITS CHARTER)
DELAWARE | 77-0121400 | |
(STATE OR OTHER JURISDICTION OF INCORPORATION OR ORGANIZATION) |
(I.R.S. EMPLOYER IDENTIFICATION NUMBER) | |
4880 SANTA ROSA ROAD CAMARILLO, CALIFORNIA |
93012 | |
(ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICES) |
( ZIP CODE) |
REGISTRANTS TELEPHONE NUMBER, INCLUDING AREA CODE: (805) 987-0400
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each class | Name of the Exchange on which registered | |
Class A Common Stock, $0.01 par value per share | The NASDAQ Global Market |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ¨ No x
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act. Yes ¨ No x
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes x No ¨
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes x No ¨
Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrants knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. ¨
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See definition of large accelerated filer, accelerated filer, and smaller reporting company in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer | ¨ | Accelerated filer | ¨ | |||
Non-accelerated filer | ¨ (Do not check if Smaller Reporting Company) | Smaller Reporting Company | x |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ¨ No x
As of June 30, 2013, the aggregate market value of the registrants common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant was $80,947,771 based on the closing sale price as reported on the NASDAQ Global Market.
Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuers classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date.
Class A |
Outstanding at February 20, 2014 | |
Common Stock, $0.01 par value per share | 19,487,403 shares | |
Class B |
Outstanding at February 20, 2014 | |
Common Stock, $0.01 par value per share | 5,553,696 shares |
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Document |
Parts Into Which Incorporated | |
Proxy Statement for the Annual Meeting of Stockholders | Part III, Items 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 |
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
From time to time, in both written reports (such as this report) and oral statements, Salem Communications Corporation (Salem or the company, including references to Salem by we, us and our) makes forward-looking statements within the meaning of federal and state securities laws. Disclosures that use words such as the company believes, anticipates, estimates, expects, intends, will, may or plans and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, as defined under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements reflect the companys current expectations and are based upon data available to the company at the time the statements are made. Such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations. These risks, as well as other risks and uncertainties, are detailed in Salems reports on Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements made in this report speak as of the date hereof. Except as required by law, the company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements made in this report. Any such forward-looking statements, whether made in this report or elsewhere, should be considered in context with the various disclosures made by Salem about its business. These projections and other forward-looking statements fall under the safe harbors of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act).
All metropolitan statistical area (MSA) rank information used in this report, excluding information concerning The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is from the Fall 2013 Radio Market Survey Schedule & Population Rankings published by Nielson Audio (Nielson) (formerly Arbitron). According to the Radio Market Survey, the population estimates used are based upon the 2010 U.S. Bureau Census estimates updated and projected to January 1, 2014 by Nielsen.
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ITEM 1. | BUSINESS. |
CORPORATE INFORMATION
Salem Communications Corporation (Salem) was formed in 1986 as a California corporation and reincorporated in Delaware in 1999. Salem is a domestic multi-media company with integrated business operations covering radio broadcasting, publishing and the Internet. Our programming is intended for audiences interested in Christian and conservative opinion content. We maintain a website at www.salem.cc. Our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and any amendments to those reports are available free of charge through our website as soon as reasonably practicable after those reports are electronically filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
BUSINESS STRATEGY
Our principal business strategy is to expand our abilities to produce and deliver compelling content as the interactive marketplace evolves so that we are positioned to be the market leader for audiences interested in Christian and family-themed programming and conservative news talk. We offer traditional radio and emerging media, including web-based offerings, magazines, and book publishing throughout the United States. We continually evaluate opportunities to improve our media platform, investing in and building Internet sites, and supporting our publishing operations. Our national presence in each of these mediums provides advertisers and programmers with a powerful integrated platform to reach our audiences.
We are fundamentally committed to programming and content emphasizing Christian values, conservative family themes and news. Our commitment to these values means that we may choose not to switch to other formats or pursue potentially more profitable business opportunities in response to changes in audience preferences.
Broadcast Programming Strategy
Our foundational business is the ownership and operation of radio stations in large metropolitan markets. We believe that we are the largest commercial U.S. radio broadcasting company delivering Christian and conservative opinion content as measured by our number of radio stations and audience coverage. Upon the close of all announced transactions, we will own and/or operate a national portfolio of 103 radio stations in 39 markets, including 62 stations in 22 of the top 25 markets, which consists of 31 FM stations and 72 AM stations. We are one of only three commercial radio broadcasters with radio stations in all of the top 10 markets. We are the sixth largest operator measured by number of stations overall and the third largest operator measured by number of stations in the top 25 markets. We also program the Family Talk Christian-themed talk format station on SiriusXM Channel 131.
Our broadcast business also includes Salem Radio Network® (SRN), a wholly owned national radio network syndicating music, news and talk programs to over 2,400 affiliated radio stations, in addition to those stations that we own and operate. We also own and operate Salem Media RepresentativesTM (SMR) and Vista Media Representatives (VMR), national advertising sales firms with offices in 11 U.S. cities, SRN News Network (SNN), Salem Music Network (SMN), and Solid Gospel Network (SGN). Like SRN, SNN, SMN and SGN are radio networks that produce and distribute talk, news and music programming to numerous radio stations throughout the U.S., including some of our own Salem stations. SMR and VMR sell commercial airtime to national advertisers on our radio stations and our networks, as well as for independent radio station affiliates.
Our broadcast business strategy is to assemble radio station clusters, defined as a group of radio stations operating within the same geographic market. We program our radio stations in formats that we believe target various demographic segments of the audience interested in Christian and family-themed programming and conservative news talk content. Several benefits are achievable when operating multiple radio stations in the same market. First, this clustering and programming strategy allows us to achieve greater access into each segment of our target market, and collectively our stations afford our clients a larger percentage of advertising time in that market. We offer advertisers multiple audiences and can bundle each radio station for advertising sales purposes when advantageous. Second, we realize several cost and operating efficiencies by consolidating sales, technical and administrative support and promotional functions where possible. Finally, the addition of radio stations in our existing markets allows us to leverage our hands-on knowledge of that market to appeal to our listeners and advertisers.
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We program our radio stations in five main formats. Through the strength of our Christian Teaching and Talk format, the influence of our News Talk format, the continued popularity of our Contemporary Christian Music format, growing demand for our Spanish Language Christian Teaching and Talk and interest in financial advice offered on our Business format stations, we believe we are well-positioned to continually improve our leadership role in Christian, family-themed and conservative news talk radio.
Christian Teaching and Talk. Christian Teaching and Talk is our foundational format. We currently program 40 of our radio stations in our Christian Teaching and Talk format, which is talk programming emphasizing Christian and family themes. Through this format, a listener can hear Bible teachings and sermons, as well as gain insight to questions related to daily life, such as raising children to religious legal rights in education and the workplace. This format serves as a learning resource and as a source of personal support for listeners nationwide. In response to our daily block programming, listeners often contact our programmers to ask questions, obtain materials on a subject matter or receive study guides based on what they have learned on the radio.
Block Programming. Our national station platform and focused programming strategy provides us with the ability to sell blocks of airtime within our Christian Teaching and Talk format to a variety of religious and charitable organizations that create compelling radio programs. Historically, more than 95% of our block programming partners renew their annual relationships with us. Based on these renewal rates, we believe that block programming provides a steady and consistent source of revenue and cash flows. Our top ten programmers have remained relatively constant and average nearly 25 years on-air. Over the last five years, block programming revenue has comprised from 40% to 42% of our total net broadcast revenue.
News Talk. We currently program 27 of our radio stations in a News Talk format. Our research shows that our News Talk format is highly complementary to our core Christian Teaching and Talk format. As programmed by Salem, both of these formats express conservative views and family values. Our News Talk format also provides for the opportunity to leverage syndicated talk programming produced by our network, SRN. SRNs nationally syndicated programs are distributed nationally through 2,400 affiliated radio stations. The syndication of our programs through SRN allows us to reach listeners in markets where we do not own or operate stations.
Contemporary Christian Music- The FISH®. We currently program 12 radio stations in a Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) format, branded The FISH® in most markets. Through the CCM format, we are able to bring listeners the words of inspirational recording artists, set to upbeat contemporary music. Our music format, branded Safe for the Whole Family®, features sounds that listeners of all ages can enjoy and lyrics that can be appreciated. The CCM genre continues to be popular. We believe that this listener base is underserved in terms of radio coverage, particularly in larger markets, and that our stations fill an otherwise void area in listener choices.
Spanish Language Christian Teaching and Talk. We currently program eight of our radio stations in a Spanish Language Christian Teaching and Talk format. This format is similar to our core Christian Teaching and Talk format in that it broadcasts biblical and family-themed programming, but it is specifically tailored for Spanish-speaking audiences. Additionally, block programming on our Spanish Language Christian Teaching and Talk stations is primarily local rather than national.
Business. We currently program 10 of our radio stations in a business format. Our business format features financial experts, business talk, and nationally recognized Bloomberg programming. The business format operates similar to our Christian Teaching and Talk format in that it features long-form block programming.
SiriusXM Satellite Radio. Our satellite radio station, SiriusXM Channel 131, is the exclusive Christian Teaching and Talk channel on SiriusXM, reaching the entire nation 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Salem Web Network Online Media Strategy
Salem Web Network (SWN), our Internet business, includes our websites providing Christian and conservative themed content, audio and video streaming, and other resources on the web. SWNs Internet web portals include Twitchy.com, OnePlace.com, Christianity.com, Crosswalk.com®, BibleStudyTools.com, GodTube.com, Townhall.com®, HotAir.com, WorshipHouseMedia.com, SermonSpice.com, GodVine.com and Jesus.org. SWNs content is also accessible through our radio station websites that feature content of interest to local listeners throughout the United States. SWN operates our radio station websites and Salem Consumer Products (SCP), a website offering books, DVDs and editorial content developed by many of our on-air radio personalities that are available for purchase. The revenues generated from this segment are reported as Internet and e-commerce revenue on our Consolidated Statements of Operations.
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Our online business strategy is to build a robust web-based platform designed for audiences interested in Christian and family-themed content and conservative news talk. The Internet continues to change the way in which media is delivered to audiences. Continual advancements with online search engines and social media sites provide consumers with numerous methods to locate specific information and content online. These advancements have also enabled a large number of individuals to create and publish content that may or may not be tailored to that specific consumer. Our talent, including our on-air personalities, provides web-based commentaries, programs, text, audio and video content that we believe to be knowledge-based, credible and reliable. This highly specific web-based content provides our advertisers a unique and powerful way to reach their targeted audiences. We believe that our content is decidedly relevant and valuable with long-term advantages in providing advertisers a useful tool to match their advertisements with our audiences.
During 2013, we acquired Twitchy.com, a website that features selected quotes and current events in U.S. politics, global news, sports, entertainment, media, and breaking news, Christnotes.org, an online Bible resource, and numerous domain names and Facebook communities.
Salem Publishing Printing Strategy
Our production and distribution of Christian and conservative content extends to print media through Salem Publishing. Salem Publishing produces and distributes the following Christian and conservative opinion print magazines: Homecoming® The Magazine, YouthWorker Journal, Singing News®, FaithTalk Magazine, Preaching Magazine and Townhall Magazine. Salem Publishing also includes Xulon Press, a print-on-demand self-publishing service for Christian authors. The revenues generated from this segment are reported as publishing revenue on our Consolidated Statements of Operations.
Our publishing strategy mirrors that of our other segmentsto build and maintain a distribution network targeting audiences interested in Christian and family-themed content as well as conservative news talk. Content from our print magazines is also available on branded websites for each publication.
Audience Growth
The continued success of our business is dependent upon our ability to reach a growing audience. We continually seek opportunities for growth by increasing the strength and number of our broadcast signals, increasing the number of page-views on our Internet platform and increasing the subscriber base of our magazines. To accomplish this, we produce content that we believe is both compelling and of high commercial value based on our market testing and fine-tuning. We rely on a combination of research, marketing, targeted promotions and live events to create visibility and brand awareness in each of our markets. By maximizing our audience share, we achieve higher ratings and page turns that can be converted into advertising revenues. To maximize results, we cross-promote our content on each of our media platforms to enhance our brand names and reach our targeted audiences. We believe that the growth of our media platform provides advertisers with effective methods to reach an expanding audience.
Technical Improvements
We continue to look for technical improvements that expand our broadcasting, Internet and publication footprint. We focus on identifying ways to improve our radio station broadcast signals so that they can reach as many listeners as possible, both during the day and at night. We have completed numerous enhancements to increase the coverage of our signals. We continue to purchase or build websites designed to drive viewers to our content. We have also launched numerous iPhone® applications. All of our radio stations, in addition to some of our web portals, have iPhone® and android applications.
Advertising Sales Professionals
We have assembled an effective, highly trained sales staff responsible for converting audience share into revenue. We operate with a focused, sales-oriented culture that rewards selling efforts through a commission and bonus compensation structure. We hire sales professionals for each of our markets, as well as for our Internet and publishing divisions that are capable of selling integrated or stand-alone advertisements. We provide our sales professionals with the resources necessary to compete effectively in the marketplace. We utilize various sales strategies to sell and market our platforms as stand-alone
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products or in combination with other offerings. We tailor our platform to meet each advertisers needs, including the geographic coverage area, event sponsorships and special features, Internet promotions, e-mail sponsorships, and/or print advertisements.
Marketing Platform to National Advertisers
National companies often prefer to advertise across the United States as an efficient and cost effective way to reach all target audiences. Our advertisers can benefit by gaining access to our audiences through our national broadcasts, print magazines and our Internet portals. We operate a national platform of radio stations that reach more than 3.3 million listeners. Through SMR and VMR, we bundle and sell airtime on this national platform of radio stations, as well as Internet placements and/or print magazine space. We average approximately 140 million page views per month on our websites, produce and distribute over 1 million print and digital magazines each year, and produce over 1 million books and eBooks annually.
Significant Community Involvement
We believe that our ongoing active involvement and our significant relationships within the Christian community provide us with a unique competitive advantage to reach Christian audiences. Our proactive involvement in the Christian community in each of our markets significantly improves the marketability of our advertising space and broadcast airtime to advertisers targeting such communities. We believe that our public image reflects the lifestyle and viewpoints of the target demographic group that we serve. We regularly collaborate with organizations serving the Christian and family-themed audience and we sponsor and support events important to this group. Our sponsored events include listener rallies, speaking tours, pastor appreciation events and concerts such as our Celebrate Freedom® Music Festival and our Fishfest®. Events such as these connect us with our listeners and enable us to create an enhanced awareness and name recognition in our markets. Involvement leads to increased effectiveness in developing and improving our programming formats, leading to greater audience share and higher ratings over the long-term.
Corporate Structure
Management of our operations is decentralized. Our broadcast operations vice presidents are experienced radio broadcasters with expertise in sales, programming, marketing and production. Our broadcast operations vice presidents, some of whom are also station general managers, oversee several markets on a regional basis. We anticipate relying on this strategy of decentralization and encourage broadcast operations vice presidents to apply innovative techniques for improving and growing their operations that may be beneficial in other markets.
Our SWN and publishing operations vice presidents and general managers are located throughout the United States in offices in which our Internet and publishing entities operate. Like broadcasting, these operations are decentralized with each vice president encouraged to apply innovative techniques to the operations that they oversee.
All of our business segments receive executive leadership and oversight from our corporate staff. Corporate staff members have experience and expertise in, among other things, accounting and finance, treasury, risk management, insurance, information technology, human resources, legal, engineering, real estate, strategic direction and other support functions designed to provide resources to local management. Corporate staff oversees placement and rate negotiations for our national block programs. Centralized oversight of our block programming is necessary because our key programming partners purchase time in several of our radio markets.
Recent Events
During the year ended December 31, 2013, we completed or entered into the following transactions:
Debt
On December 30, 2013, we repaid $0.8 million in principal on our current senior secured credit facility, consisting of a term loan of $300.0 million (Term Loan B). We recorded a $3,000 pre-tax loss on the early retirement of long-term debt related to the unamortized discount.
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On September 30, 2013, we repaid $4.0 million in principal on the Term Loan B. We recorded a $16,000 pre-tax loss on the early retirement of long-term debt related to the unamortized discount.
On June 28, 2013, we repaid $4.0 million in principal on the Term Loan B. We recorded a $14,000 pre-tax loss on the early retirement of long-term debt related to the unamortized discount.
On May 3, 2013, we terminated certain subordinated lines of credit that we entered into with Mr. Atsinger, Mr. Epperson and Mr. Hinz pursuant to which Messrs. Atsinger, Epperson and Hinz committed to provide unsecured revolving lines of credit of specified amounts to Salem (collectively, the Subordinated Debt due to Related Parties). There were no early termination penalties and no further amounts owed by Salem as a result of the termination of the Subordinated Debt due to Related Parties.
On March 14, 2013, we entered into the Term Loan B and a senior secured revolving credit facility of $25.0 million (Revolver). We used the proceeds from the Term Loan B and the Revolver to fund the repurchase of our 95/8% Senior Secured Second Lien Notes due 2016 (Terminated 95/8% Notes) pursuant to a cash tender offer launched on February 25, 2013 (Tender Offer), and to retire all other outstanding debt and pay related fees. Upon entry into the credit facility, our then existing revolving credit facilities, indebtedness due to First California Bank, and Subordinated Debt due to Related Parties were terminated. As a result of these terminations, we recorded a pre-tax loss on the early retirement of long-term debt of $0.9 million associated with unamortized bank fees and closing costs.
On March 14, 2013, we tendered for $212.6 million in aggregate principal amount of the Terminated 95/8% Notes for an aggregate purchase price of $240.3 million, or at a price equal to 110.65% of the face value of the Terminated 95/8% Notes in the Tender Offer. We paid $22.7 million for this repurchase resulting in a $26.9 million pre-tax loss on the early retirement of long-term debt, which included approximately $0.8 million of unamortized discount and $2.9 million of bond issue costs associated with the Terminated 95/8% Notes. We issued a notice of redemption to redeem any Terminated 95/ 8% Notes that remained outstanding after the expiration date of the Tender Offer. On June 3, 2013, we redeemed the remaining $0.9 million of the outstanding Terminated 95/ 8% Notes to satisfy and discharge Salems obligations under the indenture for the Terminated 95/8% Notes as of such date.
Equity
On November 20, 2013, we announced a quarterly distribution in the amount of $0.0550 per share on Class A and Class B common stock. The quarterly distribution of $1.4 million, or $0.0550 per share of Class A and Class B common stock, was paid on December 27, 2013 to all common stockholders of record as of December 10, 2013.
On September 12, 2013, we announced a quarterly distribution in the amount of $0.0525 per share on Class A and Class B common stock. The quarterly distribution of $1.3 million, or $0.0525 per share of Class A and Class B common stock, was paid on October 4, 2013 to all common stockholders of record as of September 26, 2013.
On May 30, 2013, we announced a quarterly distribution in the amount of $0.05 per share on Class A and Class B common stock. The quarterly distribution of $1.2 million, or $0.05 per share of Class A and Class B common stock, was paid on June 28, 2013 to all common stockholders of record as of June 14, 2013.
On March 18, 2013, we announced a quarterly distribution in the amount of $0.05 per share on Class A and Class B common stock. The quarterly distribution of $1.2 million, or $0.05 per share of Class A and Class B common stock, was paid on April 1, 2013 to all common stockholders of record as of March 25, 2013.
Acquisitions
On December 10, 2013, we acquired Twitchy.com for $0.9 million paid in cash upon close of the transaction and up to $1.2 million in contingent earn-out consideration payable based on the achievement of future page view targets. Twitchy.com is a website featuring selected quotes and current events centered on US politics, global news, sports, entertainment, media, and breaking news. The contingent earn-out consideration is payable upon achievement of page view milestones over a two year period and has an estimated fair value of $0.6 million as of the closing date. The estimated fair value of the contingent earn-out consideration was determined using a probability-weighted discounted cash flow model. The fair value measurement includes page view forecasts which represent a Level 3 measurement as discussed in Note 7 of the accompanying consolidated financial statement in Item 8 of this report. The fair value of the contingent earn-out
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consideration will be reviewed quarterly over the two-year earn-out period based on actual page views as compared to the estimates used in our forecasts. Changes in the fair value of the contingent earn-out consideration will be reflected in our results of operations in future periods as they are identified. We believe that the followers of Twitchy.com, the established relationships and the assembled workforce provide future economic benefits to us, and we have recorded goodwill of $0.4 million representing the excess value of the Twitchy.com business.
On December 9, 2013, we acquired the EverythingInspirational.com domain name along with fourteen Facebook pages and various other Christian-themed social media intangible assets for $0.4 million in cash. We paid $0.1 million in cash upon closing and will pay the remaining $0.3 million in cash over three installments within 180 days from the closing date. The first installment of $0.1 million was paid on February 6, 2014.
On September 23, 2013, we entered into an asset purchase agreement (APA) to acquire radio stations KDIS-FM, Little Rock, Arkansas and KRDY-AM, San Antonio, Texas for $2.5 million in cash, of which $0.5 million related to the KRDY-AM tower site land in San Antonio, Texas. On December 20, 2013, we closed on the land purchase for $0.5 million in cash. The radio station acquisitions closed on February 7, 2014.
On September 11, 2013, we acquired the GodUpdates Facebook page for $0.3 million in cash, which we paid to the seller on October 22, 2013.
On August 10, 2013, we acquired Christnotes.org for $0.5 million in cash. Christnotes.org is an online bible resource that allows users to search for bible verses and access commentary from biblical scholars. The acquisition resulted in goodwill of $20,755 representing the excess value of the business to us resulting from the integrated business model and services already established that provide future economic benefits to us due to increased web presence that drives viewers to our content.
On February 15, 2013, we completed the acquisition of WTOH-FM, Columbus, Ohio, for $4.0 million in cash. We began operating the radio station under a local marketing agreement (LMA) with the prior owner on November 1, 2012. The accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations reflect the operating results of this entity as of the LMA date.
On February 5, 2013, we completed the acquisition of WGTK-FM, Greenville, South Carolina, for $5.4 million. The $5.4 million purchase price consists of $1.0 million in cash paid upon closing of the transaction, $2.0 million payable in April 2014, and $3.0 million payable in advertising credits to Bob Jones University, a related party of the stations owner. The advertising credits are payable over ten years resulting in a fair value of $2.4 million. The $0.6 million discount on the advertising credits was recorded as a reduction of the fair value and will be amortized to interest expense over the ten year term. We began operating the radio station under a LMA with the prior owner on December 3, 2012. The accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations reflect the operating results of this entity as of the LMA date. We paid the entire balance due on the seller financed note, including accrued interest on September 30, 2013.
Throughout the year ending December 31, 2013, we have acquired various domain names, including ChristianHeadlines.com, as well as other intangible assets including applications associated with our Internet segment for an aggregate amount of approximately $0.2 million.
A summary of our business acquisitions and asset purchases for the year ended December 31, 2013, is as follows:
Acquisition Date |
Description |
Total Cost | ||||
(Dollars in thousands) | ||||||
December 10, 2013 |
Twitchy.com (business acquisition) | $ | 1,536 | |||
December 9, 2013 |
EverythingInspirational.com (asset purchases) | 400 | ||||
September 23, 2013 |
Land, San Antonio, Texas (asset purchase) | 500 | ||||
September 11, 2013 |
GodUpdates (asset purchase) | 250 | ||||
August 10, 2013 |
Christnotes.org (business acquisition) | 500 | ||||
February 15, 2013 |
WTOH-FM, Columbus, Ohio (business acquisition) | 4,000 | ||||
February 5, 2013 |
WGTK-FM, Greenville, South Carolina (business acquisition) | 5,427 | ||||
Various |
Purchase of various intangible Internet assets (asset purchases) | 207 | ||||
|
|
|||||
$ | 12,820 | |||||
|
|
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On January 10, 2014, we acquired the assets of Eagle Publishing, including Regnery Publishing, HumanEvents.com, and Redstate.com, as well as Eagle Financial Publications and Eagle Wellness. We began operating these entities as of the closing date. The base purchase price of the Eagle entities is $8.5 million with $3.5 million paid in cash upon closing, $2.5 million payable in January 2015 and $2.5 million payable in January 2016. Up to an additional $8.5 million of contingent earn-out consideration $8.5 million can be paid over the next three years based on the achievement of certain revenue benchmarks established for calendar years 2014, 2015 and 2016. The contingent earn out consideration will be recorded at the estimated net present value based on a weighted probability of possible payments. Changes in the fair value of the contingent earn-out consideration may materially impact and cause volatility in our future operating results.
Regnery Publishing is a publisher of conservative books that was founded in 1947. Regnery has published dozens of bestselling books by leading conservative authors and personalities, including Ann Coulter, Newt Gingrich, Michelle Malkin, David Limbaugh, Laura Ingraham, Mark Steyn and Dinesh DSouza.
Human Events and RedState are conservative opinion websites that provide news and commentary on issues of interest to the conservative community.
Eagle Financial Publications provides market analysis and investment advice for individual investors from experts that include Mark Skousen, Nicholas Vardy, Chris Versace, and Doug Fabian.
Eagle Wellness provides practical complementary health advice and is a trusted source for nutritional supplements from one of the countrys leading complementary health physicians.
The ownership and operation of Regnery Publishing, Eagle Financial Publications and Eagle Wellness represent new business ventures for us. Human Events and RedState will be operated within our current conservative opinion website operations. We have included additional risk factors in item 1A of this report that we believe are applicable to our business upon acquisition of these entities.
Radio Stations
Upon the close of all announced transactions, we will own and/or operate a national portfolio of 103 radio stations in 39 markets, consisting of 31 FM stations and 72 AM stations. The following table sets forth information about each of Salems stations, in order of market size:
Market(1) |
MSA Rank(2) |
Station Call Letters |
Year |
Format | ||||
New York, NY |
1,19(3) | WMCA-AM | 1989 | Christian Teaching and Talk | ||||
WNYM-AM | 1994 | News Talk | ||||||
Los Angeles, CA |
2 | KKLA-FM | 1985 | Christian Teaching and Talk | ||||
KRLA-AM | 1998 | News Talk | ||||||
KFSH-FM | 2000 | Contemporary Christian Music | ||||||
Chicago, IL |
3 | WYLL-AM | 2001 | Christian Teaching and Talk | ||||
WIND-AM | 2005 | News Talk | ||||||
San Francisco, CA |
4, 35(4) |
KFAX-AM | 1984 | Christian Teaching and Talk | ||||
KDOW-AM | 2001 | Business | ||||||
Dallas-Fort Worth, TX |
5 | KLTY-FM | 1996 | Contemporary Christian Music | ||||
KWRD-FM | 2000 | Christian Teaching and Talk | ||||||
KSKY-AM | 2000 | News Talk | ||||||
KVCE-AM | Pending | Business | ||||||
KTNO-AM | 2012 | Spanish Language Christian Teaching and Talk | ||||||
Houston-Galveston, TX |
6 | KNTH-AM | 1995 | News Talk | ||||
KKHT-FM | 2005 | Christian Teaching and Talk | ||||||
KTEK-AM | 2011 | Business | ||||||
Washington, D.C. |
7 | WAVA-FM | 1992 | Christian Teaching and Talk | ||||
WAVA-AM | 2000 | Christian Teaching and Talk | ||||||
WWRC-AM | 2010 | News Talk | ||||||
Philadelphia, PA |
8 | WFIL-AM | 1993 | Christian Teaching and Talk | ||||
WNTP-AM | 1994 | News Talk | ||||||
Atlanta, GA |
9 | WNIV-AM | 2000 | Christian Teaching and Talk |
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WLTA-AM | 2000 | Christian Teaching and Talk | ||||||
WAFS-AM | 2000 | Business | ||||||
WFSH-FM | 2000 | Contemporary Christian Music | ||||||
WGKA-AM | 2004 | News Talk | ||||||
Boston, MA |
10 | WEZE-AM | 1997 | Christian Teaching and Talk | ||||
WROL-AM | 2001 | Christian Teaching and Talk | ||||||
WWDJ-AM | 2003 | Spanish Language Christian Teaching and Talk | ||||||
Miami, FL |
11 | WKAT-AM | 2005 | Spanish Language Christian Teaching and Talk | ||||
WHIM-AM | 2008 | Christian Teaching and Talk | ||||||
WZAB-AM | 2009 | Business | ||||||
WOCN-AM | Pending | Ethnic | ||||||
Detroit, MI |
12 | WDTK-AM | 2004 | News Talk | ||||
WLQV-AM | 2006 | Christian Teaching and Talk | ||||||
Seattle-Tacoma, WA |
13 | KGNW-AM | 1986 | Christian Teaching and Talk | ||||
KLFE-AM(5) | 1994 | News Talk | ||||||
KNTS-AM(5) | 1997 | Spanish Language Christian Teaching and Talk | ||||||
KKOL-AM | 1997 | Business | ||||||
Phoenix, AZ |
14 | KKNT-AM | 1996 | News Talk | ||||
KPXQ-AM | 1999 | Christian Teaching and Talk | ||||||
Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN |
15 | KKMS-AM | 1996 | Christian Teaching and Talk | ||||
KYCR-AM | 1998 | Business | ||||||
WWTC-AM | 2001 | News Talk | ||||||
San Diego, CA |
16 | KPRZ-AM | 1987 | Christian Teaching and Talk | ||||
KCBQ-AM | 2000 | News Talk | ||||||
Tampa, FL |
17 | WTWD-AM(7) | 2000 | Christian Teaching and Talk | ||||
WTBN-AM(7) | 2001 | Christian Teaching and Talk | ||||||
WLCC-AM | 2012 | Spanish Language Christian Teaching and Talk | ||||||
WGUL-AM | 2005 | News Talk | ||||||
Denver-Boulder, CO |
18 | KRKS-FM | 1993 | Christian Teaching and Talk | ||||
KRKS-AM(6) | 1994 | Christian Teaching and Talk | ||||||
KNUS-AM | 1996 | News Talk | ||||||
KBJD-AM(6) | 1999 | Spanish Language Christian Teaching and Talk | ||||||
Portland, OR |
22 | KPDQ-FM | 1986 | Christian Teaching and Talk | ||||
KPDQ-AM | 1986 | Christian Teaching and Talk | ||||||
KFIS-FM | 2002 | Contemporary Christian Music | ||||||
KRYP-FM | 2005 | Regional Mexican | ||||||
Pittsburgh, PA |
24 | WORD-FM | 1993 | Christian Teaching and Talk | ||||
WPIT-AM | 1993 | Christian Teaching and Talk | ||||||
Riverside-San Bernardino, CA |
25 | KTIE-AM | 2001 | News Talk | ||||
Sacramento, CA |
26 | KFIA-AM | 1995 | Christian Teaching and Talk | ||||
KTKZ-AM | 1997 | News Talk | ||||||
KSAC-FM | 2002 | Business | ||||||
KKFS-FM | 2006 | Contemporary Christian Music | ||||||
San Antonio, TX |
27 | KSLR-AM | 1994 | Christian Teaching and Talk | ||||
KLUP-AM | 2000 | News Talk | ||||||
KRDY-AM | 2014 | Spanish Language Christian Teaching and Talk | ||||||
Cleveland, OH |
30 | WHKW-AM | 2000 | Christian Teaching and Talk | ||||
WFHM-FM | 2001 | Contemporary Christian Music | ||||||
WHK-AM | 2005 | News Talk | ||||||
Orlando, FL |
32 | WORL-AM | 2006 | News Talk | ||||
WTLN-AM | 2006 | Christian Teaching and Talk | ||||||
WBZW-AM | 2006 | Business | ||||||
Columbus, OH |
36 | WRFD-AM | 1987 | Christian Teaching and Talk | ||||
WTOH-FM (formerly WJKR-FM) | 2013 | News Talk | ||||||
Nashville, TN |
44 | WBOZ-FM | 2000 | Contemporary Christian Music | ||||
WFFH-FM(8) | 2002 | Contemporary Christian Music | ||||||
WFFI-FM(8) | 2002 | Contemporary Christian Music | ||||||
Louisville, KY |
53 | WFIA-FM | 1999 | Christian Teaching and Talk | ||||
WGTK-AM | 2000 | News Talk | ||||||
WFIA-AM | 2001 | Christian Teaching and Talk | ||||||
Greenville, SC |
58 | WGTK-FM(formerly WMUU-FM) | 2013 | News Talk | ||||
WOLT-FM | Pending | Oldies |
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Honolulu, HI |
62 | KHNR-AM | 2006 | News Talk | ||||
KAIM-FM | 2000 | Contemporary Christian Music | ||||||
KGU-AM | 2000 | Business | ||||||
KHCM-FM | 2004 | Country Music | ||||||
KHCM-AM | 2000 | Chinese | ||||||
KGU-FM | 2004 | Christian Teaching and Talk | ||||||
KKOL-FM | 2005 | Oldies | ||||||
Omaha, NE |
74 | KGBI-FM | 2005 | Contemporary Christian Music | ||||
KOTK-AM | 2005 | Spanish Language Christian Teaching and Talk | ||||||
KCRO-AM | 2005 | Christian Teaching and Talk | ||||||
Sarasota-Bradenton, FL |
75 | WLSS-AM | 2005 | News Talk | ||||
Little Rock, AR |
83 | KDIS-FM | 2014 | Christian Teaching and Talk | ||||
Colorado Springs, CO |
89 | KGFT-FM | 1996 | Christian Teaching and Talk | ||||
KBIQ-FM | 1996 | Contemporary Christian Music | ||||||
KZNT-AM | 2003 | News Talk | ||||||
Oxnard-Ventura, CA |
119 | KDAR-FM | 1974 | Christian Teaching and Talk | ||||
Youngstown-Warren, OH |
130 | WHKZ-AM | 2001 | Christian Teaching and Talk | ||||
Warrenton, Virginia |
WKDL-AM | 2012 | News Talk |
(1) | Actual city of license may differ from metropolitan market served. |
(2) | MSA means metropolitan statistical area per the Fall 2013 Radio Market Survey Schedule and Population Rankings published by Nielson, excluding the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. |
(3) | This market includes the Nassau-Suffolk, NY Metro market, which independently has a MSA rank of 19. |
(4) | This market includes the San Jose, CA market, which independently has a MSA rank of 36. |
(5) | KNTS-AM is an expanded band AM station paired with KLFE-AM. The licenses for these stations include a condition requiring that one or the other be surrendered by July 15, 2009. However, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is currently permitting these paired expanded band stations to continue to operate beyond the specified surrender date, pursuant to a special temporary authority (STA) granted by the FCC and a request for extension of that STA. |
(6) | KBJD-AM is an expanded band AM station paired with KRKS-AM, which licenses have not been renewed by the FCC. The original license for KBJD-AM includes a condition requiring that one or the other paired license be surrendered by February 20, 2006. However, the FCC is currently permitting these paired expanded band stations to continue to operate beyond their license expirations date pursuant to the pending license renewal applications for those stations, and to continue to operate beyond the specified surrender date pursuant to an STA granted by the FCC and a request for extension of such STA. |
(7) | WTBN-AM is simulcast with WTWD-AM, Tampa, FL. |
(8) | WFFH-FM is simulcast with WFFI-FM, Nashville, TN. |
PROGRAM REVENUE. For the year ended December 31, 2013, we derived 24.2% and 17.8% of our net broadcast revenue, or $44.5 million and $32.6million, respectively, from the sale of national and local block program time, respectively. We derive national program revenue primarily from geographically diverse, well-established non-profit religious and educational organizations that purchase time on our stations in a large number of markets in the United States. National program producers typically purchase 13, 26 or 52-minute blocks of time on a Monday through Friday basis and may offer supplemental programming for weekend release. We obtain local program revenue from community organizations and churches that typically purchase blocks for weekend releases and from local speakers who purchase daily releases. We believe that our management team is successful in identifying and assisting quality local programs expand into national syndication.
ADVERTISING REVENUE. For the year ended December 31, 2013, we derived 34.3% of our net broadcast revenue, or $63.0 million, from the sale of local spot advertising and 7.5% of our net broadcast revenue, or $13.8 million, from the sale of national spot advertising.
Salem Radio Network® and Salem Media Representatives
We own and operate SRN as part of our overall business strategy to develop a national network of affiliated radio stations anchored by our owned and operated radio stations in major markets. SRN, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, develops, produces and syndicates a broad range of programming specifically targeted to Christian and family-themed talk and music stations as well as general market News Talk stations. Currently we have rights to several full-time satellite channels to deliver SRN programs to affiliates via satellite.
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SRN has over 2,400 affiliated radio stations, in addition to our owned and operated radio stations, which broadcast one or more of the offered programming options. These programming options feature talk shows, news and music. The principal source of network revenue is from the sale of advertising time.
We own and operate SMR, a sales representation company specializing in placing national advertising on religious format radio stations. SRN and our radio stations each have relationships with SMR for the sale of available SRN spot advertising. SMR also contracts with individual radio stations to sell airtime to national advertisers desiring to include selected company stations in national buys covering multiple markets. We also operate VMR, a sales representation company specializing in placing national advertising on non-religious radio stations.
We recognize our advertising and commission revenue from radio stations as the spots air. SRNs net revenue, including commission revenue for SMR and VMR, for the year ended December 31, 2013 was $15.4 million, or 8.4% of net broadcast revenue.
Salem Web Network
We own and operate the following Christian and Conservative opinion websites:
Christian Content Websites:
BibleStudyTools.com is a free Bible website for verse search and in-depth studies packed with commentaries, reading plans, and hundreds of helpful resources designed as aids to Bible study.
OnePlace.com is a leading provider of on-demand, online audio streaming for nearly 200 radio programs from more than 185 popular Christian broadcast ministries. Oneplace.com serves as both a complement to and an extension of Salems block programming radio business.
Crosswalk.com® offers compelling, editorial-driven, biblically-based, lifestyle content to Christians who take seriously their relationship with Christ. In addition, Crosswalk provides online devotional content.
GodTube.com is a user-generated video sharing platform for Christian videos with faith-based, family-friendly content.
CrossCards.com provides faith-based, inspirational e-greeting cards for all occasions and holidays.
LightSource.com provides on-demand, video streaming for nearly 85 programs from more than 70 ministry partners.
Christianity.com offers engaging articles and video focused on exploring the deeper, theological issues and apologetics of the Christian faith. It is also a leading provider of online Bible trivia.
Jesus.org offers a comprehensive database of biblical answers to the most common questions about the life and work of Jesus Christ.
iBelieve.com creates editorial-driven, lifestyle content, focused on helping Christian women use personal experience to examine the deeper issues of life and faith.
CCMmagazine.com is the interactive version of what once was the Nashville-based CCM Magazine, which provides information and insight on the Christian music scene.
GodVine.com is an online platform designed to share inspirational, family-friendly video through Facebook and other social media outlets.
ReligionToday.com reports the news of importance to the Christian audience with a headlines blog, persecution updates, Christian worldview commentary, and features on events from the worldwide Christian Church.
Conservative Opinion Websites:
Townhall.com is an interactive community that brings users, conservative public policy organizations, congressional staff and political activists together under the broad umbrella of conservative thoughts, ideas and actions.
HotAir.com is a leading news and commentary site with conservative news and opinions.
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Twitchy.com is a website featuring selected quotes and current events centered on US politics, global news, sports, entertainment, media, and breaking news.
RedState.com and Human Events.com, which we acquired in January 2014, are conservative opinion websites that provide news and commentary on issues of interest to the conservative community.
Salem Church Products Websites:
WorshipHouseMedia.com is an online church media resource, providing creative videos to churches to enhance worship and sermons. In addition, WorshipHouseKids.com provides childrens ministries with products to fulfill their visual needs.
ChurchStaffing.com is a source of job search information for churches and ministries offering a platform for personnel and staff relations. This site allows those seeking employment to submit resumes and view job listings.
ChristianJobs.com provides services catering to the hiring needs of Christian-based businesses, nonprofit organizations, and ministries. The site connects these organizations with thousands of job seekers through its online presence and partnerships with Salems radio stations.
SermonSearch.com is a subscription-based resource for preachers and teachers with preparation materials like sermon outlines, illustrations, and preaching ideas from many of Americas top Christian communicators.
SermonSpice.com is an online provider of church media for local churches and ministries.
In addition, we own and operate websites for each of our radio stations, our print publications, and our national radio talk show hosts including websites for Bill Bennett, Mike Gallagher, Michael Medved, Dennis Prager, and Hugh Hewitt. We also own and operate four websites with Spanish language content.
Our Internet division also includes Salem Consumer Products, which hosts several websites for our audience to purchase Christian and conservative content from our on-air hosts and contributors. These sites include:
| ConservativeStore.com |
| ChristianBookstore.net |
| SRNStore.com |
Beginning in January 2014, we also own and operate Eagle Wellness products. Eagle Wellness provides practical complementary health advice and is a trusted source for nutritional supplements from one of the countrys leading complementary health physicians.
Our revenue generating advertising arrangements include cost-per-click performance-based advertising; display advertisements where revenue is dependent upon the number of page views; and lead generating advertisements where revenue is dependent upon users registering for, or purchasing or demonstrating interest in, advertisers products or services. Revenues from online product sales are recognized when the products are shipped. Total Internet and e-commerce revenue, including SWN, for the year ended December 31, 2013 was $40.9 million, or 17.3% of total revenue.
Salem Publishing and Xulon Press
Our Publishing segment consists of a book publishing business, Xulon Press, and a magazine publishing business, Salem Publishing.
Magazine Publishing:
We publish several print magazines on a monthly or semi-monthly basis. Our publications include the following Christian or conservative publications:
| Singing News® |
| Homecoming The Magazine |
| YouthWorker Journal |
| Preaching Magazine |
| FaithTalk Magazine |
| Townhall Magazine |
Book Publishing:
Xulon Press is a print-on-demand self-publishing service for Christian authors. Beginning in January 2014, we also own and operate Regnery Publishing, a publisher of conservative books and Eagle Financial Publications, which provides market analysis and investment advice for individual investors from experts that include Mark Skousen, Nicholas Vardy, Chris Versace, and Doug Fabian.
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COMPETITION
We operate in a highly competitive broadcast and media business. We compete for advertisers and customers with other radio broadcasters, as well as with other media sources including broadcast and cable television, newspapers and magazines, national and local digital services, outdoor advertising, direct mail, online marketing and media companies, social media platforms, web-based blogs, and mobile telephony devices.
BROADCASTING. Our broadcast audience ratings and market shares are subject to change, and any change in a particular market could have a material adverse effect on the revenue of our stations located in that market. While we already compete in some of our markets with stations that offer similar formats, if another radio station were to convert its programming to a format similar to one of ours, or if an existing competitor were to strengthen its operations, our stations could suffer reduced ratings and/or reduced revenues. In these circumstances, we could also incur significantly higher promotional and other related expenses. We cannot assure that our stations will maintain or increase their current audience ratings and revenues.
Christian and Family-Themed Radio. The segment of this industry that focuses on Christian and family themes is also a highly competitive business. The financial success of each of our radio stations that focuses on Christian Teaching and Talk is dependent, to a significant degree, upon its ability to generate revenue from the sale of block program time to national and local religious and educational organizations. We compete for this program revenue with a number of different commercial and non-commercial radio station licensees. While no commercial group owner in the United States specializing in Christian and family-themed programming approaches Salem in size of potential listening audience and presence in major markets, other religious radio stations exist and enjoy varying degrees of prominence and success in all markets.
We also compete for advertising revenue with other commercial religious format and general format radio station licensees. Our competition for advertising dollars includes other radio stations as well as broadcast television, cable television, newspapers, magazines, direct mail, Internet and billboard advertising, some of which may be controlled by horizontally-integrated companies. Several factors can materially affect competitive advantage, including, but not limited to audience ratings, program content, management talent and expertise, sales talent and experience, audience characteristics, signal strength, and the number and characteristics of other radio stations in the same market.
New Methods of Content Delivery. Competition also comes from new media technologies and services. These include delivery of audio programming by cable television and satellite systems, digital audio radio services, mobile telephony including smart phone applications for iPhone®, Blackberry® and Android®, personal communications services and the service of low powered, limited coverage FM radio stations authorized by the FCC. The delivery of live and stored audio programming through the Internet has also created new competition. In addition, satellite delivered digital audio radio, which deliver multiple audio programming formats to national audiences, has created competition. We have attempted to address these existing and potential competitive threats through a more active strategy to acquire and integrate new electronic communications formats including Internet acquisitions made by SWN and our exclusive arrangement to provide Christian and family-themed talk on SiriusXM, a satellite digital audio radio service.
NETWORK. Salem Radio Network® competes with other commercial radio networks that offer news and talk programming to religious and general format stations and noncommercial networks that offer Christian music formats. SRN also competes with other radio networks for the services of talk show personalities.
INTERNET. Salem Web Network competes for visitors and advertisers with other companies that deliver on-line audio programming and Christian and conservative Internet content as well as providers of general market Internet sites. The online media and distribution business changes quickly and is highly competitive. We compete to attract and maintain interactions with advertisers, consumers, content creators and web publishers.
PUBLISHING. Our print magazines compete for readers and advertisers with other print publications including those that follow the Christian music industry and those that address themes of interest to church leadership and the Christian audience. Xulon Press competes for authors with other on-demand publishers including those focused exclusively on Christian book publishers.
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FEDERAL REGULATION OF RADIO BROADCASTING
Introduction. The ownership, operation and sale of broadcast stations, including those licensed to Salem, are subject to the jurisdiction of the FCC, which acts under authority derived from The Communications Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder (the Communications Act). Among other things, the FCC assigns frequency bands for broadcasting; determines whether to approve certain changes in ownership or control of station licenses; regulates transmission facilities, including power employed, antenna and tower heights, and location of transmission facilities; adopts and implements regulations and policies that directly or indirectly affect the ownership, operation and employment practices of stations; and has the power to impose penalties for violations of its rules under the Communications Act.
The following is a brief summary of certain provisions of the Communications Act and of specific FCC regulations and policies. Failure to observe these or other rules and policies can result in the imposition of various sanctions, including monetary forfeitures, the grant of short (less than the maximum) license renewal terms or, for particularly egregious violations, the denial of a license renewal application, the revocation of a license or the denial of FCC consent to acquire additional broadcast properties. For further information concerning the nature and extent of federal regulation of broadcast stations you should refer to the Communications Act, FCC rules and the public notices and rulings of the FCC.
License Grant and Renewal. Radio broadcast licenses are granted for maximum terms of eight years. Licenses must be renewed through an application to the FCC. Under the Communications Act, the FCC will renew a broadcast license if it finds that the station has served the public interest, convenience and necessity, that there have been no serious violations by the licensee of the Communications Act or the rules and regulations of the FCC, and that there have been no other violations by the licensee of the Communications Act or the rules and regulations of the FCC that, when taken together, would constitute a pattern of abuse.
Petitions to deny license renewals can be filed by certain interested parties, including members of the public in a stations market. Such petitions may raise various issues before the FCC. The FCC is required to hold hearings on renewal applications if the FCC is unable to determine that renewal of a license would serve the public interest, convenience and necessity, or if a petition to deny raises a substantial and material question of fact as to whether the grant of the renewal application would be prima facie inconsistent with the public interest, convenience and necessity. In addition, during certain periods when a renewal application is pending, the transferability of the applicants license is restricted.
Radio station KNTS-AM is an expanded band station paired with station KLFE-AM in the Seattle, WA market, and station KBJD-AM is an expanded band station paired with KRKS-AM in the Denver, CO market. We are operating these four stations pursuant to FCC licenses or other FCC authority pending resolution by the FCC of the issue of AM expanded band dual operating authority. Depending upon how the FCC resolves that issue, it is possible that we will be required to surrender one station license in each station pair. Except for these stations, we are not currently aware of any facts that would prevent the timely renewal of our licenses to operate our radio stations, although there can be no assurance that our licenses will be renewed.
Ownership Matters. The Communications Act prohibits the assignment of a broadcast license or the transfer of control of a broadcast license without the prior approval of the FCC. In determining whether to assign, transfer, grant or renew a broadcast license, the FCC considers a number of factors pertaining to the licensee, including compliance with various rules limiting common ownership of media properties, the character of the licensee and those persons holding attributable interests therein, and compliance with the Communications Acts limitation on alien ownership, as well as compliance with other FCC policies, including equal employment opportunity requirements.
Under the Communications Act, a broadcast license may not be granted to or held by a corporation that has more than one-fifth of its capital stock owned or voted by aliens or their representatives, by foreign governments or their representatives, or by non-U.S. corporations. Under the Communications Act, a broadcast license also may not be granted to or held by any corporation that is controlled, directly or indirectly, by any other corporation more than one-fourth of whose capital stock is owned or voted by aliens or their representatives, by foreign governments or their representatives, or by non-U.S. corporations. These restrictions apply in modified form to other forms of business organizations, including partnerships. We therefore may be restricted from having more than one-fourth of our stock owned or voted by aliens, foreign governments or non-U.S. corporations.
Multiple Ownership: The Communications Act and FCC rules also generally restrict the common ownership, operation or control of radio broadcast stations serving the same local market, of a radio broadcast station and a television broadcast station serving the same local market, and of a radio broadcast station and a daily newspaper serving the same local market. The FCC also restricts the number of television stations an entity may own both in local markets and nationwide.
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Our current ownership of radio broadcast stations complies with the FCCs multiple ownership rules; however, these rules may limit the number of additional stations that we may acquire in the future in certain of our markets and could limit the potential buyers of any stations we may attempt to sell. The FCC is also required by the Communications Act to review its broadcast ownership rules every four years. During 2009, the FCC held a series of hearings designed to evaluate possible changes to its rules. In May 2010, the FCC formally initiated its 2010 review of its media ownership rules with the issuance of a Notice of Inquiry (NOI). The NOI is intended to assist the Commission in establishing a framework within which to analyze whether its media ownership rules remain necessary in the public interest as a result of competition, due to the dramatic changes occurring in the media marketplace. Numerous parties have filed comments and reply comments in response to the NOI. In June and July 2011, the FCC released to the public eleven economic studies related to its media ownership rules. We believe that the next step will be for the FCC to issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to seek comment on specific proposed changes to its ownership rules. We can make no determination as to what effect, if any, this proposed rulemaking will have on Salem.
Attribution: Because of these multiple and cross-ownership rules, a purchaser of voting stock of the company that acquires an attributable interest in the company may violate the FCCs rule if it also has an attributable interest in other television or radio stations, or in daily newspapers, depending on the number and location of those radio or television stations or daily newspapers. Such a purchaser also may be restricted in the other companies in which it may invest, to the extent that these investments give rise to an attributable interest. If an attributable stockholder of the company violates any of these ownership rules, the company may be unable to obtain from the FCC one or more authorizations needed to conduct its radio station business and may be unable to obtain FCC consents for certain future acquisitions.
The FCC generally applies its television/radio/newspaper cross-ownership rules and its broadcast multiple ownership rules by considering the attributable, or cognizable, interests held by a person or entity. A person or entity can have an interest in a radio station, television station or daily newspaper by being an officer, director, partner, member, or stockholder of a company that owns that station or newspaper. Whether that interest is cognizable under the FCCs ownership rules is determined by the FCCs attribution rules. If an interest is attributable, the FCC treats the person or entity who holds that interest as an owner of the radio station, television station or daily newspaper in question, and therefore subject to the FCCs ownership rules. On December 22, 2011, the FCC issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to seek comment on specific proposed changes to its ownership rules. In the NPRM, the FCC tentatively concluded to maintain its local radio ownership rules largely intact. Comments and Reply Comments have been received by the FCC in connection with the NPRM. Since, as of this date, no Report and Order has been adopted by the FCC in connection with the local radio ownership rules proposals in the NPRM, we can make no determination as to what effect, if any, this NPRM will have on Salem.
Any officers and directors of a broadcast licensee, cable system owner, or daily newspaper owner are deemed to hold attributable interests in that entity. Generally, the officers and directors of any parent company that holds an attributable interest are themselves also deemed to hold the same attributable interests as that company. In certain situations where a parent company is involved in businesses other than broadcasting, cable system operation, or newspaper publishing, and an individual officer or director has duties and responsibilities wholly unrelated to the companys broadcast, cable, or newspaper activities, that officer or director may avoid attribution, but will need to submit a statement to the FCC documenting their lack of involvement in the relevant businesses.
Generally, debt interests held in a broadcast licensee, cable system owner, daily newspaper publisher, or parent company are not deemed attributable. Debt holders will be subject to attribution, however, where the aggregate value of the equity and debt held in the broadcast, cable, or newspaper company exceeds 33% of that companys total asset value and the debt holder also holds another attributable interest in the relevant market or the debt holder supplies over 15% of the programming, on a weekly basis, for the station in which the interest is held.
Programming and Operation. The Communications Act requires broadcasters to serve the public interest. The FCC has gradually relaxed or eliminated many of the more formalized procedures it had developed in the past to promote the broadcast of certain types of programming responsive to the needs of a stations community of license. Although in recent years proposals have been put forth by the FCC to reinstitute certain formal procedures, none of these proposals have yet been adopted for radio stations. Licensees continue to be required, however, to present programming that is responsive to community problems, needs and interests and to maintain certain records demonstrating such responsiveness. Complaints from listeners concerning a stations programming will be considered by the FCC when it evaluates the licensees renewal application, but such complaints may be filed and considered at any time.
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Stations also must pay annual regulatory fees and fees associated with the filing of most applications. Stations also must follow various FCC rules that regulate, among other things, political advertising, advertising for certain products or services (e.g. tobacco advertising), the broadcast of obscene or indecent programming, closed captioning, emergency programming, sponsorship identification and technical operations (including limits on radio frequency radiation) and equal employment opportunity requirements. The broadcast of contests and lotteries is regulated by FCC rules.
Failure to observe these or other rules and policies can result in the imposition of various sanctions, including monetary forfeitures, the grant of short (less than the maximum) renewal terms or, for particularly egregious violations, the denial of a license renewal application or the revocation of a license.
Proposed Changes. As noted above, in May 2010, the FCC formally initiated its 2010 review of its media ownership rules with the issuance of a Notice of Inquiry (NOI). The NOI is intended to assist the Commission in establishing a framework within which to analyze whether its media ownership rules remain necessary in the public interest as a result of competition, due to the dramatic changes occurring in the media marketplace. Numerous parties have filed comments and reply comments in response to the NOI. In June and July 2011, the FCC released to the public eleven economic studies related to its media ownership rules. On December 22, 2011, the FCC issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to seek comment on specific proposed changes to its ownership rules. In the NPRM, the FCC tentatively concluded to maintain its local radio ownership rules largely intact. Comments and Reply Comments have been received by the FCC in connection with the NPRM. Since, as of this date, no Report and Order has been adopted by the FCC in connection with the local radio ownership rules proposals in the NPRM, we can make no determination as to what effect, if any, this NPRM will have on Salem.
The Congress and the FCC from time to time have under consideration, and may in the future consider and adopt, new laws, regulations and policies regarding a wide variety of matters that could, directly or indirectly, affect the operation, ownership and profitability of the companys radio stations, result in the loss of audience share and revenue for the companys radio stations, and affect the ability of the company to acquire additional radio stations or finance such acquisitions. Such matters under consideration include, or may come to include:
| proposals to require broadcast licenses to broadcast specific types and amounts of local programming; |
| proposals restricting the location of broadcast studios; |
| technical and frequency allocation matters, including potential reallocation of broadcast spectrum to other uses; |
| changes in multiple ownership and cross-ownership rules; |
| changes to broadcast technical requirements; and |
| proposals to require broadcasters to pay copyright royalties for over-the-air performance of sound recordings. |
The foregoing summary of certain provisions of the Communications Act and of specific FCC rules and policies does not purport to be comprehensive. For further information concerning the nature and extent of federal regulation of radio broadcast stations you should refer to the Communications Act, the FCCs rules and the public notices and rulings of the FCC.
Federal Antitrust Considerations. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Department of Justice (DOJ), which evaluate transactions to determine whether those transactions should be challenged under the federal antitrust laws, are also active in their review of radio station acquisitions, particularly where an operator proposes to acquire additional stations in its existing markets.
For an acquisition meeting certain size thresholds, the Hart-Scott-Rodino Improvements Act (HSR Act) and the rules promulgated thereunder require the parties to file Notification and Report Forms with the FTC and the DOJ and to observe specified waiting period requirements before consummating the acquisition. At any time before or after the consummation of a proposed acquisition, the FTC or the DOJ could take such action under the antitrust laws as it deems necessary or desirable in the public interest, including seeking to enjoin the acquisition or seeking divestiture of the business acquired or other assets of the company. Acquisitions that are not required to be reported under the HSR Act may be investigated by the FTC or the DOJ under the antitrust laws before or after consummation. In addition, private parties may under certain circumstances bring legal action to challenge an acquisition under the antitrust laws. The DOJ also has stated publicly that it believes that LMAs and other similar agreements customarily entered into in connection with radio station transfers prior to the expiration of the waiting period under the HSR Act could violate the HSR Act.
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Although we do not believe our acquisition strategy as a whole will be adversely affected in any material respect by antitrust review, we can provide no assurances as such.
SEGMENTS
We have two reportable segments, radio-broadcasting and Internet. Our radio-broadcasting segment operates radio stations throughout the United States, various radio networks and our National sales group. Due to growth within our Internet operations, including the acquisition of WorshipHouseMedia.com on March 28, 2011, our Internet segment qualified for disclosure as a reportable segment in 2011. Beginning with the first quarter of 2011, we separated our non-broadcast segment into two operating segments, Internet and Publishing. All prior periods presented have been updated to reflect the separation of these non-broadcast segments. Our Internet segment operates all of our websites and our e-commerce sales. Our publishing segment operates our print magazines and Xulon Press, a print-on-demand book publisher. Segment operating results are presented in Note 15 to our consolidated financial statements.
EMPLOYEES
As of February 7, 2014, we employed 1,139, employees in radio broadcasting, 164 employees in Internet entities, 142 employees in publishing and 110 employees in corporate functions. Of these employees, 1,203 are full-time and 352 are part-time employees. We consider our relations with our employees to be good and none of our employees are covered by collective bargaining agreements.
We employ on-air personalities and we may enter into employment agreements with these on-air personalities in order to protect our interests in these relationships. However, on-air talent may be lost to competitors for a variety of reasons. While we do not believe that the loss of any one of our on-air personalities would have a material and adverse effect on our consolidated financial condition and results of operations, the loss of several key on-air personalities combined could have a material and adverse effect on our business.
INTERNET ADDRESS AND INTERNET ACCESS TO SEC REPORTS
Our Internet address is www.salem.cc. You may obtain through our Internet website, free of charge, copies of our annual reports filed on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and any amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act. These reports are available as soon as reasonably practical after we electronically file them or furnish them to the SEC. Our website and the information contained therein or connected thereto shall not be deemed to be incorporated into this Form 10-K.
ITEM 1A. | RISK FACTORS |
You should carefully consider the risks described below before investing in our securities. Our business is subject to risks associated with general economic conditions, geopolitical events, competition, technological obsolescence and employee relations. The risks described below, along with risks not currently known to us or that we currently believe are immaterial, may impair our business operations and liquidity in unfavorable ways. We operate in a continually changing business environment in which new risk factors emerge from time to time. We can neither predict new risk factors, nor can we assess the impact, if any, these new risk factors may have on our business. The extent to which any risk factor, or combination of risk factors, may affect our business, financial condition and results of operations could be seriously and materially influence the trading price of our common stock.
CERTAIN FACTORS AFFECTING SALEM
We may choose not to pursue potentially more profitable business opportunities outside of our Christian, conservative news talk and family-themed formats, or not to broadcast programming that violates our programming standards, either of which may have a material and adverse effect on our business.
We are fundamentally committed to broadcasting, Internet and publishing formats and programming emphasizing Christian values, conservative family themes and news. We may choose not to switch to other formats or pursue potentially more profitable business opportunities due to this commitment, which could result in lower operating revenues and profits than we might otherwise achieve. We also do not intend to pursue business opportunities or broadcast programming that
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would conflict with our core commitment to Christian and family-themed formats or that would violate our programming standards, even if such opportunities or programming would be more profitable. Our decision not to pursue other formats, business opportunities and/or broadcast programming that is inconsistent with our programming standards may have a material and adverse effect on our business.
RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH BUSINESS OPERATIONS
We may be adversely affected by deteriorating economic conditions including the economic climate failing to improve.
The risks associated with our businesses become more acute in periods of a slowing economy or recession, which are often accompanied by a decrease in advertising. A decline in the level of business activity of our advertisers could have an adverse effect on our revenues and profit margins. During economic slowdowns in the United States, many advertisers have reduced their advertising expenditures. While the precise impact of economic slowdowns on our business is difficult to predict, our exposure to several risks increases with a slowing economy or a recession, including but not limited to:
| Increasing pressure to sell advertising and block programming time at discounted rates; |
| Increases in the length of time to collect receivables and higher risks that accounts become uncollectible as our customers face tight credit markets; |
| Ministries are experiencing lower levels of donations that could negatively impact their ability to purchase and pay for block programming time; |
| We may not be able to find suitable replacements for ministries that can no longer purchase and pay for block programming; |
| Limitations on our ability to obtain additional financing to fund working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other corporate requirements; |
| Limitations on our ability to pursue projects that could have been beneficial; and |
| Impairment losses on the value of our indefinite-lived intangible assets including FCC broadcast licenses, goodwill, and mastheads and impairment losses on other long-lived assets. |
We must respond to the rapid changes in technology, services and standards of our industry in order to remain competitive.
The radio broadcast industry is subject to rapid technological change, evolving industry standards and the emergence of competition from new media technologies and services. We cannot make assurances that we will have the resources to acquire new technologies or to introduce new services that could compete with these new technologies. Various new media technologies and services are currently being developed or introduced, including but not limited to:
| Satellite-delivered digital audio radio service, which has resulted in the introduction of new subscriber-based satellite radio services with numerous niche formats; |
| Audio programming by cable systems, direct-broadcast satellite systems, personal communications systems, content available over the Internet and other digital audio broadcast formats; |
| In-band on-channel digital radio, which provides multi-channel, multi-format digital radio services in the same bandwidth currently occupied by traditional AM and FM radio services; |
| Low-power FM radio, which could result in additional FM radio broadcast outlets including additional low-power FM radio signals authorized in December 2010 under the Local Community Radio Act; |
| High Definition (HD) radio; |
| Internet radio and other audio content offerings such as Pandora and iHeart Radio; and |
| Personal digital audio devices (e.g., iPods, mp3 players, audio via WiFi, mobile phones, WiMAX, etc.) or other emerging next-generation networks and technologies. |
We currently program one channel on SiriusXM. We also offer pod-casts and downloads of portions of our programming; however, we cannot assure you that this arrangement will be successful or enable us to adapt effectively to these new media technologies. We cannot predict the effect, if any, that competition arising from new technologies or regulatory change(s) may have on the radio broadcast industry or on our financial condition and results of operations.
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The accounting treatment of goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangible assets could cause future losses due to asset impairment.
Under Financial Accounting Standards (FASB) Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) Topic 350 IntangiblesGoodwill and Other, indefinite-lived intangibles, including broadcast licenses, goodwill and mastheads are not amortized but instead are tested for impairment at least annually, or more frequently if events or circumstances indicate that there may be an impairment. Impairment is measured as the excess of the carrying value of the indefinite-lived intangible asset over its fair value. Intangible assets that have finite useful lives continue to be amortized over their useful lives and are measured for impairment if events or circumstances indicate that they may be impaired. Impairment losses are recorded as operating expenses. We incurred significant impairment losses in prior years with regard to our indefinite-lived intangible assets. During the year ended December 31, 2013, we recognized impairment losses of $1.0 million associated with mastheads in our publishing segment. The impairments were driven by a reduction in projected net revenues resulting from ongoing operating results that have not met expectations. The impairment was indicative of trends in the publishing industry as a whole and is not unique to our company or operations.
The valuation of intangible assets is subjective and based on estimates rather than precise calculations. The fair value measurements of our indefinite-lived intangible assets use significant unobservable inputs that reflect our own assumptions about the estimates that market participants would use in measuring fair value including assumptions about risk. If actual future results are less favorable than the assumptions and estimates we used, we are subject to future impairment charges, the amount of which may be material. Given the current economic environment and uncertainties that can negatively impact our business, there can be no assurance that our estimates and assumptions made for the purpose of our indefinite-lived intangible fair value estimates will prove to be accurate.
The impairment charges we have recognized are non-cash in nature and did not violate covenants on our then existing credit facilities or on our current Revolver or Term Loan B. However, the potential for future impairment charges can be viewed as a negative factor with regard to forecasted future performance and cash flows. We believe that we have adequately considered the economic downturn in our valuation models and do not believe that the non-cash impairments in and of themselves are a liquidity risk.
If we are unable to execute our acquisition strategy successfully, our business may not continue to grow.
We intend to continue to selectively acquire radio stations, complementary publishing and Internet media businesses. With respect to the acquisition of radio stations, our acquisition strategy has been, and will continue to focus primarily on, the acquisition of stations in the top fifty (50) markets. However, we may not be able to identify and consummate future acquisitions successfully, and stations that we do acquire may not increase our station operating income or yield other anticipated benefits. Acquisitions in markets in which we already own stations may not increase our station operating income due to saturation of audience demand. Acquisitions in smaller markets may have less potential to increase operating revenues. With respect to our acquisition strategy of Internet and publishing businesses, we may not be able to identify and consummate the acquisition of future businesses successfully. Additionally, we may not be able to effectively integrate the operation of newly acquired businesses with our existing businesses, which could result in reduced operating income from our businesses. Our failure to execute our acquisition strategy successfully in the future could limit our ability to continue to grow in terms of number of stations or profitability.
We may be unable to integrate the operations and management of acquired stations or businesses, which could have a material and adverse effect on our business and operating results.
Acquisitions may have a substantial impact on our revenues, costs, cash flows, and financial position. During 2013 and 2012, we spent $12.8 million and $10.7 million, respectively, on the acquisition of radio station and Internet businesses. We expect to make additional acquisitions of radio stations, Internet businesses and publishing businesses. Acquisitions involve risks and uncertainties, including difficulties in integrating acquired operations and in realizing expected opportunities; diversions of management resources and loss of key employees; challenges with respect to operating new businesses; debt incurred in financing such acquisitions; and other unanticipated problems and liabilities. There can be no assurance that we will be able to successfully integrate the operations or management of acquired radio stations and businesses and realize anticipated revenue synergies, or the operations or management of stations and businesses that may be acquired in the future.
Continued acquisitions will require us to manage a larger and likely more geographically diverse radio station, Internet and publishing portfolio than historically has been the case. Our inability to integrate and manage newly acquired radio stations, Internet businesses or publishing entities successfully could have a material and adverse effect on our business and operating results.
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Some of our acquisition agreements contain contingent consideration, the value of which may impact future operating results.
Some of our acquisition agreements include contingent earn-out consideration, the fair value of which is estimated as of the acquisition date based on the present value of the expected contingent payments as determined using weighted probabilities of possible future payments. These fair value estimates contain unobservable inputs and estimates that could materially differ from the actual future results. The fair value of the contingent earn out consideration could increase or decrease, up to the contracted limit, as applicable. Changes in the fair value of contingent earn-outs will be reflected in our results of operations in the period in which they are recognized, the amount of which may be material and cause volatility in our operating results.
If we are unable to implement our market cluster strategy, we may not realize anticipated operating efficiencies.
As part of our operating strategy, we attempt to realize efficiencies in operating costs and cross-selling of advertising by clustering the operations of two or more radio stations in a single market. However, there can be no assurance that this operating strategy will be successful. Furthermore, we cannot make any assurance that the clustering of radio stations in one market will not result in downward pressure on advertising rates at one or more of the existing or new radio stations within the cluster. Furthermore, there can be no assurance that any of our stations will be able to maintain or increase its current listening audiences and operating revenue in circumstances where we implement our clustering strategy.
Additionally, FCC rules and policies allow a broadcaster to own a number of radio stations in a given market and permit, within limits, joint arrangements with other stations in a market relating to programming, advertising sales and station operations. We believe that radio stations that elect to take advantage of these clustering opportunities may have lower operating costs and may be able to offer advertisers more attractive rates and services. The future development of our business in new markets, as well as the maintenance of our business growth in those markets in which we do not currently have radio station clusters, may be negatively impacted by competitors who are taking or may take advantage of these clustering opportunities by operating multiple radio stations within markets.
We base capital allocation decisions primarily on our analysis of the predicted internal rate of return. If the estimates and assumptions we use in calculating the internal rate of return are inaccurate, our capital may be inefficiently allocated. If we fail to appropriately allocate our capital, our growth rate and financial results will be adversely affected.
We continually seek opportunities for growth by increasing the strength and number of our broadcast signals, increasing the number of page views on our web platform and increasing the subscriber base of our magazines. In order to realize these growth opportunities, we must rely on continued technical improvements to expand our broadcasting, Internet and publication footprint. When deciding which opportunities to pursue, we must predict the internal rate of return associated with each project. Our calculations are based on certain estimates and assumptions that may not be realized. Accordingly, the calculation of internal rate of return may not be reflective of our actual returns, and our capital may be inefficiently allocated. If we fail to appropriately allocate our capital, our growth rate and financial results will be adversely affected.
Our business is dependent upon the performance of key employees, on-air talent and program hosts.
Our business is dependent upon the performance and continued efforts of certain key individuals, including Edward G. Atsinger III, our Chief Executive Officer, and Stuart W. Epperson, our Chairman of the Board. The loss of the services of such key individuals could have a material adverse effect upon us. We have entered into employment agreements with such key individuals. Mr. Epperson has radio interests unrelated to Salems operations that will continue to impose demands on his time. Mr. Atsinger has an interest in an aviation business unrelated to Salems operations that will continue to impose demands on his time. Our success is highly dependent upon the retention of key employees throughout our organization. In addition, we are dependent upon our ability to continue to attract new employees with key skills to support continued business growth.
We also employ or independently contract with several on-air personalities and hosts of syndicated radio programs with significant loyal audiences on both a national level and in their respective local markets. Several of our on-air personalities have a presence that extends beyond our radio platforms into other strategic areas. Although we have entered into long-term agreements with some of our executive officers, key on-air talent and program hosts to protect our interests in those relationships, we can give no assurance that all or any of these key employees will remain with us or will retain their audiences. Competition for these individuals is intense and many of our key employees are at-will employees who are under no legal obligation to remain with us. Our competitors may choose to extend offers to any of these individuals on terms that we may be unable or unwilling to meet. In addition, any or all of our key employees may decide to leave for a variety of personal or other reasons beyond our control. Furthermore, the popularity and audience loyalty of our key on-air talent and program hosts is highly sensitive to rapidly changing public tastes. A loss of such popularity or audience loyalty is beyond our control and could limit our ability to generate revenues.
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If we fail to maintain the continuance of strong relationships with our authors and other creative talent, as well as to develop relationships with new creative talent, our business could be adversely affected.
Our business, in particular the book publishing and financial publications, is highly dependent on maintaining strong relationships with the authors and other creative talent who produce the products and services sold to our customers. Any overall weakening of these relationships, or the failure to develop successful new relationships, could have a material adverse impact on our business and financial performance.
Our syndicated programming is dependent upon maintenance of our transponder equipment, which is located at various customer sites.
Delivery of our national programs is dependent upon transponder equipment that is located at various customer locations. The quality and durability of this equipment, as well as our ability to protect the equipment from damage, destruction or theft, directly impacts our ability to transmit programming. Losses to this equipment and any business interruption may not be fully insurable.
Our advertising revenues in certain markets are ratings-sensitive and subject to decline based on ratings agency projections.
Nielson uses its own technology to collect data for its ratings service. The Portable People Meter TM (PPM ) is a small device that does not require active manipulation by the end user and is capable of automatically measuring radio, television, Internet, satellite radio and satellite television signals that are encoded for the service by the broadcaster. The PPM offers a number of advantages over the traditional diary ratings collection system including ease of use, more reliable ratings data and shorter time periods between when advertising runs and when audience listening or viewing habits can be reported. In markets where we subscribe to Nielson under the PPM, our ratings tend to fluctuate even when there are no significant programming or competitive changes in the market. PPM data can fluctuate when changes are made to the panel (a group of individuals holding PPM devices). This makes all stations susceptible to inconsistencies in ratings that may or may not accurately reflect the actual number of listeners at any given time.
If we cannot attract the anticipated listener, programmer and advertiser base for our newly-acquired radio stations, we may not recoup associated operating costs or achieve profitability for these radio stations.
We frequently acquire selected assets of radio stations that previously broadcasted in formats other than our primary formats. We continue to program some of these stations in non-primary formats and we re-program others to one of our primary formats. During, and for a period after, the conversion of a radio stations format, the radio station typically generates operating losses. The magnitude and duration of these losses depends on a number of factors, including the promotional and marketing costs associated with attracting listeners and advertisers to our radio stations new format and the success of these efforts. There is no guarantee that the operation of these newly-acquired stations or our operations in new formats will attract a sufficient listener and advertiser base. If we are not successful in attracting the listener and advertiser base we anticipate, we may not recoup associated operating costs or achieve profitability for these radio stations.
If we do not maintain or increase our block programming revenues, our business and operating results may be materially and adversely affected.
The financial success of each of our radio stations that feature Christian Teaching and Talk programming is significantly dependent upon our ability to generate revenue from the sale of block programming time to national and local religious and educational organizations. Block programming accounted for 42.0% of our net broadcast revenue for the year ended December 31, 2013, and 41.4% of our net broadcast revenue for the prior year. We compete for this program revenue with a number of commercial and non-commercial radio stations. Due to the significant competition for this block programming, we may not be able to maintain or increase our current block programming revenue, in which case, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.
If we are unable to maintain or grow our advertising revenues, our business and operating results may be adversely affected.
Our radio stations, Internet sites and publications are to varying degrees dependent upon advertising for their respective revenues. In the advertising market, we compete for revenue with other commercial religious format and general format radio
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stations, as well as with other media outlets including broadcast and cable television, newspapers, magazines, direct mail, Internet and billboard advertising. Due to this significant competition, we may not be able to maintain or increase our current advertising revenue. Any sustained economic downturn could negatively impact our ability to generate revenues. If we are unable to maintain and grow our advertising revenues, our business, financial condition and results of operating may be materially and adversely affected.
After the economic recession of 2008 and 2009, we experienced a stabilization of advertising revenue. In 2012, we recorded record levels of political advertising. There can be no assurance that our advertising revenue will not be volatile in the future or that such volatility will not have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
General economic conditions, including a prolonged weakness in the economy, may affect consumer purchases, which could adversely affect our wellness product sales.
Our wellness product operating results are dependent on a number of factors impacting consumer spending, including general economic and business conditions; consumer confidence; wages and employment levels; the housing market; consumer debt levels; availability of consumer credit; credit and interest rates; fuel and energy costs; energy shortages; taxes; general political conditions, both domestic and abroad; and the level of customer traffic within department stores, malls and other shopping and selling environments. Consumer product purchases, including purchases of our wellness products, may decline during recessionary periods. A prolonged downturn or an uncertain outlook in the economy may materially and adversely affect our wellness product business, revenues and profits.
Our business generates revenue from the sale of advertising, and the reduction in spending by or loss of advertisers could seriously harm our business.
We derive a substantial part of our total revenues from the sale of advertising. For the years ended December 31, 2011, 2012 and 2013, 43.0%, 42.3% and 41.8% of our total revenues, respectively, were generated from the sale of broadcast advertising. We are particularly dependent on revenue from our Los Angeles and Dallas clusters, which generated 15.2%, and 23.2%, respectively, of our total net advertising revenues for the year ended December 31, 2011, 16.2% and 23.6%, respectively, for the year ended December 31, 2012 and 15.2% and 25.5%, respectively, for the year ended December 31, 2013. Because substantial portions of our revenues are derived from local advertisers in these key markets, our ability to generate revenues in those markets could be adversely affected by local or regional economic downturns.
Trade concentration and credit risk
The sale of printed book publications is concentrated in national, regional, and online bookstore chains. These bookstore chains account for a vast majority of book publishing revenues. Due to this concentration of book publication sales, it may be difficult for us compete effectively in the market, which could adversely affect our revenues and growth prospects.
We face significant competition, which we expect will continue to intensify, and we may not be able to maintain or improve our competitive position or market share.
We operate in a highly competitive broadcast and media business. We compete for advertisers and customers with other radio broadcasters, as well as with other media sources including broadcast and cable television, newspapers and magazines, national and local digital services, outdoor advertising, direct mail, online marketing and media companies, social media platforms, web-based blogs, and mobile telephony devices. We face intense competition from a wide range of competitors, including online marketing and media companies, integrated social media platforms and other specialist and enthusiast websites.
Our broadcast audience ratings and market shares are subject to change, and any change in a particular market could have a material adverse effect on the revenue of our stations located in that market. Salem Web Network competes for visitors and advertisers with other companies that deliver on-line audio programming and Christian and conservative Internet content as well as providers of general market Internet sites. Our print magazines compete for readers and advertisers with other print publications including those that follow the Christian music industry and those that address themes of interest to church leadership and the Christian audience. Xulon Press competes for authors with other on-demand publishers including those focused exclusively on Christian book publishers.
This competition could make it more difficult for us to provide value to our consumers, our advertisers and our content creators and result in increased pricing pressure, reduced profit margins, increased sales and marketing expenses, decreased website traffic and failure to increase, or the loss of, market share, any of which would likely seriously harm our business, revenue, financial condition and results of operations. There can be no assurance that we will be able to compete successfully against current or future competitors.
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Wellness products are a highly competitive industry. Our failure to compete effectively could adversely affect our market share, revenues and growth prospects.
The U.S. nutritional supplements retail industry is large and highly fragmented among specialty retailers, supermarkets, drugstores, mass merchants, multi-level marketing organizations, on-line merchants, mail-order companies and a variety of other smaller participants. We believe that the market is highly sensitive to the introduction of new wellness products, which may rapidly capture a significant share of the market. In the U.S., we also compete for sales with heavily advertised national brands manufactured by large pharmaceutical and food companies, as well as other retailers. In addition, as some wellness products become more mainstream, we experience increased price competition for those wellness products as more participants enter the market. We may not be able to compete effectively and our attempts to do so may require us to reduce our prices, which may result in lower profit margins for our wellness products. Failure to effectively compete could adversely affect our market share, revenues and growth prospects.
If we are unable to continue to drive and increase visitors to our owned and operated websites and to our customer websites and convert these visitors into repeat users and customers cost-effectively, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
We attract traffic to our owned and operated websites by offering content that is highly specific and that we believe to be relevant to our audiences. How successful we are in these efforts depends, in part, upon our continued ability to create and distribute high-quality, commercially valuable content in a cost-effective manner at scale that connects consumers with content that meets their specific interests and effectively enables them to share and interact with the content and supporting communities. We may not be able to create content in a cost-effective manner or that meets rapidly changing consumer demand in a timely manner, if at all. Any such failure to do so may adversely affect user and customer experiences and reduce traffic driven to our websites that could adversely affect our business, revenue, financial condition and results of operations.
Even if we succeed in driving traffic to our owned and operated websites and to our customer websites, neither we nor our advertisers and customers may be able to monetize this traffic or otherwise retain consumers. Our failure to do so could result in decreases in customers and related advertising revenue, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
New technologies may increase competition with our broadcasting operations.
Our radio broadcasting business faces increasing competition from new technologies, such as broadband wireless, satellite radio and audio broadcasting by cable television systems, as well as new customer products, such as portable digital audio players and smart mobile phones. These new technologies and alternative media platforms compete with our radio stations for audience share and advertising revenues. The FCC also has approved new technologies for use in the radio broadcasting industry, including the terrestrial delivery of digital audio broadcasting, which significantly enhances the sound quality of radio broadcasts. We are unable to predict the effect that such technologies and related services and products will have on our broadcasting operations, but the capital expenditures necessary to implement such technologies could be substantial. We cannot assure that we will continue to have the resources to acquire new technologies or to introduce new services to compete with other new technologies or services, and other companies employing such new technologies or services could increase competition with our businesses.
Our printing business also faces increasing competition from new technologies, such as the Internet, eBook reader devices, and tablets. These new technologies and alternative media platforms compete with our printed books and magazines for audience share and advertising revenues. We must continue to expand our publishing businesses from traditional publishers to new digital technologies, We may make significant investments in new products and services that may not be profitable, or whose profitability may be significantly lower than we have experienced. Success and continued growth depends greatly on developing new products and the means to deliver them in an environment of rapid technological change. Attracting new authors and retaining our existing business relationships, are critical to our success.
The company must respond to changes in consumer behavior as a result of new technologies in order to remain competitive.
Technology, particularly digital technology used in the entertainment industry, continues to evolve rapidly, leading to alternative methods for the delivery and storage of digital content. These technological advancements have driven changes in
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consumer behavior and have empowered consumers to seek more control over when, where and how they consume digital content. Content owners are increasingly delivering their content directly to consumers over the Internet, often without charge, and innovations in distribution platforms have enabled consumers to view such Internet-delivered content on televisions and portable devices. There is a risk that the companys responses to these changes and strategies to remain competitive, including distribution of its content on a pay basis, may not be adopted by consumers. In publishing, the trending toward digital media may drive down the price consumers are willing to spend on our products disproportionately to the costs associated with generating literary content. Our failure to protect and exploit the value of our content, while responding to and developing new technology and business models to take advantage of advancements in technology and the latest consumer preferences, could have a significant material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our financial results would suffer if we fail to successfully meet market needs.
The sale of books represents a substantial part of revenues for Regnery. We are subject to the risk that we will not successfully develop and execute promotional strategies for new books that respond to customer trends, including trends related to demand for eBooks, or other technological changes that will not meet market needs, which would have a material adverse effect on the financial results of Regnery.
Unfavorable publicity or consumer perception of our wellness products, the ingredients they contain and any similar products distributed by other companies could cause fluctuations in our operating results and could have a material adverse effect on our reputation, the demand for our wellness products and our ability to generate revenue.
We are highly dependent upon consumer perception of the safety and quality of our wellness products and the ingredients they contain. Consumer perception of our wellness products and the ingredients they contain, as well as consumer perception of similar wellness products, can be significantly influenced by scientific research or findings, national media attention and other publicity about wellness product use. A wellness product may be received favorably, resulting in high sales associated with that product that may not be sustainable as consumer preferences change. Future scientific research or publicity could be unfavorable to the wellness product industry or any of our particular wellness products or the ingredients they contain and may not be consistent with earlier favorable research or publicity. A future research report or publicity that is perceived by our wellness product consumers as less favorable or that questions earlier research or publicity could have a material adverse effect on our ability to generate wellness product revenues. Unfavorable market perception of our wellness products could have a material adverse effect on our reputation, the demand for our wellness products, and our ability to generate wellness product revenues.
Our failure to appropriately respond to changing consumer preferences and demand for new wellness products could significantly harm our wellness products customer relationships and wellness product sales.
Wellness products are particularly subject to changing consumer trends and preferences. Our success depends in part on our ability to anticipate and respond to these changes, and we may not be able to respond in a timely or commercially appropriate manner to these changes. If we are unable to do so, our wellness product customer relationships and wellness product sales could be harmed significantly.
Furthermore, the wellness products industry is characterized by rapid and frequent changes in demand for products and new product introductions. Our failure to accurately predict these trends could negatively impact consumer opinion of us as a source for the latest wellness products. This could harm our wellness product customer relationships and cause losses to our market share. The success of our new wellness product offerings depends upon a number of factors, including our ability to: accurately anticipate customer needs; innovate and develop new wellness products; successfully commercialize new wellness products in a timely manner; price our wellness products competitively; manufacture and deliver our wellness products in sufficient volumes and in a timely manner; and differentiate our wellness product offerings from those of our competitors.
If we do not introduce new wellness products or make enhancements to meet the changing needs of our customers in a timely manner, some of our wellness products could become obsolete, which could have a material adverse effect on our wellness product revenues and wellness product operating results.
The interruption or failure of our information technology and communications systems, or those of third parties that we rely upon, may materially and adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition, and results of operations.
The availability of our products and services depends on the continuing operation of our information technology and communications systems. Any damage to or failure of our systems, or those of third parties that we rely upon (co-location
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providers for data servers, storage devices, and network access) could result in interruptions in our service, which could reduce our revenue and profits. Our systems are also vulnerable to damage or interruption from earthquakes, terrorist attacks, floods, fires, power loss, telecommunications failures, computer viruses or other attempts to harm our systems.
Furthermore, third-party service providers may experience an interruption in operations or cease operations for any reason. If we are unable to agree on satisfactory terms for continued data center hosting relationships, we would be forced to enter into a relationship with other service providers or assume hosting responsibilities ourselves. If we are forced to switch hosting facilities, we may not be successful in finding an alternative service provider on acceptable terms or in hosting the computer servers ourselves. We may also be limited in our remedies against these providers in the event of a failure of service. We also rely on third-party providers for components of our technology platform, such as hardware and software providers. A failure or limitation of service or available capacity by any of these third-party providers may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We may be unable to increase or maintain our Internet advertising revenues, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating result, financial condition and results of operations.
We generate advertising revenue from the sale of display advertisements on our Internet sites. Our ability to increase or maintain this advertising revenue is largely dependent upon the number of users actively visiting our Internet sites. We also must increase user engagement with our advertisers in order to increase our advertising revenues. In addition, Internet advertising techniques are evolving, and if our technology and advertisement serving techniques do not evolve to meet the needs of advertisers, our advertising revenue could decline. Changes in our business model, advertising inventory or initiatives could also cause a decrease in our advertising revenue. Because Internet and e-commerce are concentrated growth areas for us, any decrease in revenues in these areas could affect our operating results, financial condition and results of operations.
In addition, Internet advertisements are reportedly becoming a means to distribute viruses over the Internet. If this practice becomes more prevalent, it could result in consumers becoming less inclined to click through online advertisements, which could adversely affect the demand for Internet advertising. Additionally, we do not have long-term agreements with most of our advertisers. Any termination, change or decrease in our advertising relationships could have a material adverse effect on our revenues and profitability. If we do not maintain or increase our advertising revenues, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected.
If Internet search engines methodologies are modified, traffic to our websites and corresponding consumer origination volumes could decline.
We depend in part on various Internet search engines, such as Google®, Bing®, Yahoo!®, and other search engines to direct a significant amount of traffic to our websites. Our ability to maintain the number of visitors directed to our websites through which we distribute our content by search engines is not entirely within our control. Changes in the methodologies used by search engines to display results could cause our websites to receive less favorable placements, which could reduce the number of unique visitors who link to our websites. Any reduction in the number of users directed to our websites could negatively affect our ability to earn revenue. If traffic on our websites declines, we may need to employ more costly resources to replace lost traffic, and such increased expense could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Wireless devices and mobile phones are used to access the Internet, and our online marketing services may not be as effective when accessed through these devices, which could cause harm to our business.
The number of people who access the Internet through devices other than personal computers has increased substantially in the last few years. Our websites were originally designed for persons accessing the Internet on a desktop or laptop computer. The smaller screens, lower resolution graphics and less convenient typing capabilities of these wireless devices and mobile phones may make it more difficult for visitors to respond to our offerings. In addition, the cost of mobile advertising is relatively high and may not be cost-effective for our services. We must also ensure that our licensing arrangements with third-party content providers allow us to make this content available on these devices. If we cannot effectively make our content, products and services available on these devices, fewer consumers may access and use our content, products and services. In addition, if our services continue to be less effective or less economically attractive for customers seeking to engage in advertising through these devices and this segment of Internet traffic grows at the expense of traditional computer Internet access, we will experience difficulty attracting website visitors and attracting and retaining customers and our business, financial condition and results of operations will be harmed.
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As a creator and a distributor of multi-media content, we face potential liability and expenses for legal claims based on the nature and content of the materials that we create and/or distribute, or that are accessible via our owned and operated websites and our network of customer websites. If we are required to pay damages or expenses in connection with these legal claims, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be harmed.
We rely on the work product of various content creators to produce original programs, articles and content for our radio programs, websites and print publications. We face potential liability based on a variety of theories, including defamation, negligence, unlawful practice of a licensed profession, copyright or trademark infringement or other legal theories based on the nature, creation or distribution of this information, and under various laws, including the Lanham Act and the Copyright Act. We may also be exposed to similar liability in connection with content that we do not create but that is posted to our owned and operated websites and to our network of customer websites by users and other third parties through forums, comments, personas and other social media features. In addition, it is also possible that visitors to our owned and operated websites and to our network of customer websites could make claims against us for losses incurred in reliance upon information provided on our owned and operated websites or our network of customer websites. These claims, whether brought in the United States or abroad, could divert management time and attention away from our business and result in significant costs to investigate and defend, regardless of the merit of these claims. If we become subject to these or similar types of claims and are not successful in our defense, we may be forced to pay substantial damages. While we run our content through a rigorous quality control process, including an automated plagiarism program, there is no guarantee that we will avoid future liability and potential expenses for legal claims based on the content of the materials that we create or distribute. Should the content distributed through our owned and operated websites and our network of customer websites violate the intellectual property rights of others or otherwise give rise to claims against us, we could be subject to substantial liability, which could have a negative impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Damage to our reputation could damage our businesses.
Maintaining a positive reputation is critical to our ability to attract and maintain relationships with advertisers and our listeners. Damage to our reputation could therefore cause significant harm to our business and prospects. Harm to our reputation can arise from numerous sources, including, among others, employee misconduct, litigation or regulatory action, failure to deliver minimum standards of service and quality, compliance failures and unethical behavior. Negative publicity regarding us, whether or not true, may also result in harm to our prospects.
We rely on third parties to provide software and related services necessary for the operation of our business.
We incorporate and include third-party software into and with our applications and service offerings and expect to continue to do so. The operation of our applications and service offerings could be impaired if errors occur in the third-party software that we use. It may be more difficult for us to correct any defects in third-party software because the development and maintenance of the software is not within our control. Accordingly, our business could be adversely affected in the event of any errors in this software. There can be no assurance that any third-party licensors will continue to make their software available to us on acceptable terms, to invest the appropriate levels of resources in their software to maintain and enhance its capabilities, or to remain in business. Any impairment in our relationship with these third-party licensors could harm our ability to maintain and expand the reach of our service, increase listener hours and sell advertising, each of which could harm our business, financial conditions and results of operations.
We may have difficulty scaling and adapting our existing technology and network infrastructure to accommodate increased traffic and technology advances or changing business requirements, which could lead to the loss of current and potential customers and advertisers, and cause us to incur expenses to make architectural changes.
To be successful, our network infrastructure has to perform well and be reliable. The greater the user traffic and the greater the complexity of our products and services, the more computing power we will need. In the future, we may spend substantial amounts to purchase or lease data centers and equipment, upgrade our technology and network infrastructure to handle increased traffic on our owned and operated websites and roll out new products and services. This expansion could be expensive and complex and could result in inefficiencies or operational failures. If we do not implement this expansion successfully, or if we experience inefficiencies and operational failures during its implementation, the quality of our products and services and our users experience could decline. This could damage our reputation and lead us to lose current and potential customers and advertisers. The costs associated with these adjustments to our architecture could harm our operating results. Cost increases, loss of traffic or failure to accommodate new technologies or changing business requirements could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
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Our business is subject to the risks of earthquakes, fires, floods and other natural catastrophic events and to interruption by man-made problems such as computer viruses or terrorism.
Our systems and operations are vulnerable to damage or interruption from earthquakes, fires, floods, power losses, telecommunications failures, terrorist attacks, acts of war, human errors, break-ins or similar events. A significant natural disaster, such as an earthquake, fire or flood, could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Our insurance coverage may be insufficient to compensate us for losses that may occur. In October of 2012, for example, Hurricane Sandy caused significant damage to our radio station facilities located in New Jersey. Additionally, our principal executive offices are located in Southern California, a region known for seismic activity. In addition, acts of terrorism could also cause disruptions in our business or the economy as a whole. Our servers may also be vulnerable to cyber-security risks such as computer viruses, break-ins and similar disruptions from unauthorized tampering with our computer systems, which could lead to interruptions, delays, loss of critical data or the unauthorized disclosure of confidential customer data. We rely heavily on servers, computers, communications systems and the Internet to conduct our business and provide high quality service to our listeners. Disruptions in these services could negatively impact our ability to run our business, result in the loss of existing or potential listeners, the loss of existing or potential advertisers and increase maintenance costs, each of which could materially and adversely affect our operating results and financial condition. Historically, we have not experienced significant disruptions in running our businesses due to cyber-security threats or breaches.
Our business may be adversely affected by malicious applications that interfere with, or exploit security flaws in, our Internet websites and online services.
Our business may be adversely affected by malicious applications that make changes to our users computers and interfere with their experience with our websites. These applications may attempt to change our users Internet experience, including hijacking queries to our website, altering or replacing search results or otherwise interfering with our ability to connect with our users. The interference often occurs without disclosure or consent, resulting in a negative experience that users may associate with us. These applications may be difficult or impossible to uninstall or disable, may reinstall themselves and may circumvent other applications efforts to block or remove them. The ability to reach users and provide them with a superior experience is critical to our success. If our efforts to combat these malicious applications are unsuccessful, our reputation may be harmed and user traffic could decline, which would damage our business. We have not experienced significant interference with our websites or digital content.
Privacy protection is increasingly demanding, and we may be exposed to risks and costs associated with security breaches, data loss, credit card fraud and identity theft that could cause us to incur unexpected expenses and loss of revenue as well as other risks.
The protection of customer, employee, vendor, and other business data is critical to us. Federal, state, provincial and international laws and regulations govern the collection, retention, sharing and security of data that we receive from and about our employees, customers, vendors and franchisees. The regulatory environment surrounding information security and privacy has been increasingly demanding in recent years, and may see the imposition of new and additional requirements by states and the federal government as well as foreign jurisdictions in which we do business. Compliance with these requirements may result in cost increases due to necessary systems changes and the development of new processes to meet these requirements. In addition, customers have a high expectation that we will adequately protect their personal information. If we or our service provider fail to comply with these laws and regulations or experience a significant breach of customer, employee, vendor, franchisee or other company data, our reputation could be damaged and result in an increase in service charges, suspension of service, lost sales, fines or lawsuits.
The use of credit payment systems makes us more susceptible to a risk of loss in connection with these issues, particularly with respect to an external security breach of customer information that we or third parties (including those with whom we have strategic alliances) under arrangements with us control. A significant portion of our sales require the collection of certain customer data, such as credit card information. In order for our sales channel to function, we and other parties involved in processing customer transactions must be able to transmit confidential information, including credit card information, securely over public networks. In the event of a security breach, theft, leakage, accidental release or other illegal activity with respect to employee, customer, or vendor, with whom we have strategic alliances or other company data, we could become subject to various claims, including those arising out of thefts and fraudulent transactions, and may also result in the suspension of credit card services. This could cause consumers to lose confidence in our security measures, harm our reputation as well as divert management attention and expose us to potentially unreserved claims and litigation. Any loss in connection with these types of claims could be substantial. In addition, if our electronic payment systems are damaged or cease to function properly, we may have to make significant investments to fix or replace them, and we may suffer interruptions in our operations in the interim. In addition, we are reliant on these systems, not only to protect the security of the information stored, but also to appropriately track and record data. Any failures or inadequacies in these systems could expose us to significant unreserved losses, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Our brand reputation would likely be damaged as well.
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We are controlled by a few controlling stockholders who exercise control over most matters submitted to a shareholder vote and may have interests that differ from other security holders. They may, therefore, take actions that are not in the interests of other security holders.
As of December 31, 2013, Edward G. Atsinger III (Chief Executive Officer), Stuart W. Epperson (Chairman), Nancy A. Epperson (wife of Chairman) and Edward C. Atsinger (son of Chief Executive Officer) controlled approximately 84.9% in aggregate of the voting power of our capital stock. Thus, these four stockholders thus have the ability to control fundamental corporate transactions requiring stockholder approval, including but not limited to, the election of all of our directors, approval of merger transactions involving Salem and the sale of all or substantially all of Salems assets. The interests of any of these controlling stockholders may differ from the interests of other stockholders in a material manner. The controlling stockholders hold all of the Class B Common Stock, which have ten votes per share. Circumstances may occur in which the interests of the controlling stockholders could be in conflict with the interests of other security holders and the controlling stockholders would have the ability to cause us to take actions in their interest.
Our broadcasts often rely on content owned by third parties; obtaining such content could be costly and require us to enter into disadvantageous license or royalty arrangements.
We rely heavily upon content and software owned by third parties in order to provide programming for our broadcasts. The cost of obtaining all necessary licenses and permission to use this third-party content and software continues to increase. Although we attempt to avoid infringing known proprietary rights of third parties in our broadcasting efforts, we expect that we may be subject to legal proceedings and claims for alleged infringement from time to time in the ordinary course of business. Any claims relating to the infringement of third-party proprietary rights, even if not meritorious, could result in costly litigation, divert managements attention and resources, or require us to enter into royalty or license agreements which are not advantageous to us. In addition, parties making claims may be able to obtain an injunction, which could prevent us from broadcasting all or certain portions of individual radio broadcasts containing content owned by third parties. We also rely on software that we license from third parties, including software that is integrated with internally developed software and used to perform key broadcasting and accounting functions. We could lose the right to use this software or it could be made available to us only on commercially unreasonable terms. Although we believe that alternative software is available from other third-party suppliers or internal developments, the loss of or inability to maintain any of these software licenses or the inability of the third parties to enhance in a timely and cost-effective manner their products in response to changing customer needs, industry standards or technological developments could result in limitations or delays in broadcasting or accounting for programming by us until equivalent software can be developed internally or identified, licensed and integrated, which would harm our business.
Poor perception of our brand, business or industry could harm our reputation and materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our business is dependent upon attracting a large audience to our radio stations, websites and publications. Our brand, business and reputation are vulnerable to poor perception. Any damage to our reputation could harm our ability to attract and retain advertisers, customers and content creators, which could materially and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
If we are unable to protect our domain names, our reputation and brands could be adversely affected.
We currently hold various domain name registrations relating to our brands. The registration and maintenance of domain names generally are regulated by governmental agencies and their designees. Governing bodies may establish additional top-level domains, appoint additional domain name registrars or modify the requirements for holding domain names. As a result, we may be unable to register or maintain relevant domain names. We may be unable, without significant cost or at all, to prevent third parties from registering domain names that are similar to, infringe upon or otherwise decrease the value of, our trademarks and other proprietary rights. Failure to protect our domain names could adversely affect our reputation and brands, and make it more difficult for users to find our websites and our services.
The efficacy of wellness products is supported by limited conclusive clinical studies, which could result in less market acceptance of these wellness products and lower revenues or lower growth rates in revenues.
Our wellness products are made from various ingredients including vitamins, minerals, amino acids, herbs, botanicals, fruits, berries and other substances for which there is a long history of human consumption. However, there is little long-term experience with human consumption of certain product ingredients or combinations of ingredients in concentrated form. Although we believe all of our wellness products fall within the generally known safe limits for daily doses of each ingredient contained within them, nutrition science is imperfect. Moreover, some people have peculiar sensitivities or
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reactions to nutrients commonly found in foods, and may have similar sensitivities or reactions to nutrients contained in our wellness products. Furthermore, nutrition science is subject to change based on new research. New scientific evidence may disprove the efficacy of our wellness products or prove our wellness products to have effects not previously known. We could be adversely affected by studies that may assert that our wellness products are ineffective or harmful to consumers, or if adverse effects are associated with a competitors similar products.
We are currently dependent on a limited number of independent suppliers and manufacturers of our wellness products, which may affect our ability to deliver our wellness products in a timely manner. If we are not able to ensure timely product deliveries, potential distributors and customers may not order our wellness products, and our revenues may decrease.
We rely entirely on a limited number of third parties to supply and manufacture our wellness products. These third parties are subject to FDA regulation and must operate in accordance with strict manufacturing requirements referred to as Good Manufacturing Practices(GMPs) for dietary supplements. Our wellness products are manufactured on a purchase order basis only and manufacturers can terminate their relationships with us at any time. These third party manufacturers may be unable to satisfy our supply requirements, manufacture our wellness products on a timely basis and in compliance with GMPs, fill and ship our orders promptly, provide services at competitive costs or offer reliable products and services. The failure to meet any of these critical needs and legal requirements would delay or reduce wellness product shipments and adversely affect our revenues, as well as jeopardize our relationships with our customers. In the event any of our third party manufacturers were to become unable or unwilling to continue to provide us with products in required volumes and at suitable quality levels, we would be required to identify and obtain acceptable replacement manufacturing sources. There is no assurance that we would be able to obtain alternative manufacturing sources on a timely basis. Additionally, all of our third party manufacturers source the raw materials for our products, and if we were to use alternative manufacturers, we may not be able to duplicate the exact taste and consistency profile of the product from the original manufacturer. An extended interruption in the supply of our products would result in decreased product sales and our revenues would likely decline. We believe that we can meet our current supply and manufacturing requirements with our current suppliers and manufacturers or with available substitute suppliers and manufacturers. Historically, we have not experienced any delays or disruptions to our wellness product business caused by difficulties in obtaining supplies.
We are dependent on our third party manufacturers to supply our wellness products in the compositions we require, and we do not independently analyze our wellness products. Any errors in our wellness product manufacturing could result in wellness product recalls, contamination, significant legal exposure, reduced revenues and the loss of distributors.
While we require that our manufacturers verify the accuracy of the contents of our wellness products, we do not have the expertise or personnel to monitor the production of products by these third parties. We rely exclusively, without independent verification, on certificates of analysis regarding wellness product content provided by our third party suppliers and limited safety testing they perform. We cannot be assured that all of the third parties involved in the manufacturing of our products are complying with government health and safety standards, and even if our wellness products meet these standards, they could otherwise become contaminated. Errors in the manufacture of our wellness products and the occurrence of contamination could result in product recalls, significant legal exposure, adverse publicity, decreased revenues and loss of distributors and endorsers. We also cannot be assured that these outside manufacturers will continue to supply wellness products to us reliably in the compositions we require. Any of these failures or occurrences could negatively affect our wellness products business and financial performance.
The sale of our wellness products involves product liability and related risks that could expose us to significant insurance and loss expenses.
We face an inherent risk of exposure to wellness product liability claims if the use of our wellness products results in, or is believed to have resulted in, illness or injury. Most of our wellness products contain combinations of ingredients, and there is little long-term experience with the effect of these combinations. In addition, interactions of these wellness products with other products, prescription medicines and over-the-counter drugs have not been fully explored or understood and may have unintended consequences. While our third party manufacturers perform tests in connection with the formulations of our wellness products, these tests are not designed to evaluate the inherent safety of our wellness products.
Although we maintain product liability insurance, it may not be sufficient to cover all product liability claims and such claims that may arise could have a material adverse effect on our business. We carry product liability insurance coverage that requires us to pay deductibles/retentions with primary and excess liability coverage above the deductible/retention amount. Because of our deductibles and self-insured retention amounts, we have significant exposure to fluctuations in the number and severity of claims. The successful assertion or settlement of an uninsured claim, a significant number of insured claims or a claim exceeding the limits of our insurance coverage would harm us by adding further costs to our business and by diverting the attention of our senior management from the operation of our business. Even if we successfully defend a liability claim, the uninsured litigation costs and adverse publicity may be harmful to our business.
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Any product liability claim may increase our costs and adversely affect our revenues and operating income. Moreover, liability claims arising from a serious adverse event may increase our costs through higher insurance premiums and deductibles, and may make it more difficult to secure adequate insurance coverage in the future. In addition, our product liability insurance may fail to cover future product liability claims, which, if adversely determined, could subject us to substantial monetary damages.
If the wellness products we sell do not have the healthful effects intended, our wellness products business may suffer.
In general, our wellness products sold consist of nutritional supplements, which are classified in the United States as dietary supplements which do not currently require approval from the FDA or other regulatory agencies prior to sale. Although many of the ingredients in such wellness products are vitamins, minerals, herbs and other substances for which there is a long history of human consumption, they contain innovative ingredients or combinations of ingredients. Although we believe all of such wellness products and the combinations of ingredients in them are safe when taken as directed, there is little long-term experience with human or other animal consumption of certain of these ingredients or combinations thereof in concentrated form. The wellness products could have certain side effects if not taken as directed or if taken by a consumer that has certain medical conditions. Furthermore, there can be no assurance that any of the wellness products, even when used as directed, will have the effects intended or will not have harmful side effects.
A slower growth rate in the nutritional supplement industry could lessen our wellness product sales and make it more difficult for us to achieve growth and become profitable.
The wellness product industry has been growing at a strong pace over the past ten years, despite continued negative impacts of popular supplements like Echinacea and ephedra on the supplement market. However, any reported medical concerns with respect to ingredients commonly used in wellness products could negatively impact the demand for our products.
If we are unable to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting in the future, investors may lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports and the trading price of our Class A common stock may be negatively affected.
We are subject to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX), which requires us to maintain internal controls over financial reporting and to report any material weaknesses in such internal controls. We have consumed and will continue to consume management resources and incur expenses for SOX compliance on an ongoing basis. If we identify material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, or if we are unable to comply with the requirements of Section 404 in a timely manner or assert that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, investors may lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports and the trading price of our Class A common stock could be negatively affected. Additionally, we could become subject to investigations by the stock exchange on which our securities are listed, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), or other regulatory authorities, which could require additional financial and management resources.
The requirements of being a public company may strain our resources and divert managements attention.
We are subject to the reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the listing requirements of the NASDAQ Global Select Market, and other applicable securities rules and regulations. Compliance with these rules and regulations results in a higher level of legal and financial compliance costs.
In addition, complying with public disclosure rules makes our business more visible, which we believe may result in threatened or actual litigation, including by competitors and other third parties. If such claims are successful, our business and operating results could be harmed, and even if the claims do not result in litigation or are resolved in our favor, these claims, and the time and resources necessary to resolve them, could divert the resources of our management and harm our business and operating results.
RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH REGULATIONS
The restrictions on ownership of multiple radio stations in each market may prevent us from implementing our broadcasting market cluster strategy.
We seek to acquire additional radio stations in markets in which we already have existing stations. Our ability to acquire, operate and integrate any such future acquisitions as part of a cluster is limited by antitrust laws, the Communications Act, FCC regulations and other applicable laws and regulations. Changes to any of these laws or regulations may affect our ability
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to acquire additional stations in radio markets where we already own one (1) or more radio station(s). In 1996, Congress passed legislation that requires the FCC to periodically conduct reviews of its regulations, including those which govern the maximum number of radio stations an entity may own or have joint arrangements with relating to programming, advertising sales and station operations (the Ownership Limits). The FCC has adopted radio multiple ownership rules that depend upon the total number of radio stations located in the market in determining the applicable Ownership Limits. In 2003, the FCC modified its definition of the term market and its method of determining the number of radio stations located in a market. Specifically, in larger markets, the FCC replaced its signal contour method of defining a market and determining the number of radio stations located in the market with the use of geographic markets delineated by Nielson, which is a commercial ratings service, as reported in the BIA database, as issued by BIA/Kelsey, a research and advisory company focused on the local advertising marketplace. For smaller radio markets for which Nielson has not delineated a geographic market, the signal contour method continues to be the method of defining the market and determining the number of radio stations in the market. The methods the FCC uses to define markets affect the number of radio stations an entity may own or have joint arrangements with relating to programming, advertising sales and station operations in areas adjacent to a delineated Nielson market. In 2010, the FCC opened a new phase of rulemaking concerning its broadcast ownership rules. The FCC sought public comments on the existing rules, including arguments and factual data on their impact on competition, localism, and diversity and held public meetings around the country on the issue of media ownership rules. The FCC 2010 quadrennial review of broadcast ownership rules is ongoing and a report and order in the proceeding was most recently delayed into 2014. It is not clear the impact that this 2010 review will have on the 2014 review period, which is expected to be completed in the near future.
We cannot predict the impact of possible modifications to the FCCs local radio multiple ownership rules on our business operations. Likewise, we cannot predict whether there will be a change in the antitrust laws, Communications Act or other laws governing the ownership or operation of radio stations, or whether the FCC, DOJ or FTC will modify their regulations and policies governing or affecting the acquisition of additional radio stations in a market. In addition, we cannot predict whether a private party will challenge acquisitions we propose in the future. These events could adversely affect our ability to implement our cluster acquisition strategy.
Government regulation of the broadcasting industry by the FTC, DOJ and FCC may limit our ability to acquire or dispose of radio stations and enter into certain agreements.
The Communications Act and FCC rules and policies require prior FCC approval for transfers of control of, and assignments of, FCC broadcast licenses. The FTC and the DOJ evaluate transactions to determine whether those transactions should be challenged under federal antitrust laws. As we have gained a presence in a greater number of markets and percentage of the top 50 markets, our future proposed transactions may be subject to more frequent and aggressive review by the FTC and/or the DOJ due to market concentration concerns. This increased level of review may be accentuated in instances where we propose to engage in a transaction with parties who themselves have multiple stations in the relevant market. The FCC might not approve a proposed radio station acquisition or disposition when the DOJ has expressed market concentration concerns with respect to the buy or sell side of a given transaction, even if the proposed transaction would otherwise comply with the FCCs numerical limits on in-market ownership. We cannot be sure that the DOJ or the FTC will not seek to prohibit or require the restructuring of our future acquisitions or dispositions on these or other bases.
If a complaint was filed against us or other FCC licensees involved in a transaction with us, or an objection to the transaction itself, the FCC could delay the grant of, or refuse to grant, its consent to an assignment or transfer of control of licenses and effectively prohibit a proposed acquisition or disposition.
As noted in the immediately preceding risk factor, the FCCs local radio multiple ownership rules limit the maximum number of stations we may own or operate in a market. This may limit our ability to make future radio station acquisitions in certain markets. Additionally, this may limit our ability, in certain markets, to enter into agreements whereby we provide programming to or sell advertising on radio stations that we do not own. It could also limit our ability to sell stations to other entities that already own stations in some markets.
We may be adversely affected by statutes dealing with indecency.
The Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act of 2005 enhances the FCCs enforcement of its rules concerning the broadcast of obscene, indecent, or profane material became law in 2006. This legislation increased the FCCs authority in this area to impose substantially higher monetary forfeiture penalties, up to $325,000 per violation and a total of $3,000,000 for any one (1) incident. While we do not anticipate these increased penalties to impact us as significantly as some of our competitors given the nature of our programming, we could face increased costs in the form of fines as a result of this legislation.
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We may be subject to fines and other penalties related to violations of FCC indecency rules and other FCC rules and policies, the enforcement of which has increased in recent years, and complaints related to such violations may delay our renewal applications with the FCC.
We provide live news reporting that is controlled by our on-air news talent. Although our on-air talent have been professional and careful in what they say, there is always the possibility that information may be reported that is inaccurate or even in violation of certain indecency rules promulgated by the FCC.
If we fail to maintain our broadcast licenses with the FCC, we would be prevented from operating affected radio stations.
We operate each of our radio stations pursuant to one or more FCC broadcast licenses, generally of eight years duration. As each license expires, we apply for renewal of the license. However, we cannot be sure that any of our licenses will be renewed, and renewal is subject to challenge by third parties or to denial by the FCC. In evaluating a broadcast license renewal application, the FCC must grant the renewal if: (1) the station has served the public interest, convenience and necessity; (2) there have been no serious violations of the Communications Act or the FCCs rules; and (3) there have been no other violations which, taken together, constitute a pattern of abuse. If, however, the station fails to meet these standards, the FCC may deny the application, after notice and an opportunity for a hearing, or grant the application on terms and conditions that are appropriate, including renewal for less than the maximum term otherwise allowed. The failure to renew any of our licenses would prevent us from operating the affected station and generating revenue from it. If the FCC decides to include conditions or qualifications in any of our licenses, we may be limited in the manner in which we may operate the affected station.
Proposed legislation requires radio broadcasters to pay higher royalties to record labels and recording artists.
We must maintain music programming royalty arrangements with, and pay license fees to, Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI), American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), and SESAC, Inc. These organizations negotiate with copyright users, collect royalties and distribute them to songwriters and music publishers. Currently, we pay royalties to song composers and publishers through BMI, ASCAP and SESAC.
On December 18, 2007, legislation was introduced to Congress under the Performance Rights Act that would require terrestrial radio broadcasters to pay a royalty to record labels and performing artists for use of their recorded songs. The proposed legislation would add an additional layer of royalties to be paid directly to the record labels and artists. The bill was reintroduced on February 4, 2009. It is currently unknown what proposed legislation, if any, will become law, and what significance this royalty would have on our results from operations, cash flows or financial position. A similar bill, The Free Market Royalty Act, was introduced on September 30, 2013. As of February 20, 2014, however, neither of these bills have been passed.
It is currently unknown what proposed legislation, if any, will become law, and what significance this royalty would have on our results from operations, cash flows or financial position.
Changes in regulations or user concerns regarding privacy and protection of user data, or any failure to comply with such laws, could diminish the value of our services and cause us to lose customers and revenue.
When a user visits our websites or certain pages of our customers websites, we use technologies, including cookies, to collect information related to the user, such as the users Internet Protocol, or IP, address, demographic information, and history of the users interactions with advertisements previously delivered by us. The information that we collect about users helps us deliver appropriate content and targeted advertising to the user. A variety of federal, state and international laws and regulations govern the collection, use, retention, sharing and security of data that we receive from and about our users. The existing privacy-related laws and regulations are evolving and subject to potentially differing interpretations. We post privacy policies on all of our owned and operated websites that set forth our policies and practices related to the collection and use of customer data. Any failure, or perceived failure, by us to comply with our posted privacy policies or with industry standards or laws or regulations could result in a loss of customer confidence in us, or result in actions against us by governmental entities or others, all of which could potentially cause us to lose customers and revenues.
In addition, various federal, state and foreign legislative and regulatory bodies may expand current or enact new laws regarding privacy matters. New laws may be enacted, or existing laws may be amended or re-interpreted, in a manner that limits our ability to analyze user data. If our access to user data is limited through legislation or any industry development, we may be unable to provide effective technologies and services to customers and we may lose customers and revenue.
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Certain U.S. and foreign laws could subject us to claims or otherwise harm our business.
We are subject to a variety of laws in the U.S. and abroad that may subject us to claims or other remedies. Our failure to comply with applicable laws may subject us to additional liabilities, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Laws and regulations that are particularly relevant to our business address (a) privacy; (b) freedom of expression; (c) information security; (d) content and distribution of content, including liability for user reliance on such content; (e) intellectual property rights, including secondary liability for infringement by others; (f) domain name registration; and (g) online advertising and marketing, including email marketing and unsolicited commercial email.
Many applicable laws were adopted prior to the advent of the Internet and do not contemplate or address the unique issues of the Internet. Moreover, the applicability and scope of the laws that do address the Internet remain uncertain. For example, the laws relating to the liability of providers of online services are evolving. Claims have been either threatened or filed against us under both U.S. and foreign laws for defamation, copyright infringement, cybersquatting and trademark infringement. In the future, claims may also be alleged against us based on tort claims and other theories based on our content, products and services or content generated by our users.
We receive, process and store large amounts of personal user data on our owned and operated websites and from our freelance content creators. Our privacy and data security policies govern the collection, use, sharing, disclosure and protection of this data. The storing, sharing, use, disclosure and protection of personal information and user data are subject to federal, state and international privacy laws, the purpose of which is to protect the privacy of personal information that is collected, processed and transmitted in or from the governing jurisdiction. If requirements regarding the manner in which certain personal information and other user data are processed and stored change significantly, our business may be adversely affected, impacting our financial condition and results of operations. In addition, we may be exposed to potential liabilities as a result of differing views on the level of privacy required for customer and other user data we collect. Our failure or the failure of various third-party vendors and service providers to comply with applicable privacy policies or applicable laws and regulations or any compromise of security that results in the unauthorized release of personal information or other user data could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Government regulation of the Internet is evolving, and unfavorable developments could have a material and adverse affect on our operating results.
We are subject to general business regulations and laws, as well as regulations and laws specific to the Internet. Such laws and regulations cover taxation, user privacy, data collection and protection, copyrights, electronic contracts, sales procedures, automatic subscription renewals, credit card processing procedures, customer protections, broadband Internet access and content restrictions. We cannot guarantee that we have been or will be fully compliant in every jurisdiction, as it is not entirely clear how existing laws and regulations governing issues such as privacy, taxation and consumer protection apply to the Internet. Moreover, as Internet commerce continues to evolve, increasing regulation by federal, state and foreign agencies becomes more likely. The adoption of any laws or regulations that adversely affect the popularity or growth in use of the Internet, including laws limiting Internet neutrality, could decrease listener demand for our service offerings and increase our cost of doing business. Future regulations, or changes in laws and regulations or their existing interpretations or applications, could also hinder our operational flexibility, raise compliance costs and result in additional historical or future liabilities for us, resulting in material and adverse impacts on our business and our operating results.
Environmental, health, safety and land use laws and regulations may limit or restrict some of our operations.
We must comply with various federal, state and local environmental, health, safety and land use laws and regulations that have a tendency to affect broadcast facilities differently than other uses. We are subject to such laws and regulations relating to the use, storage, disposal, emission and release of hazardous and non-hazardous substances and employee health and safety, as well as zoning restrictions that may affect, among other things, the ability for us to improve or relocate our radio broadcasting facilities. Historically, we have not incurred significant expenditures to comply with these laws; however, existing laws, and those that may be applied in the future, or a finding of a violation of such laws or liability, could require us to make significant expenditures and otherwise limit or restrict some of our operations.
We are affected by extensive laws, governmental regulations, administrative determinations, court decisions and similar constraints, which can make compliance costly and subject us to enforcement actions by governmental agencies.
The processing, formulation, safety, manufacturing, packaging, labeling, advertising and distribution of our wellness products are subject to federal laws and regulation by one or more federal agencies, including the FDA, the FTC, the CPSC, the USDA, and the EPA. These activities are also regulated by various state, local and international laws and agencies of the states and localities in which our wellness products are sold. Government regulations may prevent or delay the introduction, or require the reformulation, of our wellness products, which could result in lost revenues and increased costs to us. For
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instance, the FDA regulates, among other things, the composition, safety, manufacture, labeling and marketing of dietary supplements (including vitamins, minerals, herbs, and other dietary ingredients for human use). The FDA may not accept the evidence of safety for any new dietary ingredient that we may wish to market, may determine that a particular dietary supplement or ingredient presents an unacceptable health risk based on the required submission of serious adverse events or other information, and may determine that a particular claim or statement of nutritional value that we use to support the marketing of a dietary supplement is an impermissible drug claim, is not substantiated, or is an unauthorized version of a health claim.
Any of these actions could prevent us from marketing particular wellness products or making certain claims or statements with respect to those wellness products. The FDA could also require us to remove a particular wellness product from the market. Any future recall or removal would result in additional costs to us, including lost revenues from any wellness product that we are required to remove from the market, any of which could be material. Any wellness product recalls or removals could also lead to an increased risk of litigation and liability, substantial costs, and reduced growth prospects.
Additional or more stringent laws and regulations of dietary supplements and other wellness products have been considered from time to time. These developments could require reformulation of some wellness products to meet new standards, recalls or discontinuance of some wellness products not able to be reformulated, additional record-keeping requirements, increased documentation of the properties of some wellness products, additional or different labeling, additional scientific substantiation, or other new requirements. Any of these developments could increase our costs significantly.
Our failure to comply with FTC regulations could result in substantial monetary penalties and could adversely affect our operating results.
The FTC exercises jurisdiction over the advertising of wellness products and has instituted numerous enforcement actions against dietary supplement companies for failure to have adequate substantiation for claims made in advertising or for the use of false or misleading advertising claims.
RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH OUR SUBSTANTIAL INDEBTEDNESS
Capital requirements necessary to implement acquisitions could pose risks.
We face competition from other companies for acquisition opportunities. If the prices sought by sellers of these companies were to rise, we may find fewer acceptable acquisition opportunities. In addition, the purchase price of possible acquisitions could require additional debt or equity financing on our part. Since the terms and availability of this financing depend to a large degree upon general economic conditions and third parties over which we have no control, we can give no assurance that we will obtain the needed financing or that we will obtain such financing on attractive terms. In addition, our ability to obtain financing depends on a number of other factors, many of which are also beyond our control, such as interest rates and national and local business conditions. If the cost of obtaining needed financing is too high or the terms of such financing are otherwise unacceptable in relation to the acquisition opportunity we are presented with, we may decide to forego that opportunity. Additional indebtedness could increase our leverage and make us more vulnerable to economic downturns and may limit our ability to withstand competitive pressures.
If we are not able to obtain financing or generate sufficient cash flows from operations, we may be unable to fund future acquisitions.
We may require significant financing to fund our acquisition strategy, which may not be available to us. The availability of funds under our existing senior credit facility at any time is dependent upon, among other factors, our ability to satisfy financial covenants. Our future operating performance will be subject to financial, economic, business, competitive, regulatory and other factors, many of which are beyond our control. Accordingly, we cannot make any assurances that our future cash flows or borrowing capacity will be sufficient to allow us to complete future acquisitions or implement our business plan, which could have a material negative impact on our business and results of operations.
We have substantial debt and have the ability to incur additional debt. The principal and interest payment obligations of such debt may restrict our future operations and impair our ability to meet our obligations under such debt.
At December 31, 2013, we and our subsidiary guarantors had approximately $291.3 million outstanding on our revolving credit facility with Wells Fargo Bank Term Loan B.
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Our substantial debt may have important consequences. For instance, it could:
| make it more difficult for us to satisfy our financial obligations, |
| require us to dedicate a substantial portion of any cash flow from operations to the payment of interest and principal due under our debt, which will reduce funds available for other business purposes, including capital expenditures, acquisitions and payment of dividends; |
| place us at a competitive disadvantage compared with some of our competitors that may have less debt and better access to capital resources; and |
| limit our ability to obtain additional financing required to fund working capital and capital expenditures and for other general corporate purposes. |
Our ability to satisfy our obligations and to reduce our total debt depends on our future operating performance and on economic, financial, competitive and other factors, many of which are beyond our control. Our business may not generate sufficient cash flow, and future financings may not be available to provide sufficient net proceeds, to meet these obligations or to successfully execute our business or acquisition strategies.
The agreements governing our various debt obligations impose restrictions on our business and could adversely affect our ability to undertake certain corporate actions.
The agreements governing our debt obligations, including the agreements governing our Term Loan B, include covenants imposing significant restrictions on our business. These restrictions may affect our ability to operate our business and may limit our ability to take advantage of potential business opportunities as they arise. These covenants place restrictions on our ability to, among other things:
| incur additional debt; |
| declare or pay dividends, redeem stock or make other distributions to stockholders; |
| make investments; |
| create liens or use assets as security in other transactions; |
| merge or consolidate, or sell, transfer, lease or dispose of substantially all of our assets; |
| engage in transactions with affiliates; and |
| sell or transfer assets. |
Our Term Loan B and our Revolver also require us to comply with a number of financial ratios and covenants and restricts our ability to make certain capital expenditures.
Our ability to comply with these agreements may be affected by events beyond our control, including prevailing economic, financial and industry conditions. These covenants could have an adverse effect on our business by limiting our ability to take advantage of financing, merger and acquisition or other corporate opportunities. The breach of any of these covenants or restrictions could result in a default under the Term Loan B and Revolver. An event of default under any of our debt agreements could permit some of our lenders, to declare all amounts borrowed from them to be immediately due and payable, together with accrued and unpaid interest, which could, in turn, trigger defaults under other debt obligations and the commitments of the lenders to make further extensions of credit under our Revolver could be terminated. If we were unable to repay debt to our lenders, or are otherwise in default under any provision governing our outstanding secured debt obligations, our secured lenders could proceed against us and the subsidiary guarantors and against the collateral securing that debt.
To service our indebtedness, we will require a significant amount of cash. However, our ability to generate cash depends on many factors beyond our control.
Our ability to make payments on, and to refinance, our indebtedness, and to fund capital expenditures, will depend on our ability to generate cash in the future, which, in turn, is subject to general economic, financial, competitive, regulatory and other factors, many of which are beyond our control.
Our business may not generate sufficient cash flow from operations and we may not have available to us future borrowings in an amount sufficient to enable us to pay our indebtedness. In these circumstances, we may need to refinance all or a portion of our indebtedness on or before maturity. We may not be able to refinance any of our indebtedness on commercially reasonable terms, or at all. Without this financing, we could be forced to sell assets or secure additional financing to make up for any shortfall in our payment obligations under unfavorable circumstances. In addition, we may not be able to sell assets quickly enough or for sufficient amounts to enable us to meet our obligations.
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ITEM 1B. | UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS. |
Not Applicable.
ITEM 2. | PROPERTIES. |
No one physical property is material to our overall operations. We believe that our properties are in good condition and suitable for our operations; however, we continually evaluate opportunities to upgrade our properties. We believe we will be able to renew existing leases when applicable or obtain comparable facilities, as necessary.
Corporate
Our corporate headquarters are located in Camarillo, California where we own an approximately 40,000 square foot office building.
Radio Broadcasting
The types of properties required to support our radio stations include offices, studios, transmitter, antenna and tower sites. A stations studios are generally located in an office in a downtown or business district. Transmitter, antenna and tower sites are located in areas that provide maximum market coverage. We either own or lease our radio transmitting properties under agreements that generally range from three to twenty-five years. We believe we will be able to renew any such lease that expires or obtain comparable facilities, as necessary. Our SRN and SMR offices and Dallas radio stations are located in an office building in the Dallas, Texas metropolitan area, where we own an approximately 34,000 square foot office building. Our radio network operates from various offices and studios from which the programming originates or is relayed from a remote point of origination. Our network leases satellite transponders used for delivery of its programming. We also own office buildings in Honolulu, Hawaii; Tampa, Florida; Miami, Florida; and Altamonte Springs, Florida.
We lease certain property from our principal stockholders or trusts and partnerships created for the benefit of the principal stockholders and their families. These leases are described in Note 11 of our consolidated financial statements. All such leases have cost of living adjustments. Based upon our managements assessment and analysis of local market conditions for comparable properties, we believe such leases have terms that are as favorable as, or more favorable, to the company than those that would have been available from unaffiliated parties.
Salem Web Network
Salem Web Network operates from leased office facilities in Richmond, Virginia; Arlington, Virginia; and Nashville, Tennessee. The lease agreements range from one to ten years remaining on the lease term. We believe we will be able to renew any such lease that expires or obtain comparable facilities, as necessary.
Salem Publishing
Salem Publishing operates from leased office facilities in Nashville, Tennessee and Orlando, Florida. The lease agreements range from one to ten years remaining on the lease term. We believe we will be able to renew any such lease that expires or obtain comparable facilities, as necessary.
ITEM 3. | LEGAL PROCEEDINGS. |
We and our subsidiaries, incident to our business activities, are parties to a number of legal proceedings, lawsuits, arbitration and other claims. Such matters are subject to many uncertainties and outcomes that are not predictable with assurance. We maintain insurance that may provide coverage for such matters. Consequently, we are unable to ascertain the ultimate aggregate amount of monetary liability or the financial impact with respect to these matters. We believe, at this time, that the final resolution of these matters, individually and in the aggregate, will not have a material adverse effect upon our annual consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
ITEM 4. | MINE AND SAFETY DISCLSOURES. |
Not Applicable.
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ITEM 5. | MARKET FOR REGISTRANTS COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES. |
The companys Class A common stock trades on the NASDAQ Global Market® (NASDAQ-NGM) under the symbol SALM. On February 20, 2014, the company had approximately 42 stockholders of record (not including the number of persons or entities holding stock in nominee or street name through various brokerage firms) and 19,487,403 outstanding shares of its Class A common stock and two stockholders of record and 5,553,696 outstanding shares of its Class B common stock. The following table sets forth for the fiscal quarters indicated the range of high and low sale price information per share of the Class A common stock of the company as reported on the NASDAQ-NGM.
2012 | 2013 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1st Qtr | 2nd Qtr | 3rd Qtr | 4th Qtr | 1st Qtr | 2nd Qtr | 3rd Qtr | 4th Qtr | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
High (mid-day) |
$ | 4.85 | $ | 5.70 | $ | 5.73 | $ | 6.00 | $ | 8.40 | $ | 10.14 | $ | 8.50 | $ | 9.50 | ||||||||||||||||
Low (mid-day) |
$ | 2.35 | $ | 4.25 | $ | 4.64 | $ | 4.62 | $ | 5.19 | $ | 7.00 | $ | 7.20 | $ | 7.53 |
There is no established public trading market for the companys Class B common stock.
DIVIDEND POLICY
The actual declaration of dividends and distributions, as well as the establishment of per share amounts, dates of record, and payment dates are subject to final determination by our Board of Directors and dependent upon future earnings, cash flows, financial requirements, and other factors. On September 12, 2013, our Board of Directors decided to review distributions on a quarterly basis, rather than an annual basis.
On November 20, 2013, we announced a quarterly distribution in the amount of $0.0550 per share on Class A and Class B common stock. The quarterly distribution of $1.4 million, or $0.0550 per share of Class A and Class B common stock, was paid on December 27, 2013 to all common stockholders of record as of December 10, 2013.
On September 12, 2013, we announced a quarterly distribution in the amount of $0.0525 per share on Class A and Class B common stock. The quarterly distribution of $1.3 million, or $0.0525 per share of Class A and Class B common stock, was paid on October 4, 2013 to all common stockholders of record as of September 26, 2013.
On May 30, 2013, we announced a quarterly distribution in the amount of $0.05 per share on Class A and Class B common stock. The quarterly distribution of $1.2 million, or $0.05 per share of Class A and Class B common stock, was paid on June 28, 2013 to all common stockholders of record as of June 14, 2013.
On March 18, 2013, we announced a quarterly distribution in the amount of $0.05 per share on Class A and Class B common stock. The quarterly distribution of $1.2 million, or $0.05 per share of Class A and Class B common stock, was paid on April 1, 2013 to all common stockholders of record as of March 25, 2013.
The following table shows distributions that have been declared and paid since January 1, 2012:
Announcement Date |
Payment Date |
Amount Per Share | Cash Distributed (in thousands) |
|||||||
November 20, 2013 |
December 27, 2013 | $ | 0.0550 | $ | 1,376 | |||||
September 12, 2013 |
October 4, 2013 | $ | 0.0525 | 1,308 | ||||||
May 30, 2013 |
June 28, 2013 | $ | 0.0500 | 1,240 | ||||||
March 18, 2013 |
April 1, 2013 | $ | 0.0500 | 1,234 | ||||||
November 29, 2012 |
December 28, 2012 | $ | 0.0350 | 854 | ||||||
August 30, 2012 |
September 28, 2012 | $ | 0.0350 | 854 | ||||||
May 31, 2012 |
June 21, 2012 | $ | 0.0350 | 854 | ||||||
March 7, 2012 |
March 30, 2012 | $ | 0.0350 | 850 |
While we intend to review distributions payments on a quarterly basis, the actual declaration of such future distributions and the establishment of the per share amount, record dates, and payment dates are subject to final determination by our Board of Directors and dependent upon future earnings, cash flows, financial requirements, and other factors. Based on the number of shares of Class A and Class B common stock currently outstanding, and the currently approved distribution amount, we expect to pay total annual distributions of approximately $5.5 million.
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Our sole source of cash available for making any future distributions is our operating cash flow subject to our Term Loan B and Revolver, which contain covenants that restrict the payment of dividends and distributions unless certain specified conditions are satisfied.
UNREGISTERED SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES AND USE OF PROCEEDS
None.
ITEM 6. | SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA. |
The following table sets forth selected financial data and other operating information of Salem. The selected financial data in the table is derived from the consolidated financial statements of Salem. The selected financial data should be read in conjunction with, and is qualified by reference to our consolidated financial statements, related notes, other financial information included (incorporated by reference) herein, and the Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and specifically the disclosure concerning the reconciliation for historical Non-GAAP measures presented in Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of OperationsNon-GAAP Financial Measures included in Item 7 of this report.
Certain reclassifications have been made to the prior year financial statements to conform to the current year presentation. These reclassifications include the separation of our non-broadcast segment into two operating segments, Internet and Publishing and the reporting of discontinued operations.
Due to growth within our Internet operations, including the March 2011 acquisition of WorshipHouseMedia.com discussed in Note 3, our Internet segment qualified for disclosure as a reportable segment as of 2011. In December 2011, due to operating results that were below expectations, we ceased operations of Samaritan Fundraising. All employees of the entity were terminated as of December 31, 2011. The Statements of Operations Data for all periods presented were updated to reflect the operating results of Samaritan Fundraising as a discontinued operation. The accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets reflect the net assets of this entity as assets of discontinued operations for each applicable period presented.
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Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||
2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | ||||||||||||||||
(Dollars in thousands, except share and per share data) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Statement of Operations Data: |
||||||||||||||||||||
Net broadcast revenue |
$ | 172,055 | $ | 174,933 | $ | 178,731 | $ | 183,180 | $ | 183,697 | ||||||||||
Net Internet and e-commerce revenue |
16,232 | 20,104 | 27,304 | 33,474 | 40,906 | |||||||||||||||
Net publishing revenue |
10,926 | 11,421 | 12,131 | 12,525 | 12,331 | |||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Total revenue |
199,213 | 206,458 | 218,166 | 229,179 | 236,934 | |||||||||||||||
Operating expenses: |
||||||||||||||||||||
Broadcast operating expenses |
108,106 | 110,421 | 115,482 | 120,772 | 122,862 | |||||||||||||||
Internet operating expenses |
13,361 | 16,722 | 20,889 | 25,145 | 28,378 | |||||||||||||||
Publishing operating expenses |
10,237 | 11,226 | 11,475 | 12,288 | 13,289 | |||||||||||||||
Corporate expenses |
14,005 | 16,613 | 17,503 | 18,892 | 21,430 | |||||||||||||||
Depreciation and amortization |
15,120 | 14,588 | 14,971 | 14,647 | 15,262 | |||||||||||||||
Cost of denied tower site, abandoned projects and terminated transactions |
1,111 | | | | | |||||||||||||||
Impairment of indefinite-lived long-term assets other than goodwill |
27,409 | | | 88 | 1,006 | |||||||||||||||
Impairment of goodwill |
587 | | | | 438 | |||||||||||||||
Impairment of long-lived assets |
| | | 6,808 | | |||||||||||||||
(Gain) loss on the sale or disposal of assets |
1,676 | 255 | (4,153 | ) | 49 | (264 | ) | |||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Total operating expenses |
191,612 | 169,825 | 176,167 | 198,689 | 202,401 | |||||||||||||||
Operating income from continuing operations |
7,601 | 36,633 | 41,999 | 30,490 | 34,533 | |||||||||||||||
Other income (expense): |
||||||||||||||||||||
Interest income |
290 | 183 | 344 | 106 | 68 | |||||||||||||||
Interest expense |
(20,079 | ) | (30,297 | ) | (27,665 | ) | (24,911 | ) | (16,892 | ) | ||||||||||
Change in fair value of interest rate swaps |
(781 | ) | | | | 3,177 | ||||||||||||||
Gain on bargain purchase |
1,634 | | | | | |||||||||||||||
Loss on early retirement of long-term debt |
(1,050 | ) | (1,832 | ) | (2,169 | ) | (1,088 | ) | (27,795 | ) | ||||||||||
Net miscellaneous income and (expenses) |
(88 | ) | (16 | ) | (40 | ) | 79 | 18 | ||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Total other expense, net |
(20,074 | ) | (31,962 | ) | (29,530 | ) | (25,814 | ) | (41,424 | ) | ||||||||||
Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes |
(12,473 | ) | 4,671 | 12,469 | 4,676 | (6,891 | ) | |||||||||||||
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes |
(4,210 | ) | 2,695 | 6,110 | 153 | (4,192 | ) | |||||||||||||
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Income (loss) from continuing operations |
(8,263 | ) | 1,976 | 6,359 | 4,523 | (2,699 | ) | |||||||||||||
Loss from discontinued operations, net of tax |
(83 | ) | (44 | ) | (741 | ) | (95 | ) | (37 | ) | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Net income (loss) |
$ | (8,346 | ) | $ | 1,932 | $ | 5,618 | $ | 4,428 | $ | (2,736 | ) | ||||||||
|
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Basic earnings (loss) per share data: |
||||||||||||||||||||
Earnings (loss) per share from continuing operations |
$ | (0.35 | ) | $ | 0.08 | $ | 0.26 | $ | 0.18 | $ | (0.11 | ) | ||||||||
Loss per share from discontinued operations |
| | (0.03 | ) | | | ||||||||||||||
Net earnings (loss) per share |
$ | (0.35 | ) | $ | 0.08 | $ | 0.23 | $ | 0.18 | $ | (0.11 | ) | ||||||||
Diluted earnings (loss) per share data: |
||||||||||||||||||||
Earnings (loss) per share from continuing operations |
$ | (0.35 | ) | $ | 0.08 | $ | 0.26 | $ | 0.18 | $ | (0.11 | ) | ||||||||
Loss per share from discontinued operations |
| | (0.03 | ) | | | ||||||||||||||
Net earnings (loss) per share |
$ | (0.35 | ) | $ | 0.08 | $ | 0.23 | $ | 0.18 | $ | (0.11 | ) | ||||||||
Dividends per share |
$ | | $ | 0.20 | $ | | $ | 0.14 | $ | 0.21 | ||||||||||
Basic weighted average shares outstanding |
23,803,864 | 24,086,829 | 24,475,102 | 24,577,605 | 24,938,075 | |||||||||||||||
Diluted weighted average shares outstanding |
23,803,864 | 24,653,465 | 24,683,644 | 24,986,966 | 24,938,075 |
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ITEM 6. | SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA (CONTINUED). |
Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||
2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | ||||||||||||||||
(Dollars in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Balance Sheet Data: |
||||||||||||||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents |
$ | 8,945 | $ | 828 | $ | 67 | $ | 380 | $ | 65 | ||||||||||
Broadcast licenses |
375,317 | 378,362 | 371,420 | 373,720 | 381,836 | |||||||||||||||
Other intangible assets, net including goodwill |
22,484 | 25,122 | 28,522 | 33,009 | 32,035 | |||||||||||||||
Total assets |
579,045 | 574,486 | 561,310 | 562,181 | 575,113 | |||||||||||||||
Long-term debt (including current portion) |
314,047 | 304,527 | 274,803 | 268,980 | 290,793 | |||||||||||||||
Stockholders equity |
197,199 | 196,404 | 203,048 | 206,069 | 201,785 | |||||||||||||||
Cash flows related to: |
||||||||||||||||||||
Operating activities |
$ | 39,468 | $ | 22,817 | $ | 31,757 | $ | 31,077 | $ | 28,735 | ||||||||||
Investing activities |
(2,851 | ) | (13,777 | ) | (4,511 | ) | (19,066 | ) | (17,737 | ) | ||||||||||
Financing activities |
29,481 | (16,150 | ) | (28,126 | ) | (11,697 | ) | (11,276 | ) | |||||||||||
Other Data: |
||||||||||||||||||||
Station operating income (1) |
$ | 63,949 | $ | 64,512 | $ | 63,249 | $ | 62,408 | $ | 60,835 | ||||||||||
Station operating income margin (2) |
37.2 | % | 36.9 | % | 35.4 | % | 34.1 | % | 33.1 | % |
(1) | We define station operating income as net broadcast revenue less broadcast operating expenses. |
(2) | Station operating income margin is station operating income as a percentage of net broadcast revenue. |
Station operating income (SOI) is not a measure of performance calculated in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). Therefore, SOI should be viewed as a supplement to and not a substitute for results of operations presented on the basis of GAAP. Management believes that station operating income is useful, when considered in conjunction with operating income, the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure, because it is generally recognized by the radio broadcasting industry as a tool in measuring performance and in applying valuation methodologies for companies in the media, entertainment and communications industries. This measure is used by investors and by analysts who report on the industry to provide comparisons between broadcast groups. Additionally, we use SOI as one of our key measures of operating efficiency and contribution to profitability. Station operating income does not purport to represent cash provided by operating activities. Our statement of cash flows presents our cash flow activity and our income statement presents our historical performance prepared in accordance with GAAP. Our SOI is not necessarily comparable to similarly titled measures employed by other companies.
RECONCILIATION OF STATION OPERATING INCOME TO NET INCOME (LOSS)
Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||
2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | ||||||||||||||||
(Dollars in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Station operating income |
$ | 63,949 | $ | 64,512 | $ | 63,249 | $ | 62,408 | $ | 60,835 | ||||||||||
Plus Internet and e-commerce revenue |
16,232 | 20,104 | 27,304 | 33,474 | 40,906 | |||||||||||||||
Plus publishing revenue |
10,926 | 11,421 | 12,131 | 12,525 | 12,331 | |||||||||||||||
Less Internet operating expenses |
(13,361 | ) | (16,722 | ) | (20,889 | ) | (25,145 | ) | (28,378 | ) | ||||||||||
Less publishing operating expenses |
(10,237 | ) | (11,226 | ) | (11,475 | ) | (12,288 | ) | (13,289 | ) | ||||||||||
Less corporate expenses |
(14,005 | ) | (16,613 | ) | (17,503 | ) | (18,892 | ) | (21,430 | ) | ||||||||||
Less depreciation and amortization |
(15,120 | ) | (14,588 | ) | (14,971 | ) | (14,647 | ) | (15,262 | ) | ||||||||||
Less cost of denied tower site, abandoned projects and terminated transactions |
(1,111 | ) | | | | | ||||||||||||||
Impairment of indefinite-lived long-term assets other than goodwill |
(27,409 | ) | | | (88 | ) | (1,006 | ) | ||||||||||||
Impairment of goodwill |
(587 | ) | | | | (438 | ) | |||||||||||||
Impairment of long-lived assets |
| | | (6,808 | ) | | ||||||||||||||
Less gain (loss) on the sale or disposal of assets |
(1,676 | ) | (255 | ) | 4,153 | (49 | ) | 264 | ||||||||||||
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Operating income from continuing operations |
$ | 7,601 | $ | 36,633 | $ | 41,999 | $ | 30,490 | $ | 34,533 | ||||||||||
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Plus interest income |
290 | 183 | 344 | 106 | 68 | |||||||||||||||
Less interest expense |
(20,079 | ) | (30,297 | ) | (27,665 | ) | (24,911 | ) | (16,892 | ) | ||||||||||
Less change in fair value of interest rate swaps |
(781 | ) | | | | 3,177 | ||||||||||||||
Plus gain on bargain purchase |
1,634 | | | | | |||||||||||||||
Less loss on early retirement of long-term debt |
(1,050 | ) | (1,832 | ) | (2,169 | ) | (1,088 | ) | (27,795 | ) | ||||||||||
Less net miscellaneous income and (expenses) |
(88 | ) | (16 | ) | (40 | ) | 79 | 18 | ||||||||||||
Less provision for (benefit from) income taxes |
4,210 | (2,695 | ) | (6,110 | ) | (153 | ) | 4,192 | ||||||||||||
Less loss from discontinued operations |
(83 | ) | (44 | ) | (741 | ) | (95 | ) | (37 | ) | ||||||||||
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Net income (loss) |
$ | (8,346 | ) | $ | 1,932 | $ | 5,618 | $ | 4,428 | $ | (2,736 | ) | ||||||||
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40
ITEM 7. | MANAGEMENTS DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS. |
GENERAL
The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this report. Our consolidated financial statements are not directly comparable from period to period due to acquisitions and dispositions of selected radio station assets and Internet and publishing businesses. Refer to Note 3 of our consolidated financial statements under Item 8 of this annual report for details of each of these transactions.
Salem is a domestic multi-media company with integrated business operations covering radio broadcasting, publishing and the Internet. Our programming is intended for audiences interested in Christian and conservative opinion content. We maintain a website at www.salem.cc. Our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and any amendments to those reports are available free of charge through our website as soon as reasonably practicable after those reports are electronically filed with or furnished to the SEC. Any information found on our website is not a part of or incorporated by reference into, this or any other report of the company filed with, or furnished to, the SEC.
OVERVIEW
Our radio-broadcasting segment derives revenue primarily from the sale of broadcast time and radio advertising on a national and local basis.
Our principal sources of broadcast revenue include:
| the sale of block program time, both to national and local program producers; |
| the sale of advertising time on our radio stations, both to national and local advertisers; |
| the sale of advertising time on our national radio network; and |
| revenue derived from radio station sponsored events. |
The rates we are able to charge for broadcast time and advertising time are dependent upon several factors, including:
| audience share; |
| how well our stations perform for our clients; |
| the size of the market; |
| the general economic conditions in each market; and |
| supply and demand on both a local and national level. |
Our principal sources of Internet and e-commerce revenue include:
| the sale of Internet advertising; |
| the support and promotion to stream third-party content on our websites; |
| product sales and royalties for on-air host materials; and |
| video and graphic downloads. |
Our principal sources of publishing revenue include:
| subscription fees for our magazines; |
| the sale of print magazine advertising; |
| fees from authors for book publishing; and |
| the sale of books. |
Broadcast Segment
Our foundational business is the ownership and operation of radio stations in large metropolitan markets. Our broadcasting business also includes Salem Radio Network® (SRN), SRN News Network (SNN), Salem Music Network (SMN), Solid Gospel Network (SGN), Salem Media Representatives (SMR) and Vista Media Representatives (VMR). SRN, SNN, SMN and SGN are networks that produce and distribute programming, such as talk, news and music segments to radio stations throughout the United States, including Salem owned and operated stations. SMR and VMR sell commercial airtime to national advertisers on radio stations and networks that we own, as well as on independent radio station affiliates.
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Broadcast revenues are impacted by the program rates our radio stations charge, the level of broadcast airtime sold and by the advertising rates our radio stations and networks charge. The rates for block programming time are based upon our stations ability to attract audiences that will support the program producers through contributions and purchases of their products. Advertising rates are based upon the demand for advertising time, which in turn is based on our stations and networks ability to produce results for their advertisers. We do not subscribe to traditional audience measuring services for most of our radio stations. Instead, we have marketed ourselves to advertisers based upon the responsiveness of our audiences. In selected markets, we subscribe to Nielsen Audio, which develops quarterly reports to measure a radio stations audience share in the demographic groups targeted by advertisers. Each of our radio stations and our networks has a pre-determined level of time that they make available for block programming and/or advertising, which may vary at different times of the day.
Nielsen Audio has developed technology to collect data for its ratings service. The PPM is a small device that does not require active manipulation by the end user and is capable of automatically measuring radio, television, Internet, satellite radio and satellite television signals that are encoded for the service by the broadcaster. The PPM offers a number of advantages over the traditional diary ratings collection system including ease of use, more reliable ratings data and shorter time periods between when advertising runs and when audience listening or viewing habits can be reported. This service is already in a number of our markets and is scheduled to be introduced in more markets in the future. In markets where we subscribe to Nielsen Audio under the PPM, our ratings have been less consistent. PPM data can fluctuate when changes are made to the panel (a group of individuals holding PPM devices). This makes all stations susceptible to some inconsistencies in ratings that may or may not accurately reflect the actual number of listeners at any given time.
As is typical in the radio broadcasting industry, our second and fourth quarter advertising revenue generally exceeds our first and third quarter advertising revenue. This seasonal fluctuation in advertising revenue corresponds with quarterly fluctuations in the retail advertising industry. Additionally, we experience increased demand for advertising during election years by way of political advertisements. Quarterly revenue from the sale of block programming time does not tend to vary significantly because program rates are generally set annually and are recognized on a per program basis. We currently program 40 of our stations with our Christian Teaching and Talk format, which is talk programming with Christian and family themes. We also program 27 News Talk stations, 12 Contemporary Christian Music stations, 10 Business format stations, and eight Spanish-language Christian Teaching and Talk stations. The business format features financial experts, business talk, and nationally recognized Bloomberg programming. The business format operates similar to our Christian Teaching and Talk format as it features long-form block programming.
Our cash flow is historically affected by a transitional period experienced by radio stations when, due to the nature of the radio station, our plans for the market and other circumstances, we find it beneficial to change its format. This transitional period is when we develop a radio stations listener and customer base. During this period, a station may generate negative or insignificant cash flow.
In the broadcasting industry, radio stations often utilize trade or barter agreements to exchange advertising time for goods or services in lieu of cash. In order to preserve the sale of our advertising time for cash, we generally enter into trade agreements only if the goods or services bartered to us will be used in our business. We have minimized our use of trade agreements and have generally sold most of our advertising time for cash. In 2013 and 2012, we sold 97 %, respectively, of our broadcast revenue for cash. Our general policy is not to preempt advertising paid for in cash with advertising paid for in trade.
The primary operating expenses incurred in the ownership and operation of our radio stations include: (i) employee salaries, commissions and related employee benefits and taxes, (ii) facility expenses such as rent and utilities, (iii) marketing and promotional expenses, (iv) production and programming expenses, and (v) music license fees. In addition to these expenses, our network incurs programming costs and lease expenses for satellite communication facilities. We also incur and expect to continue to incur significant depreciation, amortization and interest expense as a result of completed and future acquisitions and existing and future borrowings.
Internet & e-commerce Segment
Internet and e-commerce have been significant growth areas for Salem and continue to be a focus for future development. Salem Web Network (SWN), our Internet businesses, provides Christian and conservative-themed content, audio and video streaming, and other resources on the web. SWNs Internet portals include Christian content websites: OnePlace.com, Christianity.com, Crosswalk.com, GodVine.com, Jesus.org and Bible Study Tools.com. Our conservative opinion websites include Townhall.com and HotAir.com. We also offer church product websites including WorshipHouseMedia.com, SermonSpice.com, and ChurchStaffing.com. SWNs content is accessible through all of our radio station websites that feature content of interest to local listeners throughout the United States. In addition to operating our
42
radio station websites, SWN operates Salem Consumer Products, a website offering books, DVDs and editorial content developed by many of our on-air personalities that are available for purchase. The revenues generated from this segment are reported as Internet and e-commerce revenue on our Consolidated Statements of Operations.
SWN earns revenues from the sales of streaming services, sales of advertising, sales of videos and, to a lesser extent, sales of software, software support contracts and consumer products such as DVDs and editorial products. The revenues of these businesses are reported as Internet and e-commerce revenue on our Consolidated Statements of Operations.
On January 10, 2014, we acquired the assets of Eagle Publishing, including HumanEvents.com, Redstate.com and Eagle Wellness. We began operating these entities as of the closing date. Human Events and RedState are conservative opinion websites that provide news and commentary on issues of interest to the conservative community. Eagle Wellness provides practical complementary health advice and is a trusted source for nutritional supplements from one of the countrys leading complementary health physicians. Supplements are available for consumer purchase online through our website.
The primary operating expenses incurred in the ownership and operation of our Internet businesses include: (i) employee salaries, commissions and related employee benefits and taxes, (ii) facility expenses such as rent and utilities, (iii) marketing and promotional expenses, (iv) royalties, and (v) streaming costs. Beginning in 2014, our operating costs will also include cost of goods sold associated with Eagle Wellness products.
Publishing Segment
Salem Publishing, our publishing business, produces and distributes Christian and conservative opinion print magazines. Salem Publishing also includes Xulon Press, a print-on-demand self-publishing service for Christian authors. The revenues generated from this segment are reported as publishing revenue on our Consolidated Statements of Operations.
Salem Publishing, earns revenues from advertising in and subscriptions to our magazine publications and from book sales. Xulon Press generally earns its revenue from fees paid by authors in association with the publishing, editing and marketing of their books. The revenues of these businesses are reported as publishing on our Consolidated Statements of Operations.
On January 10, 2014, we acquired the assets of Eagle Publishing, including Regnery Publishing and Eagle Financial Publications. Regnery Publishing is a publisher of conservative books that was founded in 1947. Regnery has published dozens of bestselling books by leading conservative authors and personalities, including Ann Coulter, Newt Gingrich, Michelle Malkin, David Limbaugh, Laura Ingraham, Mark Steyn and Dinesh DSouza. Book publishing revenue and cash flows are typically higher in the second and fourth quarter of each year when big titles are released.
The primary operating expenses incurred by Salem Publishing include: (i) employee salaries, commissions and related employee benefits and taxes, (ii) facility expenses such as rent and utilities, (iii) marketing and promotional expenses and (iv) printing and production costs, including paper costs. Beginning in 2014, our operating costs will also include cost of goods sold and inventory reserves associated with Regnery Publishing.
KNOWN TRENDS AND UNCERTAINTIES
Although radio advertising revenues have stabilized following declines that began in 2008, revenue growth remains challenged. Revenues associated with our print magazines are also challenged, not only for adverstising, but for subscriber revenues. Because Internet and e-commerce are concentrated growth areas for us, decreases in revenues in these areas could affect our operating results, financial condition and results of operations. We continue to explore opportunities in which digital media, including our Internet sites and mobile applications, and our print media, for books and magazines are used to simultaneously cross-promote our content and brand.
KEY FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE INDICATORS SAME STATION DEFINITION
In the discussion of our results of operations below, we compare our results between periods on an as-reported basis (that is, the results of operations of all radio stations and network formats owned or operated at any time during either period) and on a same-station basis. With regard to fiscal quarters, we include in our same-station comparisons the results of operations of radio stations or radio station clusters and networks that we own or operate in the same format during the quarter, as well as the corresponding quarter of the prior year. Same-station results for a full year are calculated as the sum of the same station-results for each of the four quarters of that year.
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Year Ended December 31, 2013 compared to the year ended December 31, 2012
The following factors affected our results of operations and our cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2013 as compared to the prior year:
Financing
| On March 14, 2013, we entered into a new senior secured credit facility, consisting of the Term Loan B (Term Loan B) of $300.0 million and the Revolver (Revolver) of $25.0 million. We used the proceeds of the new facility to tender for and redeem our Terminated 95/8% Notes, retire all other outstanding corporate debt, and pay related fees. |
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| On March 14, 2013, we tendered for $212.6 million in aggregate principal amount of the Terminated 95/8% Notes for an aggregate purchase price of $240.3 million, or at a price equal to 110.65% of the face value of the Terminated 95/8% Notes in the Tender Offer. We paid $22.7 million for this repurchase resulting in a $26.9 million pre-tax loss on the early retirement of long-term debt. |
| On June 3, 2013, we redeemed the remaining $0.9 million of the Terminated 95/8% Notes that were outstanding after the Tender Offer. |
| During the year ended December 31, 2013, we repaid $8.8 million in principal on our Term Loan B. Our repayments consisted of $0.8 million on December 30, 2013, $4.0 million on September 30, 1013 and $4.0 million on June 28, 2013. We recorded a $33,000 pre-tax loss on the early retirement of long-term debt related to the unamortized discount associated with these repayments. |
| On September 30, 2013, we repaid $2.0 million in principal on the seller-financed note due April 2014 related to our acquisition of WGTK-FM, in Greenville, South Carolina, on February 5, 2013. |
| On March 27, 2013, we entered into an interest rate swap agreement with Wells Fargo Bank that will begin on March 28, 2014, with a notional principal amount of $150.0 million to offset risks associated with the variable interest rate on our current senior secured credit facility. |
| During the year ended December 31, 2013, we paid quarterly distributions of $5.2 million in total compared to $3.4 million in total in the prior year. |
Acquisitions
| On December 10, 2013, we acquired the Twitchy.com website for $0.9 million paid in cash upon close of the transaction and up to $1.2 million in contingent earn-out consideration payable based on the achievement of future page view targets. The fair value of the earn-out consideration based on a weighted average probability of payment was $0.6 million. |
| On December 9, 2013, we acquired the EverythingInspirational.com domain name along with fourteen Facebook pages and various other Christian-themed social media intangible assets for $0.4 million in cash. We paid $0.1 million in cash upon closing and will pay the remaining $0.3 million in cash over three installments within 180 days from the closing date. |
| On September 23, 2013, we entered into an APA to acquire radio stations KDIS-FM, Little Rock, Arkansas and KRDY-AM, San Antonio, Texas for $2.5 million in cash, including $0.5 million related to the KRDY-AM tower site land in San Antonio, Texas. On December 20, 2013, we closed on the land purchase for $0.5 million in cash. The radio station acquisitions closed on February 7, 2014. |
| On September 11, 2013, we acquired the GodUpdates domain for $0.3 million in cash. |
| On August 10, 2013, we acquired Christnotes.org for $0.5 million in cash. |
| On February 15, 2013, we completed the acquisition of WTOH-FM (formerly WJKR-FM), Columbus, Ohio, for $4.0 million in cash. |
| On February 5, 2013, we completed the acquisition of WGTK-FM (formerly WMUU-FM), Greenville, South Carolina, for $5.4 million, consisting of $1.0 million in cash, a $2.0 million note payable in April 2014, and a $3.0 million advertising credit. We paid the $2.0 million note, including accrued interest of $8,500 in September 2013. |
Net Broadcast Revenue
Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
2012 | 2013 | Change $ | Change % |
2012 | 2013 | |||||||||||||||||||
(Dollars in thousands) | % of Total Net Revenue | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Net Broadcast Revenue |
$ | 183,180 | $ | 183,697 | $ | 517 | 0.3 | % | 79.9 | % | 77.5 | % | ||||||||||||
Same Station Net Broadcast Revenue |
$ | 183,050 | $ | 181,867 | $ | (1,183 | ) | (0.6 | )% |
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The following table shows the dollar amount and percentage of net broadcast revenue for each broadcast revenue source.
Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||
2012 | 2013 | |||||||||||||||
(Dollars in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||
Block program time: |
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National |
$ | 43,468 | 23.7 | % | $ | 44,486 | 24.2 | % | ||||||||
Local |
32,321 | 17.7 | 32,608 | 17.8 | ||||||||||||
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75,789 | 41.4 | 77,094 | 42.0 | |||||||||||||
Advertising: |
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National |
14,200 | 7.8 | 13,840 | 7.5 | ||||||||||||
Local |
63,233 | 34.5 | 63,007 | 34.3 | ||||||||||||
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77,433 | 42.3 | 76,847 | 41.8 | |||||||||||||
Infomercials |
6,112 | 3.3 | 4,970 | 2.7 | ||||||||||||
Network |
16,083 | 8.8 | 15,364 | 8.4 | ||||||||||||
Other |
7,763 | 4.2 | 9,422 | 5.1 | ||||||||||||
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Net broadcast revenue |
$ | 183,180 | 100.0 | % | $ | 183,697 | 100.0 | % | ||||||||
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Block programming revenue increased $1.3 million, of which $1.2 million was generated from national programming revenue on our Christian, Teaching and Talk format radio stations. The increase is primarily due to an increase in the number of programmers featured on-air and secondarily due to rate increases for premium time slots.
Advertising revenues for 2013 were impacted by political revenues, which were $0.4 million in 2013 compared to $2.3 million in 2012. Excluding the impact of political, advertising revenues increased by $1.3 million, primarily from national spot sales on our Contemporary Christian Music format radio stations. Rates charged in these formats are ratings-sensitive.
The decline in infomercial revenues of $1.1 million reflects our ongoing effort to rebrand our stations. We continue to promote our stations through various local events and speaking engagements. Our rebranding efforts away from infomercials are to focus on offering our listeners programming and content that is consistent with our company values.
The decline in network revenue reflects the impact of political revenues, of which $0.6 million was recognized in 2013 compared to $2.0 million in 2012. Excluding political revenues, the $0.7 million increase in network revenue reflects the increase in compensation received for network programs in select markets and increased distribution of SRN programming.
Other revenue includes a $1.3 million increase in listener purchase program revenue, a popular on-air promotion that offers our listeners access to special discounts and incentives from local advertisers, and a $0.2 million increase in rental revenue generated from radio tower subleases.
On a same-station basis, net broadcast revenue was impacted by the decline in political advertising with $1.0 million recognized in 2013 in local & national advertising and network revenue compared to $4.3 million in 2012.
Internet and e-commerce Revenue
Year Ended December31, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
2012 | 2013 | Change $ | Change % | 2012 | 2013 | |||||||||||||||||||
(Dollars in thousands) | % of Total Net Revenue | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Internet and e-commerce Revenue |
$ | 33,474 | $ | 40,906 | $ | 7,432 | 22.2 | % | 14.6 | % | 17.3 | % |
Internet and E-Commerce revenue increased by $8.7 million as of 2013 when excluding political revenue of $1.2 million recognized in 2012. We continue to acquire or build websites that drive viewers to our content. During 2013, we acquired Christnotes.org and GodUpdates.org, as well as recognized a full year of revenue from 2012 acquisitions of Godvine.com and SermonSpice.com. Internet revenue growth reflects a higher demand for digital advertisements, including web banners and e-mail sponsorships. Advertising revenue, including those on our station branded websites, increased $5.7 million based on higher sales volume while video and graphic downloads increased $1.7 million based on an increase in the number of downloads.
Publishing Revenue
Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
2012 | 2013 | Change $ | Change % | 2012 | 2013 | |||||||||||||||||||
(Dollars in thousands) | % of Total Net Revenue | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Publishing Revenue |
$ | 12,525 | $ | 12,331 | $ | (194 | ) | (1.5 | )% | 5.5 | % | 5.2 | % |
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Publishing revenues include a $0.4 million reduction in subscription revenue with our print magazines as a result of a lower number of subscribers partially offset by higher book sales volume on Xulon Press.
Broadcast Operating Expenses
Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
2012 | 2013 | Change $ | Change % | 2012 | 2013 | |||||||||||||||||||
(Dollars in thousands) | % of Total Net Revenue | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Broadcast Operating Expenses |
$ | 120,772 | $ | 122,862 | $ | 2,090 | 1.7 | % | 52.7 | % | 51.9 | % | ||||||||||||
Same Station Broadcast Operating Expenses |
$ | 120,524 | $ | 120,970 | $ | 446 | 0.4 | % |
Higher broadcast operating expenses reflect a $1.8 million increase in personnel related costs including commissions, a $0.5 million increase in promotional and event expenses, a $0.3 million increase in facility related expenses due to the addition of the Greenville, South Carolina market and rent escalations based on changes in the Consumer Price Index, a $0.3 million increase in bad debt expense associated with higher revenues, and a $0.1 million increase in production and programming expenses, offset by a $0.8 million decrease in advertising expenses and a $0.1 million decrease in travel and entertainment expenses. The increase in broadcast operating expenses on a same-station basis reflects these items net of the impact of start-up costs associated with format changes and station launches.
Internet Operating Expenses
Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
2012 | 2013 | Change $ | Change % | 2012 | 2013 | |||||||||||||||||||
(Dollars in thousands) | % of Total Net Revenue | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Internet Operating Expenses |
$ | 25,145 | $ | 28,378 | $ | 3,233 | 12.9 | % | 11.0 | % | 12.0 | % |
Internet operating expenses reflect higher variable expenses associated with higher revenues, including a $1.4 million increase in personnel related costs that includes commissions, a $0.9 million increase in royalties, a $0.6 million increase in streaming and hosting expense, a $0.1 million increase in bad debt expense associated with higher revenues and a $0.1 million increase in professional services, partially offset by a $0.3 million decline in discretionary advertising expenses. The decline in discretionary advertising expenses is due to the nature and timing of various campaigns and events. We intend to continue investing in our brands through strategic advertising.
Publishing Operating Expenses
Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
2012 | 2013 | Change $ | Change % | 2012 | 2013 | |||||||||||||||||||
(Dollars in thousands) | % of Total Net Revenue | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Publishing Operating Expenses |
$ | 12,288 | $ | 13,289 | $ | 1,001 | 8.1 | % | 5.4 | % | 5.6 | % |
Publishing operating expenses reflect a $0.5 million increase in personnel related costs including commissions associated with higher revenues from Xulon Press and a $0.5 million increase in bad debt expense, also associated with higher revenues from Xulon Press.
Corporate Expenses
Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
2012 | 2013 | Change $ | Change % | 2012 | 2013 | |||||||||||||||||||
(Dollars in thousands) | % of Total Net Revenue | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Corporate Expenses |
$ | 18,892 | $ | 21,430 | $ | 2,538 | 13.4 | % | 8.2 | % | 9.0 | % |
Corporate expenses include shared general and administrative services. The increase over the same period of the prior year reflects a $0.3 million increase in stock-based compensation expense based on restricted share awards granted in 2013 that vested immediately, a $1.0 million increase in personnel related costs, a $0.4 million increase in travel and entertainment expense, a $0.2 million increase in facility related costs, a $0.2 million increase in computer software and maintenance, a $0.1 million increase in acquisition related costs and legal fees, a $0.1 million increase in professional related services and a $0.1 million increase in repair and maintenance expenses.
Depreciation Expense
Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
2012 | 2013 | Change $ | Change % | 2012 | 2013 | |||||||||||||||||||
(Dollars in thousands) | % of Total Net Revenue | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Depreciation Expense |
$ | 12,343 | $ | 12,448 | $ | 105 | 0.9 | % | 5.4 | % | 5.3 | % |
Depreciation expense increased slightly due to acquisition activity during 2013.
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Amortization Expense
Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
2012 | 2013 | Change $ | Change % | 2012 | 2013 | |||||||||||||||||||
(Dollars in thousands) | % of Total Net Revenue | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Amortization Expense |
$ | 2,304 | $ | 2,814 | $ | 510 | 22.1 | % | 1.0 | % | 1.2 | % |
Amortization expense increased due to the intangible assets recognized in the latter part of 2012 from our purchases of Godvine.com, SermonSpice.com and Churchangel.com. The intangible assets include advertising agreements, customer lists and domain names with useful lives that range between one and five years.
Impairment of indefinite-lived long-term assets other than goodwill
Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
2012 | 2013 | Change $ | Change % | 2012 | 2013 | |||||||||||||||||||
(Dollars in thousands) | % of Total Net Revenue | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Impairment of indefinite-lived long-term assets other than goodwill |
$ | 88 | $ | 1,006 | $ | 918 | 1,043.2 | % | | % | 0.4 | % |
Due to actual operating results that did not meet or exceed the expectations and assumptions used in our prior estimates of fair value, we performed an interim valuation of our mastheads as of June 30, 2013. Based on our reductions in projected revenue growth and an increase in the discount rate from 8.5% to 9.0%, we determined that the carrying value of the mastheads were less than their estimated fair value. We recorded an impairment charge of $0.3 million associated with the mastheads. During our annual testing, we recorded an additional $0.7 million impairment charge based on further reductions in the projected revenue growth and an increase in the discount rate from 9.0% to 9.5%. These impairments were driven by declines in revenue associated with our print magazines and are a trend in the industry as a whole that is not unique to our operations.
Impairment of goodwill
Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
2012 | 2013 | Change $ | Change % | 2012 | 2013 | |||||||||||||||||||
(Dollars in thousands) | % of Total Net Revenue | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Impairment of goodwill |
$ | | $ | 438 | $ | 438 | 100.0 | % | | % | 0.2 | % |
Based on the impairments recognized to the value of our mastheads, we could not conclude that it was more likely than not that goodwill associated with our magazine publishing unit was not impaired. We obtained an independent fair value of our magazine publishing unit as a whole as of June 2013. Based on this valuation, we determined that the carrying value of the goodwill was less than the implied value of goodwill as of that date and we recorded an impairment charge of $0.4 million. Based on the subsequent impairment of the fair value of mastheads, the carrying value of goodwill associated with our magazine publishing unit was not at risk of impairment as of our annual testing period. There were no indications of impairment present during the period ending December 31, 2013.
Impairment of long-lived Assets
Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
2012 | 2013 | Change $ | Change % | 2012 | 2013 | |||||||||||||||||||
(Dollars in thousands) | % of Total Net Revenue | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Impairment of long-lived Assets |
$ | 6,808 | $ | | $ | (6,808 | ) | (100.0 | )% | 3.0 | % | | % |
During June 2012, based on changes in managements planned usage, land in Covina, CA was classified as held for sale and evaluated for impairment as of that date. In accordance with the authoritative guidance for impairment of long-lived assets held for sale, we determined the carrying value of the land exceeded the estimated fair value less cost to sell. We recorded an impairment charge of $5.6 million associated with this land based on the estimated sale price. In December 2012, after several purchase offers for the land were terminated, we obtained an independent third party valuation for the land. Based on this independent fair value appraisal, we recorded an additional $1.2 million impairment charge associated with the land. There were no indications of impairment present during the period ending December 31, 2013 and it is our intent to continue to pursue the sale of this land.
(Gain) loss on the sale or disposal of assets
Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
2012 | 2013 | Change $ | Change % | 2012 | 2013 | |||||||||||||||||||
(Dollars in thousands) | % of Total Net Revenue | |||||||||||||||||||||||
(Gain) loss on the sale or disposal of assets |
$ | 49 | $ | (264 | ) | $ | (313 | ) | (638.8 | )% | | % | (0.1 | )% |
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The net gain on the sale or disposal of assets for the year ended December 31, 2013 includes a $0.4 million pre-tax gain on the partial sale of land in our Cleveland market and $0.1 million of insurance proceeds for damages at one of our stations offset by various fixed asset and equipment disposals. The net loss on disposal of assets for the same period of the prior year, includes a $0.2 million pre-tax gain on the sale of WBZS-AM in Pawtucket, Rhode Island and a $0.6 million gain from insurance proceeds for repairs of storm damage in our New York market, partially offset by various fixed asset and equipment disposals including an additional loss associated with the write-off of a receivable from a prior station sale.
Other income (expense)
Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
2012 | 2013 | Change $ | Change % | 2012 | 2013 | |||||||||||||||||||
(Dollars in thousands) | % of Total Net Revenue | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Interest Income |
$ | 106 | $ | 68 | $ | (38 | ) | (35.8 | )% | | % | | % | |||||||||||
Interest Expense |
(24,911 | ) | (16,892 | ) | 8,019 | (32.2 | )% | (10.9 | )% | (7.1 | )% | |||||||||||||
Change in the fair value of interest rate swaps |
| 3,177 | 3,177 | 100.0 | % | | % | 1.3 | % | |||||||||||||||
Loss on early retirement of long-term debt |
(1,088 | ) | (27,795 | ) | (26,707 | ) | 2,454.7 | % | (0.5 | )% | (11.7 | )% | ||||||||||||
Net miscellaneous income and (expenses) |
79 | 18 | (61 | ) | (77.2 | )% | | % | | % |
Interest income represents earnings on excess cash. Interest expense reflects a decrease of $8.0 million due to the lower cost of capital under our Term Loan B as compared to our Terminated 95/ 8% Notes which were primarily repurchased in March 2013 in the Tender Offer. The change in the fair value of interest rate swaps reflect the mark-to-market fair value adjustment of the interest rate swap agreement that we entered into on March 28, 2013.
The loss on early retirement of long-term debt for the year ended December 31, 2013 includes the unamortized discount associated with the two $4.0 million repayments of our Term Loan B, $26.9 million from the repurchase and redemption of $212.6 million of the then outstanding Terminated 95/8% Notes, and $0.9 million associated with the termination of our then existing credit facilities in conjunction with the Term Loan B and Revolver entered into on March 14, 2013. Loss on early retirement of debt of $1.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2012 represents the redemptions at a price equal to 103% of the face value and open market repurchases in each period of principal amounts of the Terminated 95/8% Notes.
Net miscellaneous income and expenses relates to royalty income from our real estate properties.
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes
Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
2012 | 2013 | Change $ | Change % | 2012 | 2013 | |||||||||||||||||||
(Dollars in thousands) | % of Total Net Revenue | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes |
$ | 153 | $ | (4,192 | ) | $ | (4,345 | ) | (2,839.9 | )% | 0.1 | % | (1.8 | )% |
In accordance with FASB ASC Topic 740 Income Taxes, our benefit from income taxes was $4.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2013 compared to a tax provision of $0.2 million for the same period of the prior year. Provision for income taxes as a percentage of income before income taxes (that is, the effective tax rate) was 60.8% for the year ended December 31, 2013 compared to 3.3% for the same period of the prior year. The effective tax rate for each period differs from the federal statutory income rate of 35.0% due to the effect of state income taxes, certain expenses that are not deductible for tax purposes, and changes in the valuation allowance from the utilization of certain state net operating loss carryforwards.
Loss from discontinued operations, net of tax
Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
2012 | 2013 | Change $ | Change % | 2012 | 2013 | |||||||||||||||||||
(Dollars in thousands) | % of Total Net Revenue | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Loss from discontinued operations, net of tax |
$ | (95 | ) | $ | (37 | ) | $ | 58 | (61.1 | )% | | % | | % |
The loss from discontinued operations for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2013 reflect expenses associated with facilities previously occupied by Samaritan Fundraising, which ceased operations in December 2011.
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Net Income (loss)
Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
2012 | 2013 | Change $ | Change % | 2012 | 2013 | |||||||||||||||||||
(Dollars in thousands) | % of Total Net Revenue | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Net Income (loss) |
$ | 4,428 | $ | (2,736 | ) | $ | (7,164 | ) | (161.8 | )% | 1.9 | % | (1.2 | )% |
The decrease in net income reflects the increase of a $26.7 million loss on early retirement of long-term debt and a $3.7 million increase in operating expenses offset by the favorable impact of a $7.7 million increase in total revenue, a $8.0 million decrease in interest expense, a $3.2 million benefit from the change in the fair value of our interest rate swap and a $4.4 million decrease in income tax expense.
Year ended December 31, 2012 compared to year ended December 31, 2011
The following factors affected our results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2012 as compared to the prior year:
Financing
| On December 12, 2012, we redeemed $4.0 million of the Terminated 95/8% Notes for $4.1 million, or at a price equal to 103% of the face value. This transaction resulted in a $0.2 million pre-tax loss on the early retirement of debt, including approximately $17,000 of unamortized discount and $0.1 million of bond issue costs associated with the 95/8% Notes. |
| On June 1, 2012, we redeemed $17.5 million of the Terminated 95/8% Notes for $18.0 million, or at a price equal to 103% of the face value. This transaction resulted in a $0.9 million pre-tax loss on the early retirement of debt, including approximately $80,000 of unamortized discount and $0.3 million of bond issue costs associated with the 95/8% Notes. |
| On May 21, 2012, we entered into a Business Loan Agreement, Promissory Note and related loan documents with First California Bank (the FCB Loan). The FCB Loan was an unsecured, $10.0 million fixed-term loan with a maturity date of June 15, 2014. At December 31, 2012, $7.5 million was outstanding on the FCB Loan. |
| On May 21, 2012, we entered into an additional subordinated line of credit with Roland S. Hinz, a Salem board member. Mr. Hinz committed to provide an unsecured revolving line of credit in a principal amount of up to $6.0 million. On September 12, 2012, we amended and restated the original subordinated line of credit with Mr. Hinz to increase the unsecured revolving line of credit by $6.0 million for a total line of credit of up to $12.0 million. At December 31, 2012, $15.0 million was outstanding on all of our Subordinated Debt due to Related Parties, including amounts due Mr. Epperson. |
| On March 7, 2012, our Board of Directors authorized and declared a quarterly dividend in the amount of $0.035 per share on Class A and Class B common stock. Common stock dividends of $0.9 million, or $0.035 per share, were paid on March 30, 2012, June 29, 2012, September 28, 2012 and December 28, 2012, respectively to all common stockholders of record. |
Acquisitions
| On October 1, 2012, we completed the acquisition of Godvine.com for $4.2 million. Godvine.com is a Christian video website and media platform that increases our online presence and offers significant exposure on Facebook with now over 3.3 million Facebook fans. We believe that the addition of Godvine.com makes SWN the largest online destination for Christian content with an average of 5.8 million unique visits per month. |
| On August 31, 2012, we completed the acquisition of radio station WLCC-AM, Tampa, Florida, for $1.2 million. We began operating the station as of the closing date. The accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets and Consolidated Statements of Operations reflect the operating results and net assets of this entity as of the acquisition date. |
| On August 30, 2012, we acquired SermonSpice.com for $3.0 million. SermonSpice.com is an online provider of church media for local churches and ministries. The acquisition resulted in goodwill of $1.2 million representing the excess value of the business attributable to the organizational systems and procedures already in place to ensure effective operations of the business. |
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| On May 15, 2012, we purchased Churchangel.com and rchurch.com for $0.2 million. These Internet sites are operated under SWN to enhance and build our relationships with local churches and pastors. |
| On April 10, 2012, we completed the acquisition of radio station WKDL-AM in Warrenton, Virginia for $30,000. We began operating the station as of the closing date. The accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets and Consolidated Statements of Operations reflect the operating results and net assets of this entity as of the acquisition date. |
| On January 13, 2012, we completed the acquisition of radio station KTNO-AM, Dallas, Texas, for $2.2 million. We began programming the station pursuant to a time brokerage agreement (TBA) with the previous owner on November 1, 2011. The accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations reflect the operating results of this entity as of the TBA date. The accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets reflect the net assets of this entity as of the closing date. |
Dispositions
| On March 16, 2012, we completed the sale of radio station WBZS-AM in Pawtucket, Rhode Island for $0.8 million in cash. The sale resulted in a pre-tax gain of $0.2 million. The accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations reflect the operating results of this entity through the date of the sale. |
Net Broadcasting Revenue
Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
2011 | 2012 | Change $ | Change % | 2011 | 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||
(Dollars in thousands) | % of Total Net Revenue | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Net Broadcast Revenue |
$ | 178,731 | $ | 183,180 | $ | 4,449 | 2.5 | % | 81.9 | % | 79.9 | % | ||||||||||||
Same Station Net Broadcast Revenue |
$ | 178,025 | $ | 182,106 | $ | 4,081 | 2.3 | % |
The following table shows the dollar amount and percentage of net broadcast revenue for each broadcast revenue source.
Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||
2011 | 2012 | |||||||||||||||
(Dollars in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||
Block program time: |
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National |
$ | 42,812 | 24.0 | % | $ | 43,468 | 23.7 | % | ||||||||
Local |
31,227 | 17.5 | 32,321 | 17.7 | ||||||||||||
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74,039 | 41.5 | 75,789 | 41.4 | |||||||||||||
Advertising: |
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National |
13,426 | 7.5 | 14,200 | 7.8 | ||||||||||||
Local |
63,446 | 35.5 | 63,233 | 34.5 | ||||||||||||
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76,872 | 43.0 | 77,433 | 42.3 | |||||||||||||
Infomercials |
6,303 | 3.5 | 6,112 | 3.3 | ||||||||||||
Network |
14,699 | 8.2 | 16,083 | 8.8 | ||||||||||||
Other |
6,818 | 3.8 | 7,763 | 4.2 | ||||||||||||
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Net broadcast revenue |
$ | 178,731 | 100.0 | % | $ | 183,180 | 100.0 | % | ||||||||
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Block programming revenue increased $1.8 million, of which $2.0 million was generated by our national programming revenue on our Christian, Teaching and Talk format radio stations due primarily to an increase in the number of programmers featured on-air during the year and secondarily to rate increases.
Advertising revenues were favorably impacted by political revenues recognized in 2012 of $2.3 million compared to$0.2 million in 2011. Excluding political revenue, advertising revenues decreased by $1.5 million, primarily from national spot sales on our Contemporary Christian Music format radio stations. Advertising rates charged for these radio station formats are ratings-sensitive.
The decline in infomercial revenues of $0.2 million reflects our ongoing effort to rebrand our stations. We continue to promote our stations through various local events and speaking engagements. Our rebranding efforts away from infomercials are focused on offering our listeners programming and content consistent with our company values.
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The increase in network revenue reflects the favorable impact of political revenues, of which $2.0 million was recognized in 2012 compared to $0.7 million in 2011. Excluding political revenues, the $0.7 million decrease in network revenue reflects lower program distribution given the demand for political advertisements.
Other revenue included a $0.5 million increase in event revenue and a $0.4 million dollar increase in listener purchase program revenue, a popular on-air promotion that offers our listeners access to special discounts and incentives from local advertisers.
On a same-station basis, political revenues associated with the elections in 2012 also favorably impacted broadcast revenues.
Internet and e-commerce Revenue
Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
2011 | 2012 | Change $ | Change % | 2011 | 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||
(Dollars in thousands) | % of Total Net Revenue | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Internet and e-commerce Revenue |
$ | 27,304 | $ | 33,474 | $ | 6,170 | 22.6 | % | 12.5 | % | 14.6 | % |
Increases in Internet revenue reflected improving overall economic conditions, a higher demand for Internet advertisements, and growth from our Internet acquisitions that typically generate revenues across all of our web-based platforms. Banner advertisements and e-mail sponsorships, including banners on our radio station branded websites, increased $4.5 million, including $0.9 million of political revenue, due primarily to higher demand for placement from advertisers and secondarily to rate increases. Video and graphic downloads increased $1.6 million over the prior year due to higher volumes.
Publishing Revenue
Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
2011 | 2012 | Change $ | Change % | 2011 | 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||
(Dollars in thousands) | % of Total Net Revenue | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Publishing Revenue |
$ | 12,131 | $ | 12,525 | $ | 394 | 3.2 | % | 5.6 | % | 5.5 | % |
Publishing revenue increased due to higher submission fees and book sales from Xulon Press partially offset by declines in subscription revenues from our print magazines. Our print magazines, and the print magazine industry as a whole, have continued to experience declines in the number of subscribers.
Broadcast Operating Expenses
Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
2011 | 2012 | Change $ | Change % | 2011 | 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||
(Dollars in thousands) | % of Total Net Revenue | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Broadcast Operating Expenses |
$ | 115,482 | $ | 120,772 | $ | 5,290 | 4.6 | % | 52.9 | % | 52.7 | % | ||||||||||||
Same Station Broadcast Operating Expenses |
$ | 114,930 | $ | 119,745 | $ | 4,815 | 4.2 | % |
Broadcast operating expenses increased due to higher variable expenses associated with higher revenues, including a $3.3 million increase in personnel-related costs including commissions and new local talent, a $0.8 million increase in facility related costs, a $0.4 million increase in advertising expenses, a $0.5 million increase in production and programming costs, a $0.1 million increase in LMA fees, and a $0.2 million increase in music license fees partially offset by a reduction in bad debt expense of $0.4 million. The increase in broadcast operating expenses on a same-station basis reflected these items net of the impact of start-up costs associated with format changes and station launches.
Internet Operating Expenses
Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
2011 | 2012 | Change $ | Change % | 2011 | 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||
(Dollars in thousands) | % of Total Net Revenue | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Internet Operating Expenses |
$ | 20,889 | $ | 25,145 | $ | 4,256 | 20.4 | % | 9.6 | % | 11.0 | % |
Internet operating expenses increased due to higher variable expenses associated with higher revenues, including a $1.9 million increase in personnel-related costs including commissions, a $0.8 million increase in royalty expense, a $0.7 million increase in advertising expense, a $0.3 million increase in streaming and hosting, a $0.1 million increase in product costs related to SCP, and $0.4 million increase in bad debt expense.
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Publishing Operating Expenses
Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
2011 | 2012 | Change $ | Change % | 2011 | 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||
(Dollars in thousands) | % of Total Net Revenue | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Publishing Operating Expenses |
$ | 11,475 | $ | 12,288 | $ | 813 | 7.1 | % | 5.3 | % | 5.4 | % |
Operating expenses for Xulon Press increased due to higher variable costs associated with revenue growth. These costs included an increase of $0.8 million in personnel-related costs including commissions and a $0.1 million increase in advertising expense. This was offset by a decrease in our publishing printing costs associated with reduced distribution levels of our print magazines.
Corporate Expenses
Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
2011 | 2012 | Change $ | Change % | 2011 | 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||
(Dollars in thousands) | % of Total Net Revenue | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Corporate Expenses |
$ | 17,503 | $ | 18,892 | $ | 1,389 | 7.9 | % | 8.0 | % | 8.2 | % |
Corporate expenses include shared general and administrative services. Higher costs include a $0.9 million in personnel-related costs primarily due to strategic new-hires, a $0.3 million increase in non-cash stock-based compensation expense and a $0.3 million increase in accounting and public reporting costs partially offset by a $0.1 million decrease in repairs and maintenance.
Depreciation Expense
Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
2011 | 2012 | Change $ | Change % | 2011 | 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||
(Dollars in thousands) | % of Total Net Revenue | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Depreciation Expense |
$ | 12,520 | $ | 12,343 | $ | (177 | ) | (1.4 | ) % | 5.7 | % | 5.4 | % |
Depreciation expense decreased slightly due to approximately $1.4 million of computer software and website development costs acquired in 2008 that were fully depreciated during the prior year offset by a $0.5 million net increase in capital expenditures placed in service during the current year as well as the composite of current year acquisitions. During 2012, we acquired approximately $0.5 million of buildings and towers with longer estimated useful lives of thirty to thirty-five years compared to the prior year in which computer software and website development costs were recorded with useful lives of three years.
Amortization Expense
Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
2011 | 2012 | Change $ | Change % | 2011 | 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||
(Dollars in thousands) | % of Total Net Revenue | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Amortization Expense |
$ | 2,451 | $ | 2,304 | $ | (147 | ) | (6.0 | )% | 1.1 | % | 1.0 | % |
The decrease in amortization expense reflected the impact of higher amortization recognized during 2011 for intangibles, such as advertising agreements, customer lists and domain names that were acquired during that year and prior years with useful lives ranging from one to five years.
Impairment of indefinite-lived long-term assets other than goodwill
Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
2011 | 2012 | Change $ | Change % | 2011 | 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||
(Dollars in thousands) | % of Total Net Revenue | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Impairment of indefinite-lived long-term assets other than goodwill |
$ | | $ | 88 | $ | 88 | 100.0 | % | | % | | % |
Based on actual operating results that did not meet or exceed the expectations and assumptions used in our prior estimates of fair value, we performed an interim valuation of our mastheads as of June 30, 2012. Based on our reduction of projected revenues, we determined that the carrying value of the mastheads were less than their estimated fair value and we recorded an impairment charge of $0.1 million. The impairment was driven by declines in revenue associated with print magazines, which was indicative of the industry as a whole and not unique to our operations.
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Impairment of Long-Lived Assets
Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
2011 | 2012 | Change $ | Change % | 2011 | 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||
(Dollars in thousands) | % of Total Net Revenue | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets |
$ | | $ | 6,808 | $ | 6,808 | 100.0 | % | | % | 3.0 | % |
During June 2012, based on changes in managements planned usage, land in Covina, CA was classified as held for sale and evaluated for impairment as of that date. In accordance with the authoritative guidance for impairment of long-lived assets held for sale, we determined the carrying value of the land exceeded the estimated fair value less cost to sell. We recorded an impairment charge of $5.6 million associated with this land based on the estimated sale price. In December 2012, after several purchase offers for the land were terminated, we obtained an independent third party valuation of the land. Based on this independent fair value appraisal, we recorded an additional $1.2 million impairment charge associated with the land.
(Gain) Loss on the sale or disposal of assets
Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
2011 | 2012 | Change $ | Change % | 2011 | 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||
(Dollars in thousands) | % of Total Net Revenue | |||||||||||||||||||||||
(Gain) loss on the sale or disposal of assets |
$ | (4,153 | ) | $ | 49 | $ | 4,202 | (101.2 | ) % | (1.9 | )% | | % |
The net loss on disposal of assets for the twelve months ended December 31, 2012, included a $0.2 million pre-tax gain on the sale of WBZS-AM in Pawtucket, Rhode Island and a $0.6 million gain from insurance proceeds for repairs of storm damage in our New York market, partially offset by various fixed asset and equipment disposals including an additional loss associated with the write-off of a receivable from a prior station sale. The net gain on disposal of assets for the same period of the prior year included a $2.4 million pre-tax gain on the sale of KKMO-AM in Seattle, Washington and a $2.1 million pre-tax gain on the sale of KXMX-AM in Los Angeles, California, partially offset by various fixed asset and equipment disposals.
Other income (expense), net
Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
2011 | 2012 | Change $ | Change % | 2011 | 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||
(Dollars in thousands) | % of Total Net Revenue | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Interest Income |
$ | 344 | $ | 106 | $ | (238 | ) | (69.2 | )% | 0.2 | % | | % | |||||||||||
Interest Expense |
(27,665 | ) | (24,911 | ) | 2,754 | (10.0 | )% | (12.7 | )% | (10.9 | )% | |||||||||||||
Loss on early retirement of long-term debt |
(2,169 | ) | (1,088 | ) | 1,081 | (49.8 | )% | (0.9 | )% | (0.5 | )% | |||||||||||||
Net miscellaneous income and (expenses) |
(40 | ) | 79 | 119 | (297.5 | )% | | % | | % |
Interest income represents earnings on excess cash. The decrease in interest expense is due to the lower principal balance outstanding on the 95/ 8% Notes, partially offset by higher interest on amounts outstanding under our Revolver and subordinated debt. Other income and expense, net relates to royalty income from real estate properties.
Loss on early retirement of debt of $1.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2012 compared to $2.2 million for the same period of the prior year represents the redemptions at a price equal to 103% of the face value and open market repurchases in each period of principle amounts of the 95/8% Notes.
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes
Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
2011 | 2012 | Change $ | Change % | 2011 | 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||
(Dollars in thousands) | % of Total Net Revenue | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes |
$ | 6,110 | $ | 153 | $ | (5,957 | ) | (97.5 | )% | 2.8 | % | 0.1 | % |
In accordance with FASB ASC Topic 740 Income Taxes, our provision for income taxes was $0.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2012 compared to a tax provision of $6.1 million for the same period of the prior year. Provision for income taxes as a percentage of income before income taxes (that is, the effective tax rate) was 3.3% for the year ended December 31, 2012 compared to 49.0% for the same period of the prior year. The effective tax rate for each period differed from the federal statutory income rate of 35.0% due to the effect of state income taxes, certain expenses that are not deductible for tax purposes, and changes in the valuation allowance from the utilization of certain state net operating loss carryforwards. During the year ended December 31, 2012, we released a portion of the reserve related to state income taxes
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for which the statute of limitations has expired. In addition, we have re-evaluated our position related to the reasoning for establishing the reserve and determined that additions to the reserve are no longer applicable. Accordingly, as the statute of limitations expires for each tax year, an additional portion of the reserve will be released.
Income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of tax
Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
2011 | 2012 | Change $ | Change % | 2011 | 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||
(Dollars in thousands) | % of Total Net Revenue | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of tax |
$ | (741 | ) | $ | (95 | ) | $ | 646 | (87.2 | )% | (0.3 | )% | | % |
The loss from discontinued operations of $0.7 million and $0.1 million, respectively, for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011 reflected expenses associated with facilities previously occupied by Samaritan Fundraising, which ceased operations in December 2011.
Net Income (Loss)
Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
2011 | 2012 | Change $ | Change % | 2011 | 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||
(Dollars in thousands) | % of Total Net Revenue | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Net Income (Loss) |
$ | 5,618 | $ | 4,428 | $ | (1,190 | ) | (21.2 | )% | 2.6 | % | 1.9 | % |
Net income decreased $1.2 million from the prior year due to a $6.9 million impairment of long-lived assets, a $5.3 million increase in broadcast operating expenses and a $4.2 million increase in internet operating expenses offset by an $11.0 million increase in net revenues and a $2.8 million reduction in interest expense.
NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES
The performance of a radio broadcasting company is customarily measured by the ability of its stations to generate station operating income. We define station operating income (SOI) as net broadcast revenue less broadcast operating expenses. Accordingly, changes in net broadcast revenue and broadcast operating expenses, as explained above, have a direct impact on changes in SOI.
SOI is not a measure of performance calculated in accordance with GAAP. SOI should be viewed as a supplement to and not a substitute for our results of operations presented on the basis of GAAP. Management believes that SOI is a useful non-GAAP financial measure to investors, when considered in conjunction with operating income (most directly comparable GAAP financial measure), because it is generally recognized by the radio broadcasting industry as a tool in measuring performance and in applying valuation methodologies for companies in the media, entertainment and communications industries. This measure is used by investors and analysts who report on the industry to provide comparisons between broadcasting groups. Additionally, our management uses SOI as one of the key measures of operating efficiency, profitability and our internal review associated with our impairment analysis of indefinite-lived intangible assets. SOI does not purport to represent cash provided by operating activities. Our statement of cash flows presents our cash flow activity and our income statement presents our historical performance prepared in accordance with GAAP. SOI as defined by and used by our company is not necessarily comparable to similarly titled measures employed by other companies.
Year ended December 31, 2013 compared to year ended December 31, 2012
STATION OPERATING INCOME. SOI decreased $1.6 million, or 2.5%, to $60.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2013 compared to $62.4 million for the same period of the prior year as a result of the changes in net broadcast revenue and broadcast operating expense explained above. As a percentage of net broadcast revenue, SOI decreased to 33.1% for the year ended December 31, 2013 from 34.1% for the same period of the prior year. On a same station basis, SOI decreased $1.6 million, or 2.6%, to $60.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2012 from $62.5 million for the same period of the prior year. As a percentage of same station net broadcast revenue, same station SOI decreased to 33.5% for the year ended December 31, 2013, compared to 34.2% for the same period of the prior year.
54
The following table provides a reconciliation of SOI (a non-GAAP financial measure) to net income as presented in our financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2013:
Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||
2012 | 2013 | |||||||
(Dollars in thousands) | ||||||||
Station operating income |
$ | 62,408 | $ | 60,835 | ||||
Plus Internet and e-commerce revenue |
33,474 | 40,906 | ||||||
Plus publishing revenue |
12,525 | 12,331 | ||||||
Less Internet operating expenses |
(25,145 | ) | (28,378 | ) | ||||
Less publishing operating expenses |
(12,288 | ) | (13,289 | ) | ||||
Less corporate expenses |
(18,892 | ) | (21,430 | ) | ||||
Less depreciation and amortization |
(14,647 | ) | (15,262 | ) | ||||
Less impairment of indefinite-lived long-term assets other than goodwill |
(88 | ) | (1,006 | ) | ||||
Less impairment of goodwill |
| (438 | ) | |||||
Less impairment of long-lived assets |
(6,808 | ) | | |||||
Less gain (loss) on the sale or disposal of assets |
(49 | ) | 264 | |||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Operating income from continuing operations |
$ | 30,490 | $ | 34,533 | ||||
Plus interest income |
106 | 68 | ||||||
Less interest expense |
(24,911 | ) | (16,892 | ) | ||||
Less change in fair value of interest rate swaps |
| 3,177 | ||||||
Less loss on early retirement of long-term debt |
(1,088 | ) | (27,795 | ) | ||||
Less net miscellaneous income and (expenses) |
79 | 18 | ||||||
Less provision for (benefit from) income taxes |
(153 | ) | 4,192 | |||||
Less income (loss) from discontinued operations |
(95 | ) | (37 | ) | ||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Net income (loss) |
$ | 4,428 | $ | (2,736 | ) | |||
|
|
|
|
Year ended December 31, 2012 compared to year ended December 31, 2011
STATION OPERATING INCOME. SOI decreased $0.8 million, or 1.3%, to $62.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2012 compared to $63.2 million for the same period of the prior year as a result of the changes in net broadcast revenue and broadcast operating expense explained above. As a percentage of net broadcast revenue, SOI decreased to 34.1% for the year ended December 31, 2012 from 35.4% for the same period of the prior year. On a same station basis, SOI decreased $0.7 million, or 1.2%, to $62.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2012 from $63.1 million for the same period of the prior year. As a percentage of same station net broadcast revenue, same station SOI decreased to 34.2% for the year ended December 31, 2012, compared to 35.4% for the same period of the prior year.
The following table provides a reconciliation of SOI (a non-GAAP financial measure) to net income as presented in our financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2012:
Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||
2011 | 2012 | |||||||
(Dollars in thousands) | ||||||||
Station operating income |
$ | 63,249 | $ | 62,408 | ||||
Plus Internet and e-commerce revenue |
27,304 | 33,474 | ||||||
Plus publishing revenue |
12,131 | 12,525 | ||||||
Less Internet operating expenses |
(20,889 | ) | (25,145 | ) | ||||
Less publishing operating expenses |
(11,475 | ) | (12,288 | ) | ||||
Less corporate expenses |
(17,503 | ) | (18,892 | ) | ||||
Less depreciation and amortization |
(14,971 | ) | (14,647 | ) | ||||
Less impairment of indefinite-lived long-term assets other than goodwill |
| (88 | ) | |||||
Less impairment of long-lived assets |
| (6,808 | ) | |||||
Less gain (loss) on the sale or disposal of assets |
4,153 | (49 | ) | |||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Operating income from continuing operations |
$ | 41,999 | $ | 30,490 | ||||
Plus interest income |
344 | 106 | ||||||
Less interest expense |
(27,665 | ) | (24,911 | ) | ||||
Less loss on early retirement of long-term debt |
(2,169 | ) | (1,088 | ) | ||||
Less net miscellaneous income and (expenses) |
(40 | ) | 79 | |||||
Less provision for (benefit from) income taxes |
(6,110 | ) | (153 | ) | ||||
Less income (loss) from discontinued operations |
(741 | ) | (95 | ) | ||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Net income |
$ | 5,618 | $ | 4,428 | ||||
|
|
|
|
55
CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES, JUDGMENTS AND ESTIMATES
The discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based upon our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with GAAP. The preparation of these financial statements requires management to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates, including those related to acquisitions and upgrades of radio station and network assets, contingent consideration, revenue recognition, allowance for doubtful accounts, goodwill and other non-intangible assets, uncertain tax positions, valuation allowance (deferred taxes), long-term debt and debt covenant compliance, and stock-based compensation. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.
We believe the following accounting policies and the related judgments and estimates are critical accounting policies that affect the preparation of our consolidated financial statements. For a more comprehensive list of our accounting policies, see Note 1, Significant Accounting Policies, of the accompanying the consolidated financial statements included in this annual report. Note 1 contains several other policies which are important to the preparation of our consolidated financial statements, but do not meet the SECs definition of critical accounting policies because they do not involve subjective or complex judgments.
Accounting for acquisitions and upgrades of radio station and network assets
A majority of our radio station acquisitions have consisted primarily of the FCC licenses to broadcast in a particular market. We often do not acquire the existing format, or we change the format upon acquisition when we find it beneficial. As a result, a substantial portion of the purchase price for the assets of a radio station is allocated to the broadcast license. It is our policy generally to retain third-party appraisers to value radio stations, networks, Internet businesses or publishing properties. The allocations assigned to acquired broadcast licenses and other assets are subjective by their nature and require our careful consideration and judgment. We believe the allocations represent appropriate estimates of the fair value of the assets acquired. As part of the valuation and appraisal process, the third-party appraisers prepare reports that assign values to the various asset categories in our financial statements. Our management reviews these reports and determines the reasonableness of the assigned values used to record the acquisition of these properties at the close of the transaction.
We undertake projects from time to time to upgrade our radio station technical facilities and/or FCC broadcast licenses. Our policy is to capitalize costs incurred up to the point where the project is complete, at which time we transfer the costs to the appropriate fixed asset and/or intangible asset categories. When the completion of a project is contingent upon FCC or other regulatory approval, we assess the probable future benefit of the asset at the time that it is recorded and monitor it through the FCC or other regulatory approval process. In the event the required approval is not considered probable or the project is abandoned, we write-off the capitalized costs of the project.
Accounting for contingent consideration
Acquisitions may include contingent consideration, the fair value of which is estimated on the acquisition date as the present value of the expected contingent payments, determined using weighted probabilities of possible payments. As discussed, future page views are the basis for calculating the contingent consideration associated with our acquisition of Twitchy.com in December 2013. The unobservable inputs to the determination of the fair value of the contingent consideration include assumptions as to the ability of the acquired businesses to meet these page view targets and discount rates used in the calculation. Should the actual page views generated by the acquired business increase or decrease as compared to our assumptions, the fair value of the contingent consideration obligations would increase or decrease, up to the contracted limit, as applicable. Changes in the fair value of the contingent earn-out consideration could cause a material impact and volatility in our operating results.
Revenue recognition
Revenues are recognized when pervasive evidence of an arrangement exists, delivery has occurred or the service has been rendered, the price to the customer is fixed or determinable and collection of the arrangement fee is reasonably assured.
56
Revenues from radio programs and commercial advertising are recognized when the program or advertisement is broadcast. Revenue is reported net of agency commissions, which are calculated based on a stated percentage applied to gross billing. Our customers principally include not-for-profit charitable organizations and commercial advertisers. Revenue from the sale of products and services are recognized when the products are shipped and the services are rendered. Revenues from the sale of advertising in our magazines are recognized upon publication. Revenue from the sale of subscriptions to our publications is recognized over the life of the subscription. Revenue from book sales is recorded when shipment occurs.
Multiple-Deliverables
We may enter bundled advertising agreements that include spot advertisements on our radio stations, Internet banner placements, print magazine advertisements and booth space at specific events, or some combination thereof. The multiple deliverables contained in each agreement are accounted for separately over their respective delivery period provided that they are separate units of accounting. The selling price used for each deliverable is based on vendor specific objective evidence if available or estimated selling price if vendor specific objective evidence is not available. Objective evidence of fair value includes the price charged for each element when it is sold separately. The estimated selling price is the price that we would transact if the deliverable was sold regularly on a standalone basis. Arrangement consideration is allocated at the inception of each arrangement to all deliverables using the relative selling price method. The relative selling price method allocates any discount in the arrangement proportionally to each deliverable on the basis of each deliverables selling price.
Barter transactions
We may provide advertising time in exchange for certain products, supplies and services. The terms of the exchanges generally permit for the preemption of such broadcast time in favor of advertisers who purchase time on regular terms. We include the value of such exchanges in both net broadcasting revenues and broadcast operating expenses. The value recorded for barter revenues is based upon managements estimate of the fair value of the products, supplies and services received.
Advertising time that our radio stations exchange for goods and or services is recorded as barter revenue when the advertisement is broadcast at an amount equal to our estimate fair value of what was received. The value of the goods or services received in such barter transactions is charged to expense as used. Barter advertising revenue included in broadcast revenue for the years ended December 31, 2011, 2012 and 2013 was approximately $5.2 million, $5.3 million and $5.6 million, respectively, and barter expenses were approximately the same as barter revenue for each period.
Allowance for doubtful accounts
Our allowance for doubtful accounts is evaluated on a monthly basis and is recorded based on our historical collection experience, the age of the receivables, specific customer information and economic conditions. We also review outstanding balances on an account-specific basis. In general, past due receivable balances are not written-off until all of our collection efforts have been unsuccessful, including use of a recovery agency. A considerable amount of judgment is required in assessing the likelihood of ultimate realization of these receivables including the current creditworthiness of each customer. If the financial condition of our customers were to deteriorate, resulting in an impairment of their ability to make payments, additional allowances may be required.
Accounting for discontinued operations
We regularly review underperforming assets to determine if a sale might be a better way to monetize the assets. When a station, group of stations, or other asset groups are considered for sale, we review the transaction to determine if or when the entity qualifies as a discontinued operation in accordance with the criteria of FASB ASC Topic 205-20 Discontinued Operations. This pronouncement specifies that the operations and cash flow of the entity disposed of, or to be sold, have or will be eliminated from the ongoing operations as a result of the disposal and that we will not have significant continuing involvement in the operations after the disposal transaction. For our radio stations, we define a cluster as a group of radio stations operating in the same geographic market, sharing the same building, equipment, and managed by a single general manager. The cluster level is the lowest level for which discrete financial information and cash flows are available and the level reviewed by management to analyze operating results. General Managers are compensated based on the results of their cluster as a whole, not the results of any individual radio stations. We have determined that a radio market qualifies for a discontinued operation when management, having the authority to approve the action, commits to a plan to sell the asset (disposal group), the sale is probable, and the sale will result in the exit of a particular geographic market.
57
During the 4th quarter of 2011, based on operating results that did not meet expectations, we ceased operating Samaritan Fundraising as of December 31, 2011. Samaritan Fundraising, reported in our Internet operations, was a web-based fundraising products company operating from a single facility in Fairfax, VA, under the control of one general manager. As a result of our decision to close operations, there were no material cash flows associated with this entity and we have no ongoing or further involvement in the operations of this entity. We have reported the operating results and net assets of this entity as a discontinued operation for all periods presented.
Goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets
We account for goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangible assets in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 350 IntangiblesGoodwill and Other. We do not amortize goodwill or other indefinite-lived intangible assets, but rather test for impairment annually or more frequently if events or circumstances indicate that an asset may be impaired.
Approximately 70% of our total assets as of December 31, 2013, consist of indefinite-lived intangible assets, such as broadcast licenses, goodwill and mastheads, the value of which depends significantly upon the operating results of our businesses. In the case of our radio stations, we would not be able to operate the properties without the related FCC broadcast license for each property. Broadcast licenses are renewed with the FCC every eight years for a nominal cost that is expensed as incurred. We continually monitor our stations compliance with the various regulatory requirements. Historically, all of our broadcast licenses are renewed at the end of their respective periods, and we expect that all broadcast licenses will continue to be renewed in the future. Accordingly, we consider our broadcast licenses to be indefinite-lived intangible assets in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 350, Intangibles Goodwill and Other. Broadcast licenses account for approximately 94% of our indefinite-lived intangible assets. Goodwill and magazine mastheads account for the remaining 6%. We do not amortize goodwill or other indefinite-lived intangible assets, but rather test for impairment at least annually or more frequently if events or circumstances indicate that an asset may be impaired.
We complete our annual impairment tests in the fourth quarter of each year. We believe that our estimate of the value of our broadcast licenses, mastheads, and goodwill is a critical accounting estimate as the value is significant in relation to our total assets, and our estimates incorporate variables and assumptions that are based on experiences and judgment about future operating performance of our markets and business segments. The fair value measurements for our indefinite-lived intangible assets use significant unobservable inputs that reflect our own assumptions about the estimates that market participants would use in measuring fair value including assumptions about risk. The unobservable inputs are defined in FASB ASC Topic 820 Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures as Level 3 inputs discussed in detail in Note 7 to our Consolidated Financial Statements.
In July 2012, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2012-02, Intangibles Goodwill and Other (Topic 350). Under ASU 2012-02, we have the option to assess whether it is more likely than not that an indefinite-lived intangible asset is impaired. If it is more likely than not that impairment exists, we are required to perform a quantitative analysis to estimate the fair value of the assets. The qualitative assessment requires significant judgment in considering events and circumstances that may affect the estimated fair value of our indefinite-lived intangible assets and to weigh these events and circumstances by what we believe to be the strongest to weakest indicator of potential impairment. ASU 2012-02 is effective for annual and interim impairment tests for fiscal years beginning after September 15, 2012, with early adoption permitted. We adopted the provisions of ASU 2012-02 as of our 2012 annual testing period.
ASU 2012-02 provides examples of events and circumstances that could affect the estimated fair value of indefinite-lived intangible assets; however, the examples are not all-inclusive and are not by themselves indicators of impairment. We considered these events and circumstances, as well as other external and internal considerations. Our analysis, in order of what we consider to be the strongest to weakest indicators of impairment include: (1) the difference between any recent fair value calculations and the carrying value; (2) financial performance, such as station operating income, including performance as compared to projected results used in prior estimates of fair value; (3) macroeconomic economic conditions, including limitations on accessing capital that could affect the discount rates used in prior estimates of fair value; (4) industry and market considerations such as a declines in market-dependent multiples or metrics, a change in demand, competition, or other economic factors; (5) operating cost factors, such as increases in labor, that could have a negative effect on future expected earnings and cash flows; (6) legal, regulatory, contractual, political, business, or other factors; (7) other relevant entity-specific events such as changes in management or customers; and (8) any changes to the carrying amount of the indefinite-lived intangible asset.
58
Broadcast licenses
The unit of accounting we use to test broadcast licenses is the cluster level, which we define as a group of radio stations operating in the same geographic market, sharing the same building and equipment and managed by a single general manager. The cluster level is the lowest level for which discrete financial information and cash flows are available and the level reviewed by management to analyze operating results. For our 2012 annual tests, we performed a qualitative assessment for all of our market clusters and a qualitative assessment for the twelve market clusters that were more likely than not to have an impairment. Our 2012 fair value estimates were prepared using the start-up income approach to estimate the fair value of the broadcast license. The start-up-income approach measures the expected future economic benefits that the broadcast licenses provide and discounts these future benefits using a discounted cash flow analysis. The discounted cash flow analysis assumes that the broadcast licenses hypothetical start-up stations and the values yielded by the discounted cash flow analysis represent the portion of the stations value attributable solely to the broadcast license. The discounted cash flow model incorporates variables such as projected revenues, operating profit margins, forecasted growth rates, estimated start-up costs, losses expected to be incurred in the early years, competition within the market, the effective tax rate, future terminal values and the risk-adjusted discount rate. The variables used reflect historical company growth trends, industry projections, and the anticipated performance of the business. The discounted cash flow projection period was determined to be ten years, which is typically the time radio station operators and investors expect to recover their investments as widely used by industry analysts in their forecasts. We did not record an impairment of our broadcast licenses during 2012.
For our 2013 annual tests, we also performed a qualitative assessment for all of our market clusters. We reviewed the significant assumptions applicable to our 2012 fair value estimates to assess if events and circumstances have occurred that could affect the significant inputs used in these fair value estimates. We reviewed each of the key estimates and assumptions and determined that there have been no significant changes that would need to be applied to a hypothetical start-up station in order to estimate the fair value. Projected revenues, operating profit margins, forecasted growth rates, estimated start-up costs, losses expected to be incurred in the early years, competition within the market, the effective tax rate, future terminal values and the risk-adjusted discount rate are consistent with those applied in the 2012 testing period. We also reviewed internal benchmarks and economic performance for each of our markets to conclude that we could reasonably rely upon the 2012 fair value estimates and assumptions as a starting point to our qualitative analysis.
We calculated the amount by which the 2012 estimated fair values exceeded our carrying amounts to calculate the excess of fair value. We concluded that markets with broadcast licenses with a 25% or more excess of the estimated fair value over the carrying value were not likely to be impaired. We believe based on our analysis and review, including the financial performance of each market, that a 25% excess fair value margin is conservative and reasonable in the qualitative analysis. We determined that nine of the twelve markets for which a 2012 fair value was obtained were subject to further testing. The table below presents the percentage within a range by which our prior year start-up income estimated fair value exceeded the carrying value of our broadcasting licenses:
Geographic Market Clusters as of December 31, 2013 Percentage Range By Which 2012 Estimated Fair Value Exceeds Carrying Value |
||||||||||||||||
<25% | >26-30% | >30% to 75% | > than 75% | |||||||||||||
Number of market clusters |
9 | 1 | 2 | | ||||||||||||
Broadcast license carrying value (in thousands) |
$ | 217,111 | $ | 18,501 | $ | 13,577 | $ | |
Our qualitative review also included a review of the financial results of each market cluster. Radio station are often sold on the basis of a multiple of projected cash flow, or station operating income less station operating expenses (SOI). Numerous trade organizations and analysts review these radio stations sales to track SOI multiples applicable to each transaction. Based on published reports and analysis of transactions, we believe industry benchmarks to be in the six to seven times cash flow range. Based our analysis, we determined that an SOI benchmark of four would be a conservative indicator of fair value. We determined that eight of the remaining markets were subject to further testing. The table below presents the percentage within a range by which our estimated fair value as a multiple of SOI exceeded the carrying value of our broadcasting licenses for these market clusters:
Geographic Market Clusters as of December 31, 2013 Percentage Range By Which SOI Estimated Fair Value Exceeds Carrying Value |
||||||||||||||||
<5% | >6-10% | >11% to 40% | > than 40% | |||||||||||||
Number of market clusters |
8 | 1 | 4 | 8 | ||||||||||||
Broadcast license carrying value (in thousands) |
$ | 51,850 | $ | 2,402 | $ | 61,354 | $ | 21,835 |
59
We engaged Bond & Pecaro, an independent third-party appraisal and valuation firm, to perform an appraisal of the indefinite-lived intangible asset(s). Bond & Pecaro utilized an income approach to value broadcast licenses. The income approach measures the expected economic benefits that the broadcast licenses provides and discounts these future benefits using a discounted cash flow analysis. The discounted cash flow analysis assumes that the broadcast licenses are held by hypothetical start-up stations and the values yielded by the discounted cash flow analysis represent the portion of the stations value attributable solely to the broadcast license. The discounted cash flow model incorporates variables such as projected revenues, operating profit margins, and a discount rate. The variables used reflect historical company growth trends, industry projections, and the anticipated performance of the business. The discounted cash flow projection period was determined to be ten years; which is typically the time radio station operators and investors expect to recover their investments as widely used by industry analysts in their forecasts.
The key estimates and assumptions used in the start-up income valuation for our broadcast licenses were as follows:
Broadcast Licenses |
December 31, 2011 | December 31, 2012 | December 31, 2013 | |||
Discount rate |
9.0% | 9.0% | 9.0% | |||
Operating profit margin ranges |
3.8% - 36.3% | 5.1% - 35.5% | 4.1% - 37.5% | |||
Long-term market revenue growth rate ranges |
1.0% - 4.0% | 0.3% - 15.0% | 1.0% - 2.5% |
The table below presents the results of our quantitative analysis for 17 market clusters as of the 2013 annual testing period.
Market Cluster |
Excess Fair Value 2013 Estimate |
|||
Atlanta, GA |
13.6 | % | ||
Boston, MA |
6.9 | % | ||
Chicago, IL |
6.4 | % | ||
Cleveland, OH |
4.6 | % | ||
Colorado Springs, CO |
82.5 | % | ||
Columbus, OH |
6.0 | % | ||
Dallas, TX |
10.9 | % | ||
Detroit, MI |
2.9 | % | ||
Greenville, SC (NEW) |
8.5 | % | ||
Honolulu, HI |
6.3 | % | ||
Los Angeles, CA |
107.4 | % | ||
Louisville, KY |
8.0 | % | ||
Minneapolis, MN |
85.8 | % | ||
Omaha, NE |
1.1 | % | ||
Phoenix, AZ |
17.4 | % | ||
Portland, OR |
6.9 | % | ||
Sacramento, CA |
1.6 | % |
Based on our review and analysis we determined that no impairment charges were necessary to the carrying value of our broadcast licenses as of the annual testing period ending December 31, 2013. Based on prior tests, we determined that no impairments of our broadcast licenses were necessary for years ending December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively.
Mastheads
Mastheads consist of the graphic elements that identify our publications to readers and advertisers. These include customized typeset page headers, section headers, and column graphics as well as other name and identity stylized elements within the body of each publication. We test the value of mastheads as a single combined publishing entity as our print magazines operate from one shared facility under one general manager with operating results and cash flows reported on a combined basis for all publications. This is the lowest level for which discrete financial information and cash flows are available and the level reviewed by management to analyze operating results.
60
We have regularly performed quantitative reviews of mastheads based on the low margin by which our estimated fair values exceed our carrying value and actual operating results that do not meet or exceed our expectations. We engaged Bond & Pecaro, an independent third-party appraisal firm, to estimate the fair value of our mastheads using an income-based approach. The income-based approach utilized an estimated royalty stream that measures a cost savings to the business because it does not have to pay a royalty to use the owned trade name and content. The analysis assumes that the assets are employed by a typical market participant in their highest and best use. A discounted cash flow method is applied to calculate the estimated fair value of our mastheads, the key estimates and assumptions to which are as follows:
Mastheads |
December 31, 2011 |
Interim June 30, 2012 |
December 31, 2012 |
Interim June 30, 2013 |
December 31, 2013 | |||||
Discount rate |
8.5% | 8.5% | 8.5% | 9.0% | 9.5% | |||||
Projected revenue growth ranges |
1.5% - 2.50% | 1.5% - 2.50% | 1.5% - 3.0% | 1.0% - 2.8% | 1.2% - 2.5% | |||||
Royalty growth rate |
3.0% | 3.0% | 3.0% | 3.0% | 2.0% |
As of our June 2012 interim testing period, the estimated fair value of our mastheads exceeded our carrying value by 1.7%. As of our 2012 annual testing, we recorded an impairment charge associated with mastheads of $0.1 million driven by a reduction in projected net revenues. For the interim testing performed as of June 2013, projected revenue growth rates were lowered based on failure of the print magazine segment to achieve the amounts previously projected. Based on these lower actual and projected growth rates. we recorded an impairment of $0.3 million as of June 2013. During our 2013 annual testing, our royalty rate was lowered to 2.0% from the 3.0% industry standard based on gross margins associated with the segment. Additionally, the discount rate was raised from 9.0% to 9.5% based on risks associated with print magazines. We recorded an additional $0.3 million impairment charge associated with mastheads because of these changes. The primary driver of our impairments is the reduction of revenues, which are prevalent throughout the print magazines industry and is not unique to our operations.
GoodwillBroadcast
We adopted ASU 2011-08, Testing Goodwill for Impairment as of our 2012 annual testing period. As a result, beginning in 2012, the first step of our impairment tests for goodwill is a thorough assessment of qualitative factors to determine if events or circumstances indicate that it is not more likely than not that the fair value of these assets is less than their carrying amounts. If the qualitative test indicates it is not more likely than not that the fair value of these assets is less than their carrying amounts, a quantitative assessment is not required. The unit of accounting used to test broadcast licenses is the cluster level, which we define as a group of radio stations operating in the same geographic market, sharing the same building and equipment and managed by a single general manager. Eleven of our 32 market clusters and our networks have goodwill associated with them as of our annual testing period ending December 31, 2013 compared to nine of our 31 markets as of the annual testing period ending December 31, 2012.
The first step of our review included an assessment to determine if events and circumstances have occurred that could affect the significant inputs used in our fair value estimates. We estimated fair values using a market and income approach and compared the estimated fair value of each market cluster to its carrying value including goodwill. Under the market approach, we applied a multiple of four to each market clusters station operating income (SOI) to calculate the estimated fair value. As described above, we believe that an SOI benchmark of four would be a conservative indicator of fair value. Under the income approach, we utilized a discounted cash flow method to calculate the estimated fair value of the accounting unit. The discounted cash flow method incorporates the cumulative present value of the net after-tax cash flows projected for each market assuming that it is a hypothetical start-up station. The key estimates and assumptions used in the start-up income valuation of our broadcast market clusters for each testing period are as follows:
December 31, | ||||||
Goodwill Broadcast Market Clusters |
2011 | 2012 | 2013 | |||
Discount rate |
9.0% | 9.0% | 9.0% | |||
Operating profit margin ranges |
3.8% - 38.0% | 5.1% - 35.5% | 4.1% - 37.5% | |||
Long-term market revenue growth rate ranges |
1.0% - 4.0% | 0.3% -15.0% | 1.0% - 2.5% |
If the carrying amount, including goodwill, exceeded the estimated fair value of the market cluster, an indication exists that the amount of goodwill attributed to that market cluster may be impaired. When we have indication of impairment, we perform a second step to determine the amount of any impairment. We engaged Bond & Pecaro, an independent third-party appraisal and valuation firm, to determine the enterprise value of four of our market clusters in a manner similar to a purchase price allocation. The enterprise valuation assumes that the subject assets are installed as part of an operating business rather than as a hypothetical start-up. The key estimates and assumptions used for our enterprise valuations are as follows:
Enterprise Valuations |
December 31, 2011 Broadcast Market Clusters |
December 31, 2012 Broadcast Market Clusters |
December 31, 2013 Broadcast Market Clusters | |||
Discount rate |
9.0% | 9.0% | 9.0% | |||
Operating profit margin ranges |
6.8% - 45.4% | 16.9% - 49.2% | 11.9% - 44.7% | |||
Long-term revenue market growth rate ranges |
1.5% - 3.5% | 1.0% - 3.5% | 1.0% - 2.5% |
61
Based on our review and analysis we determined that no impairment charges were necessary to the carrying value of our broadcast goodwill as of the annual testing period ending December 31, 2013. Based on prior tests, we determined that no impairments of our broadcast goodwill were necessary for years ending December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively. The estimated fair value of our networks exceeded the carrying value by 63%, 113.0% and 101.6% for each of the annual testing periods ending December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively. The tables below present the percentage within a range by which the estimated fair value exceeded the carrying value of each of our market clusters, including goodwill: