Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Stock Incentive Plan

v3.21.2
Stock Incentive Plan
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2021
Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]  
Stock Incentive Plan
NOTE 15. STOCK INCENTIVE PLAN
Our Amended and Restated 1999 Stock Incentive Plan (the “Plan”) provides for grants of equity-based awards to employees,
non-employee
directors and officers, and advisors (“Eligible Persons”). The Plan is designed to promote the interests of the company using equity investment interests to attract, motivate, and retain individuals.
A maximum of 8,000,000 shares are authorized under the Plan. All awards have restriction periods tied primarily to employment and/or service. The Plan allows for accelerated or continued vesting in certain circumstances as defined in the Plan including death, disability, a change in control, and termination or retirement. The Board of Directors, or a committee appointed by the Board, has discretion subject to limits defined in the Plan, to modify the terms of any outstanding award. Awards granted to
non-employee
directors are made in exchange for their services to the company as directors and therefore, the guidance in FASB ASC Topic
505-50
Equity Based Payments to
Non-Employees
is not applicable.
Under the Plan, the Board, or a committee appointed by the Board, may impose restrictions on the exercise of awards during
pre-defined
blackout periods. Insiders may participate in plans established pursuant to Rule
10b5-1
under the Exchange Act that allow them to exercise awards subject to
pre-established
criteria.
We recognize
non-cash
stock-based compensation expense based on the estimated fair value of awards in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718
Compensation—Stock Compensation
. Stock-based compensation expense fluctuates over time as a result of the vesting periods for outstanding awards and the number of awards that actually vest. The following table reflects the components of stock-based compensation expense recognized in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations for the three- and
six-
month periods ended June 30, 2021 and 2020:
 
    
Three Months Ended June 30,
    
Six Months Ended June 30,
 
    
2020
    
2021
    
2020
    
2021
 
    
(Dollars in thousands)
    
(Dollars in thousands)
 
Stock option compensation expense included in unallocated corporate expenses
   $ 43     
$
24
 
   $ 93     
$
52
 
Stock option compensation expense included in broadcast operating expenses
     37     
 
33
 
     74     
 
61
 
Stock option compensation expense included in digital media operating expenses
     16     
 
27
 
     31     
 
49
 
Stock option compensation expense included in publishing operating expenses
     —          —          1        —    
    
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
 
Total stock-based compensation expense,
pre-tax
   $ 96     
$
84
 
   $ 199     
$
162
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
 
Tax expense for stock-based compensation expense
     (25   
 
(22
     (52   
 
(42
    
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
 
Total stock-based compensation expense, net of tax
   $ 71     
$
62
 
   $ 147     
$
120
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
 
Stock Option and Restricted Stock Grants
Eligible employees may receive stock option awards annually with the number of shares and type of instrument generally determined by the employee’s salary grade and performance level. Incentive and
non-qualified
stock option awards allow the recipient to purchase shares of our common stock at a set price, not to be less than the closing market price on the date of award, for no consideration payable by the recipient. The related number of shares underlying the stock option is fixed at the time of the grant. Options generally vest over a four-year period with a maximum term of five years from the vesting date. In addition, certain management and professional level employees may receive stock option awards upon the commencement of employment.
 
The Plan also allows for awards of restricted stock that contain transfer restrictions under which they cannot be sold, pledged, transferred or assigned until the period specified in the award, generally from one to five years. Restricted stock awards are independent of option grants and are granted at no cost to the recipient other than applicable taxes owed by the recipient. The awards are considered issued and outstanding from the date of grant.
The fair value of each award is estimated as of the date of the grant using the Black-Scholes valuation model. The expected volatility reflects the consideration of the historical volatility of our common stock as determined by the closing price over a
six
to
ten-year
term commensurate with the expected term of the award. Expected dividends reflect the amount of quarterly distributions authorized and declared on our Class A and Class B common stock as of the grant date. The expected term of the awards is based on evaluations of historical and expected future employee exercise behavior. The risk-free interest rates for periods within the expected term of the award are based on the U.S. Treasury yield curve in effect during the period the options were granted. We have used historical data to estimate future forfeiture rates to apply against the gross amount of compensation expense determined using the valuation model. These estimates have approximated our actual forfeiture rates.
The weighted-average assumptions used to estimate the fair value of the stock options using the Black-Scholes valuation model were as follows for the three- and
six-month
periods ended June 30, 2021 and 2020:
 
    
Three Months Ended
  
Six Months Ended
   
Three Months Ended
  
Six Months Ended
 
    
June 30, 2020
  
June 30, 2020
   
June 30, 2021
  
June 30, 2021
 
Expected volatility
   n/a      53.96   n/a      74.83
Expected dividends
   n/a      7.30   n/a      0.00
Expected term (in years)
   n/a      7.6     n/a      7.7  
Risk-free interest rate
   n/a      1.14   n/a      0.96
Activity with respect to the company’s option awards during the
six-month
period ended June 30, 2021 is as follows:
 
Options
   Shares     Weighted
Average
Exercise Price
     Weighted Average
Grant Date
Fair Value
     Weighted Average
Remaining
Contractual Term
     Aggregate
Intrinsic
Value
 
    
(Dollars in thousands, except weighted average exercise price and weighted average grant date fair value)
 
Outstanding at January 1, 2021
     2,291,020     $ 3.23      $ 1.52        4.3 years      $ —    
Granted
     210,000       2.01        1.44                 —    
Exercised
     (185,782     2.11        0.97                 188  
Forfeited or expired
     (157,446     6.73        4.74                 —    
    
 
 
                                    
Outstanding at June 30, 2021
  
 
2,157,792
 
 
$
2.95
 
  
$
1.33
 
  
 
4.5 years
 
  
$
996
 
    
 
 
                                    
Exercisable at June 30, 2021
  
 
1,210,417
 
 
$
3.84
 
  
$
1.75
 
  
 
2.8 years
 
  
$
167
 
    
 
 
                                    
Expected to Vest
  
 
899,533
 
 
$
2.98
 
  
$
1.34
 
  
 
4.5 years
 
  
$
786
 
    
 
 
                                    
Activity with respect to the company’s restricted stock awards during the
six-month
period ended June 30, 2021 is as follows:
 
Restricted Stock Awards
   Shares      Weighted Average
Grant Date Fair Value
     Weighted Average
Remaining Contractual Term
     Aggregate
Intrinsic Value
 
    
(Dollars in thousands, except weighted average exercise price and weighted average grant date fair value)
 
Outstanding at January 1, 2021
     107,990      $ 1.85        1.67 years      $ 112  
Granted
     —          —          —          —    
Lapsed
     —          —          —          —    
Forfeited
     —          —          —          —    
    
 
 
                            
Outstanding at June 30, 2021
  
 
107,990
 
   $
1.85
    
 
0.6 years
 
   $
275
 
    
 
 
                            
The aggregate intrinsic value represents the difference between the company’s closing stock price on June 30, 2021 of $2.55 and the option exercise price of the shares for stock options that were in the money, multiplied by the number of shares underlying such options. The total fair value of options vested during the periods ended June 30, 2021 and 2020 was $0.3 million and $0.4 million, respectively.
As of June 30, 2021, there was $0.1 million of total unrecognized compensation cost related to
non-vested
stock option awards. This cost is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 2.1 years.