As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 9, 2014.
Registration No. 333-
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM S-4
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
CLEAR CHANNEL COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Texas | 4832 | 74-1787539 | ||
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) |
(Primary Standard Industrial Classification Number) |
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
200 East Basse Road
San Antonio, Texas 78209
Telephone: (210) 822-2828
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrants principal executive offices)
Robert H. Walls, Jr.
Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary
Clear Channel Communications, Inc.
200 East Basse Road
San Antonio, Texas 78209
Telephone: (210) 822-2828
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
Copies to:
James S. Rowe
Brian D. Wolfe
Kirkland & Ellis LLP
300 North LaSalle
Chicago, Illinois 60654
Telephone: (312) 862-2000
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale of the securities to the public: The exchange will occur as soon as practicable after the effective date of this Registration Statement.
If the securities being registered on this Form are being offered in connection with the formation of a holding company and there is compliance with General Instruction G, check the following box. ¨
If this form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ¨
If this form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ¨
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 the definitions 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 | x (Do not check if a smaller reporting company) | Smaller reporting company | ¨ |
If applicable, place an X in the box to designate the appropriate rule provision relied upon in conducting this transaction:
Exchange Act Rule 13e-4(i) (Cross-Border Issuer Tender Offer) ¨
Exchange Act Rule 14d-1(d) (Cross-Border Third-Party Tender Offer) ¨
CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
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Title of each class of securities to be registered |
Amount to be registered |
Proposed maximum offering price per unit(1) |
Proposed maximum aggregate offering price(1) |
Amount of registration fee | ||||
Senior Notes due 2018 |
$850,000,000 | 100% | $850,000,000 | $109,480(1) | ||||
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(1) | Estimated solely for purposes of calculating the registration fee pursuant to Rule 457(f) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. |
The registrant hereby amends this registration statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this registration statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until this registration statement shall become effective on such date as the Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.
The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. These notes may not be sold until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell nor is it an offer to buy these notes in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.
SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED JUNE 9, 2014
PROSPECTUS
CLEAR CHANNEL COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
Exchange Offer for
$850,000,000 Senior Notes due 2018
We are offering (the exchange offer) to exchange up to $850,000,000 aggregate principal amount of our new Senior Notes due 2018 (which we refer to as the exchange notes), which will be registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act), for up to $850,000,000 aggregate principal amount of our outstanding Senior Notes due 2018, which were issued by CCU Escrow Corporation (the Escrow Issuer) on May 1, 2014 (the outstanding notes). The Escrow Issuer was merged with and into us on June 6, 2014, upon which we assumed all of the obligations of the Escrow Issuer under the outstanding notes (the Assumption). We refer to the exchange notes and the outstanding notes collectively as the notes.
Material Terms of the Exchange Offer
The exchange offer will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on , 2014, unless extended.
We will exchange all outstanding notes that are validly tendered and not withdrawn prior to the expiration or termination of the exchange offer. You may withdraw your tender of outstanding notes at any time before the expiration of the exchange offer.
The terms of the exchange notes to be issued in the exchange offer are substantially identical to the outstanding notes, except that the transfer restrictions and registration rights relating to the outstanding notes will not apply to the exchange notes. |
The exchange of outstanding notes for exchange notes should not be a taxable event for U.S. federal income tax purposes, but you should see the discussion under the caption Certain United States Federal Income Tax Considerations for more information.
We will not receive any proceeds from the exchange offer.
The outstanding notes were issued in transactions not requiring registration under the Securities Act and, as a result, their transfer is restricted. We are making the exchange offer to satisfy your registration rights as a holder of outstanding notes. |
We are not asking you for a proxy and you are not requested to send us a proxy.
For a discussion of certain factors that you should consider before participating in the exchange offer, see Risk Factors beginning on page 15 of this prospectus.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of the exchange notes to be distributed in the exchange offer, nor have any of these organizations determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
We have filed a registration statement on Form S-4 to register with the SEC the exchange notes to be issued in the exchange offer. This prospectus is part of that registration statement.
Each broker-dealer that receives exchange notes for its own account pursuant to the exchange offer must acknowledge that it will deliver a prospectus in connection with any resale of such exchange notes. This prospectus, as it may be amended or supplemented from time to time, may be used by a broker-dealer in connection with resales of exchange notes received in exchange for outstanding notes where such outstanding notes were acquired by such broker-dealer as a result of market-making activities or other trading activities. We have agreed that, starting on the expiration date (as defined herein) and ending on the close of business 180 days after the expiration date, we will make this prospectus available to any broker-dealer for use in connection with any such resale. See Plan of Distribution.
THE DATE OF THIS PROSPECTUS IS .
You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus. We have not authorized any other person to provide you with different or additional information. If anyone provides you with different or additional information, you should not rely on it. You should assume that the information contained in this prospectus is accurate as of the date on the front cover of this prospectus. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since then. We are not making an offer to sell the exchange notes offered by this prospectus in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.
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The financial statements and related footnotes included in this prospectus are those of Clear Channel Communications, Inc. (Clear Channel) and its subsidiaries. All of the shares of common stock of Clear Channel are held by Clear Channel Capital I, LLC (Clear Channel Capital). Clear Channel Capital and Clear Channel are indirect wholly-owned subsidiaries of CC Media Holdings, Inc. (CCMH), which was formed in May 2007 by private equity funds managed by Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P. (THL) and Bain Capital Partners, LLC (Bain Capital and together with THL, the Sponsors) for the purpose of acquiring the business of Clear Channel. On July 30, 2008, CCMH acquired Clear Channel. The acquisition was effected by the merger of an entity formed by the Sponsors, then an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of CCMH, with and into Clear Channel.
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This prospectus contains certain statements that are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Actual outcomes and results may differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, our forward-looking statements. Words such as expects, anticipates, believes, estimates and other similar expressions or future or conditional verbs such as will, should, would and could are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Readers should not rely solely on the forward-looking statements and should consider all uncertainties and risks throughout this prospectus, including those set forth under Risk Factors. The statements are representative only as of the date they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement.
All forward-looking statements, by their nature, are subject to risks and uncertainties. Our actual future results may differ materially from those set forth in our forward-looking statements. We face risks that are inherent in the businesses and the market places in which we operate. While management believes these forward-looking statements are accurate and reasonable, uncertainties, risks and factors, including those described below and under Risk Factors, could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected in the forward-looking statements.
Factors that may cause the actual outcome and results to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements include, but are not necessarily limited to:
| the impact of our substantial indebtedness, including the effect of our leverage on our financial position and earnings; |
| our ability to generate sufficient cash from operations or other liquidity-generating transactions and our need to allocate significant amounts of our cash to make payments on our indebtedness, which in turn could reduce our financial flexibility and ability to fund other activities; |
| risks associated with weak or uncertain global economic conditions and their impact on the capital markets; |
| other general economic and political conditions in the United States and in other countries in which we currently do business, including those resulting from recessions, political events and acts or threats of terrorism or military conflicts; |
| industry conditions, including competition; |
| the level of expenditures on advertising; |
| legislative or regulatory requirements; |
| fluctuations in operating costs; |
| technological changes and innovations; |
| changes in labor conditions, including on-air talent, program hosts and management; |
| capital expenditure requirements; |
| risks of doing business in foreign countries; |
| fluctuations in exchange rates and currency values; |
| the outcome of pending and future litigation; |
| taxes and tax disputes; |
| changes in interest rates; |
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| shifts in population and other demographics; |
| access to capital markets and borrowed indebtedness; |
| our ability to implement our business strategies; |
| the risk that we may not be able to integrate the operations of acquired businesses successfully; |
| the risk that our cost savings initiatives may not be entirely successful or that any cost savings achieved from those initiatives may not persist; and |
| the other factors described in this prospectus under the heading Risk Factors. |
Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial also may impair our business operations and also could cause actual results to differ materially from those included, contemplated or implied by the forward-looking statements made in this prospectus, and the reader should not consider the above list of factors to be a complete set of all potential risks or uncertainties.
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Market and industry data throughout this prospectus was obtained from a combination of our own internal company surveys, the good faith estimates of management, various trade associations and publications, Arbitron Inc. (Arbitron) and Nielsen Media Research, Inc. (NielsenAudio) rankings, comScore, Inc., the Veronis Suhler Stevenson Industry Forecast, SNL Kagan, the Radio Advertising Bureau, Media Dynamics, Ando Media, Omniture, BIA Financial Network Inc., eMarketer, the Outdoor Advertising Association of America and Universal McCann. While we believe our internal surveys, third-party information, estimates of management and data from trade associations are reliable, we have not verified this data with any independent sources. Accordingly, we do not make any representations as to the accuracy or completeness of that data.
This prospectus includes trademarks, such as Clear Channel, which are protected under applicable intellectual property laws and are the property of Clear Channel. This prospectus also contains trademarks, service marks, trade names and copyrights, of other companies, which are the property of their respective owners. Solely for convenience, trademarks and trade names referred to in this prospectus may appear without the ® or symbols, but such references are not intended to indicate, in any way, that we will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights or the right of the applicable licensor to these trademarks and trade names.
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This summary highlights key information contained elsewhere in this prospectus. This summary is not complete and does not contain all of the information that you should consider before deciding whether or not to participate in the exchange offer. You should read this entire prospectus, including the information set forth under Risk Factors and the financial statements and related notes, before making any investment decision.
Unless otherwise indicated or required by the context, as used in this prospectus, the terms the Company, we, our and us refer to Clear Channel Communications, Inc. and all of its subsidiaries that are consolidated under GAAP, and the term Clear Channel refers to Clear Channel Communications, Inc. and not to any of its subsidiaries. Clear Channel Communications, Inc., the issuer of the exchange notes, is a direct, wholly-owned subsidiary of Clear Channel Capital I, LLC. All references in this prospectus to Clear Channel Capital refer to Clear Channel Capital I, LLC and not to any of its subsidiaries.
Overview
We are a diversified media and entertainment company with leading market positions in each of our operating segments: Media and Entertainment (CCME), Americas Outdoor Advertising and International Outdoor Advertising.
| CCME. Our CCME operations include radio broadcasting, online and mobile services and products, program syndication, entertainment, traffic data distribution and music research services. As of December 31, 2013, we owned 835 domestic radio stations servicing more than 150 U.S. markets, including 45 of the top 50 markets and 85 of the top 100 markets. CCME includes radio stations for which we are the licensee and one station for which we provide programming and sell air time under a local marketing agreement (LMA). We are also the beneficiary of Aloha Station Trust, LLC, which owns and operates 19 radio stations which we were required to divest in order to comply with Federal Communications Commission (FCC) media ownership rules, and which are being marketed for sale. Our portfolio of stations offers a broad assortment of programming formats, including adult contemporary, country, contemporary hit radio, rock, news/talk, sports, urban, oldies and others. In addition to our local radio programming, we operate Premiere Networks (Premiere), a national radio network that produces, distributes or represents approximately 90 syndicated radio programs and networks and serves more than 5,000 radio station affiliates, reaching over 190 million listeners weekly. We also deliver real-time traffic information via navigation systems, radio and television broadcast media and wireless and Internet-based services through our traffic business, Total Traffic & Weather Network. For the year ended December 31, 2013 and the three months ended March 31, 2014, our CCME segment represented approximately 50% of our revenue and 68% and 86%, respectively, of our operating income without the effect of corporate and other reconciling items. |
| Americas Outdoor Advertising. We are the largest outdoor advertising company in North America (based on revenue), which includes the United States and Canada. Approximately 95% of our revenue for the year ended December 31, 2013 in our Americas Outdoor Advertising segment was derived from the United States. As of December 31, 2013, we owned or operated approximately 105,000 display structures in our Americas outdoor segment with operations in 47 of the 50 largest markets in the United States, including all of the 20 largest markets. Our Americas outdoor assets consist of traditional and digital billboards, street furniture and transit displays, airport displays, mall displays, and wallscapes and other spectaculars, which we own or operate under lease management agreements. Our Americas outdoor advertising business is focused on metropolitan areas with dense populations. For the year ended December 31, 2013 and the three months ended March 31, 2014, our Americas Outdoor Advertising segment represented approximately 21% and 20%, respectively, of our revenue and 23% of our operating income without the effect of corporate and other reconciling items. |
| International Outdoor Advertising. Our International Outdoor Advertising business segment includes our operations in Asia, Australia, Europe and Latin America, with approximately 33% of our revenue for the year ended December 31, 2013 in this segment derived from France and the United Kingdom. As of December 31, 2013, we owned or operated approximately 570,000 displays across 28 countries. Our International outdoor assets consist of street furniture and transit displays, billboards, mall |
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displays, Smartbike programs, wallscapes and other spectaculars, which we own or operate under lease agreements. Our International business is focused on metropolitan areas with dense populations. For the year ended December 31, 2013 and the three months ended March 31, 2014, our International Outdoor Advertising segment represented approximately 27% of our revenue and 8% and (9%), respectively, of our operating income without the effect of corporate and other reconciling items. |
| Other. Our other (Other) category includes our 100%-owned full-service media representation firm, Katz Media Group, Inc. (Katz Media), as well as other general support services and initiatives, which are ancillary to our other businesses. Katz Media, a leading media representation firm in the U.S. for radio and television stations, sells national spot advertising time for clients in the radio and television industries throughout the United States. As of December 31, 2013, Katz Media represented more than 4,000 radio stations, approximately one-fifth of which were owned by us. Katz Media also represents approximately 800 television and digital multicast stations. Katz Media generates revenue primarily through contractual commissions realized from the sale of national spot and online advertising. National spot advertising is commercial airtime sold to advertisers on behalf of radio and television stations. Katz Media represents its media clients pursuant to media representation contracts, which typically have terms of up to ten years in length. For the year ended December 31, 2013 and the three months ended March 31, 2014, our Other category represented approximately 2% and 3%, respectively, of our revenue and 1% and 0%, respectively, of our operating income without the effect of corporate and other reconciling items. |
For the year ended December 31, 2013 and the three months ended March 31, 2014, we generated consolidated revenues of $6,243 million and $1,343 million, respectively, operating income of $1,001 million and $83 million, respectively, and consolidated net loss of $584 million and $432 million, respectively.
Our Strengths
Leading Positions in the U.S. Media and Entertainment and Global Outdoor Market. We are a leading global media and entertainment company.
| We own the number one or number two ranked radio station clusters in eight of the top 10 and in 20 of the top 25 markets in the United States as of December 2013. With a total weekly listening base of almost 139 million individuals based on NielsenAudio figures for the Fall 2013 ratings period, our portfolio of 835 stations generated twice the revenue as our next largest radio broadcasting competitor in 2013. |
| In the United States outdoor market, we believe we hold the number one market share in eight of the top 10 markets and are either number one or number two in 16 of the top 20 markets. Internationally, we believe we hold one of the leading positions in France, the United Kingdom, Australia, Finland, Ireland, Switzerland, Sweden, Belgium, Italy and Norway. In addition, we hold positions in several countries where we have experienced strong growth, including Latin America, China, Singapore and Turkey. |
Global Scale in Media and Entertainment and Outdoor Advertising. As of December 31, 2013, we owned 835 domestic radio stations servicing more than 150 U.S. markets, including 45 of the top 50 markets and 85 of the top 100 markets. We also operated more than 675,000 outdoor advertising displays worldwide in metropolitan and densely populated locations, providing advertisers with both a global and a local reach. We believe that our scale provides us with the flexibility and resources to introduce new products and solutions in a cost effective manner.
| Our scale has enabled cost-effective investment in new technologies, such as digital billboards and streaming technology, which we believe will continue to support future growth. Digital billboards, for example, enable us to transition from selling space on a display to a single advertiser to selling time on that display to multiple advertisers, creating new revenue opportunities from both new and existing clients. |
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| Our large distribution platform in our CCME segment allows us to attract top talent and more effectively utilize programming, sharing the best and most compelling talent and programming across many stations throughout the United States. |
| We have more than 4,800 sales people in local markets across the globe. Our scale has facilitated cost-effective investment in systems that allow us to maximize yield management and systems that improve the ability of our local salespeople to increase revenue. Additionally, our scale has allowed us to implement initiatives that we believe differentiate us from the rest of the media industry and position us to outperform our competitors across our markets. |
Diversification Across Business Lines, Geographies, Markets and Format. Approximately half of our revenue is generated by our CCME segment, with the remaining half generated by our Americas Outdoor Advertising and International Outdoor Advertising segments, as well as other support services and initiatives. We offer advertisers a diverse platform of media assets across geographies, outdoor products and programming formats. Due to our multiple business units, we are not dependent upon any single source of revenue.
Strong Collection of Unique Assets. Through acquisitions and organic growth, we have aggregated a unique portfolio of assets. We believe the combination of our assets cannot be replicated.
| Ownership and operation of radio broadcast stations is governed by the FCCs licensing process, which limits the number of radio licenses available in any market. Any party seeking to acquire or transfer radio licenses must go through a detailed review process with the FCC. Over several decades, we have aggregated multiple licenses in local market clusters across the United States. A cluster of multiple radio stations in a market allows us to provide listeners with more diverse programming and advertisers with a more efficient means to reach those listeners. In addition, we are able to increase our efficiency by operating in clusters, which allows us to eliminate duplicative operating expenses and realize economies of scale. |
| The domestic outdoor industry is regulated by the federal government as well as state and municipal governments. Statutes and regulations govern the construction, repair, maintenance, lighting, height, size, spacing and placement and permitting of outdoor advertising structures. Due to these regulations, it has become increasingly difficult to develop new outdoor advertising locations. Further, for many of our existing billboards, a competitor or landlord could not obtain a permit for replacement under existing laws and regulations due to their non-conforming status. |
Attractive Businesses with High Margins and Low Capital Expenditure Requirements. Our global scale has enabled us to make productive and cost effective investments across our portfolio. As a result of our strong margins and low capital expenditure requirements, we have been able to convert a significant portion of our operating income into cash flow that can be utilized for debt service.
| We have strong operating margins (defined as operating income divided by revenues), driven by our significant scale and leading market share in both radio broadcasting and outdoor advertising. For the year ended December 31, 2013 and the three months ended March 31, 2014, our consolidated operating margin was 16% and 6%, respectively, with strong operating margins in our CCME segment of 29% and 21%, respectively, and Americas Outdoor Advertising segment of 24% and 14%, respectively. |
| In addition, both our media and entertainment and our outdoor businesses are low capital intensity businesses. For the year ended December 31, 2013 and three months ended March 31, 2014, our total capital expenditures were 5% of total revenue. |
Highly Effective Advertising Medium. We believe both our media and entertainment and our outdoor advertising businesses offer compelling value propositions to advertisers and valuable access to consumers when they are out of the home and therefore closer to purchase decisions. We also believe both industries are well positioned to benefit from the fragmentation of audiences of other media as they are able to reach mass audiences on a local market basis.
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| Radio broadcasting and outdoor media offer compelling value propositions to advertisers by providing cost effective media advertising outlets. |
| Our media and entertainment and our outdoor businesses reach potential consumers outside of the home, a valuable position as it is closer to the purchase decision. Today, consumers spend a significant portion of their day out-of-home, while out-of-home media (radio and outdoor) currently garner a disproportionately smaller share of media spending than in-home media. We believe this discrepancy represents an opportunity for growth. |
| Additionally, radio programming reaches 92% of all consumers in the United States in a given week, with the average consumer listening for approximately 14 hours per week. On a weekly basis, this represents approximately 244 million unique listeners. |
| According to NielsenAudio, consumers in the United States listen to a significant amount of radio per day. In 2013, broadcast radio captured 119 minutes of user consumption per day as compared to the Internet at 143 minutes according to comScore, Inc. and newspapers at 18 minutes according to eMarketerInc. |
| According to Scarborough, in 2013, 92% of U.S. residents traveled in a car each month, with an average of 174 miles traveled per week. The captive in-car audience is protected from media fragmentation and is subject to increasing out-of-home advertiser exposure as time and distance of commutes increase. |
| According to a single-source advertising return on investment (ROI) study in the radio sector conducted by NielsenAudio and Nielsen Catalina Solutions in 2014, radio delivered a sales lift of more than $6 per dollar spent on radio, an ROI which Advertising Age reported doubled that of even the best results of recent studies of digital or TV media, with one retail brand recording a sales lift of more than $23 per dollar invested in radio. |
Significant Operating Leverage with Flexibility to Manage Cost Base As Necessary. We benefit from significant operating leverage, which leads to operating margin increases in a growth environment. Conversely, we have demonstrated our flexibility to effectively manage our cost base in a low growth or recessionary environment.
Our Strategy
Our goal is to strengthen our position as a leading global media and entertainment company specializing in radio, digital, out-of-home, mobile and on-demand entertainment and information services for national audiences and local communities and providing premiere opportunities for advertisers. We plan to achieve this objective by capitalizing on our competitive strengths and pursuing the following strategies.
CCME
Our CCME strategy centers on delivering entertaining and informative content across multiple platforms, including broadcast, mobile and digital as well as promotional events. We strive to serve our listeners by providing the content they desire on the platform they prefer, while supporting advertisers, strategic partners, music labels and artists with a diverse platform of creative marketing opportunities designed to effectively reach and engage target audiences. Our CCME strategy also focuses on continuing to improve the operations of our stations by providing valuable programming and promotions, as well as sharing best practices across our stations in marketing, distribution, sales and cost management.
Promote Broadcast Radio Media Spending. Given the attractive reach and metrics of both the broadcast radio industry in general and CCME in particular, as well as our depth and breadth of relationships with both media agencies and national and local advertisers, we believe we can drive broadcast radios share of total media spending by using our dedicated national sales team to highlight the value of broadcast radio relative to other media. We have made and continue to make significant investments in research to enable our clients to better understand how our assets can successfully reach their target audiences and promote their advertising campaigns; broadened our national sales teams and initiatives to better develop, create and promote their advertising campaigns; invested in technology
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to enhance our platform and capabilities; and continue to seek opportunities to deploy our iHeartRadio digital radio service across both existing and emerging devices and platforms. We are also working closely with advertisers, marketers and agencies to meet their needs through new products, events and services developed through optimization of our current portfolio of assets, as well as to develop tools to determine how effective broadcast radio is in reaching their desired audiences.
Promote Local and National Advertising. We intend to grow our CCME businesses by continuing to develop effective programming, creating new solutions for our advertisers and agencies, fostering key relationships with advertisers and improving our local and national sales team. We intend to leverage our diverse collection of assets, our programming and creative strengths, and our consumer relationships to create special events, such as one-of-a-kind local and national promotions for our listeners, and develop new, innovative technologies and products to promote our advertisers. We seek to maximize revenue by closely managing our advertising opportunities and pricing to compete effectively in local markets. We operate price and yield information systems, which provide detailed inventory information. These systems enable our station managers and sales directors to adjust commercial inventory and pricing based on local market demand, as well as to manage and monitor different commercial durations (60 second, 30 second, 15 second and 5 second) in order to provide more effective advertising for our customers at what we believe are optimal prices given market conditions.
Continue to Enhance the Listener Experience. We intend to continue enhancing the listener experience by offering a wide variety of compelling content and methods of delivery. We will continue to provide the content our listeners desire on their preferred platforms. Our investments have created a collection of leading on-air talent. For example, Premiere offers more than 90 syndicated radio programs and networks and services for more than 5,000 radio station affiliates across the United States, including popular programs such as Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, Ryan Seacrest, Steve Harvey, Elvis Duran, Bobby Bones and Delilah. Our distribution capabilities allow us to attract top talent and more effectively utilize programming, sharing our best and most compelling content across many stations.
Deliver Content via Multiple Distribution Technologies. We continue to expand the choices for our listeners. We deliver music, news, talk, sports, traffic and other content using an array of distribution technologies, including broadcast radio and HD radio channels, satellite radio, digitally via iHeartRadio.com and our stations websites, and through our iHeartRadio mobile application on smart phones and tablets, on gaming consoles, via in-home entertainment, in enhanced automotive platforms, as well as in-vehicle entertainment and navigation systems. Some examples of our recent initiatives are as follows:
| Streaming. We provide streaming content via the Internet, mobile and other digital platforms. We rank among the top streaming networks in the U.S. with regards to Average Active Sessions (AAS), Session Starts (SS) and Average Time Spent Listening (ATSL). AAS and SS measure the level of activity while ATSL measures the ability to keep the audience engaged. |
| Websites and Mobile Applications. We have developed mobile and Internet applications such as the iHeartRadio smart phone application and website. These mobile and Internet applications allow listeners to use their smart phones, tablets or other digital devices to interact directly with stations, find titles/artists, request songs and create custom stations while providing an additional method for advertisers to reach consumers. As of December 31, 2013, our iHeartRadio mobile application has been downloaded more than 300 million times. iHeartRadio provides a unique digital music experience by offering access to more than 1,500 live broadcast and digital-only radio stations, plus user-created custom stations with broad social media integration and our on-demand content from our premium talk partnerships and user generated talk shows. Through our digital platforms, we estimate that we had more than 76 million unique digital visitors for the month of December 2013. In addition, through December 2013, iHeartRadio streamed, on average, 143 million total listening hours monthly via our website and mobile application. |
Outdoor
We seek to capitalize on our Americas outdoor network and diversified product mix to maximize revenue. In addition, by sharing best practices among our business segments, we believe we can quickly and effectively replicate our successes in our other markets. Our outdoor strategy focuses on leveraging our diversified product mix and long-standing presence in many of our existing markets, which provides us with the ability to launch new products and test new initiatives in a reliable and cost-effective manner.
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Promote Overall Outdoor Media Spending. Given the attractive industry fundamentals of outdoor media and our depth and breadth of relationships with both local and national advertisers, we believe we can drive outdoor advertisings share of total media spending by using our dedicated national sales team to highlight the value of outdoor advertising relative to other media. Outdoor advertising only represented 4% of total dollars spent on advertising in the United States in 2012. We have made and continue to make significant investments in research tools that enable our clients to better understand how our displays can successfully reach their target audiences and promote their advertising campaigns. Also, we are working closely with clients, advertising agencies and other diversified media companies to develop more sophisticated systems that will provide improved audience metrics for outdoor advertising. For example, we have implemented the TAB Out of Home Ratings audience measurement system which: (1) separately reports audiences for billboards, posters, junior posters, transit shelters and phone kiosks, (2) reports for geographically sensitive reach and frequency, (3) provides granular detail, reporting individual out of home units in over 200 designated market areas, (4) provides detailed demographic data comparable to other media, and (5) provides true commercial ratings based on people who see the advertising.
Continue to Deploy Digital Displays. Digital outdoor advertising provides significant advantages over traditional outdoor media. Our electronic displays are linked through centralized computer systems to instantaneously and simultaneously change advertising copy on a large number of displays, allowing us to sell more advertising opportunities to advertisers. The ability to change copy by time of day and quickly change messaging based on advertisers needs creates additional flexibility for our customers. Although digital displays require more capital to construct compared to traditional bulletins, the advantages of digital allow us to penetrate new accounts and categories of advertisers, as well as serve a broader set of needs for existing advertisers. Digital displays allow for high-frequency, 24-hour advertising changes in high-traffic locations and allow us to offer our clients optimal flexibility, distribution, circulation and visibility. We expect this trend to continue as we increase our quantity of digital inventory. As of December 31, 2013, we had deployed more than 1,000 digital billboards in 37 markets in the United States and more than 3,700 digital displays in 14 countries across Europe, Asia and Latin America.
Capitalize on Product and Geographic Opportunities. We are also focused on growing our business internationally by working closely with our advertising customers and agencies in meeting their needs, and through new product offerings, optimization of our current display portfolio and selective investments targeting promising growth markets. We have continued to innovate and introduce new products in international markets based on local demands. Our core business is our street furniture business and that is where we plan to focus much of our investment. We plan to continue to evaluate municipal contracts that may come up for bid and will make prudent investments where we believe we can receive attractive returns. We will also continue to invest in markets such as China and Latin America where we believe there is high growth potential.
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Corporate Structure
The following chart summarizes our corporate structure and principal indebtedness as of March 31, 2014, after giving effect to the issuance of the outstanding notes and the use of the proceeds of such notes to repurchase all of our outstanding senior notes due 2014 and 2015 and to pay related fees and expenses (the Refinancing Transactions).
(1) | Clear Channels senior secured credit facilities and receivables based credit facility are guaranteed on a senior secured basis by Clear Channel Capital and by Clear Channels material wholly-owned domestic restricted subsidiaries. Clear Channels foreign subsidiaries and Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings, Inc. (CCOH) and its subsidiaries have not guaranteed any of Clear Channels obligations under the senior secured credit facilities or receivables based credit facility. As of March 31, 2014, Clear Channels senior secured credit facilities |
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consisted of a $1,891.0 million term loan B facility which matures in January 2016, a $33.0 million term loan Casset sale facility which matures in January 2016, a $5,000.0 million term loan D facility which matures in January 2019, and a $1,300.0 million term loan E facility which matures in July 2019. Clear Channels receivables based credit facility provides for revolving capital commitments of $535.0 million, subject to a borrowing base. As of March 31, 2014, there were no amounts outstanding under Clear Channels receivables based credit facility. |
(2) | Clear Channels 9.0% priority guarantee notes due 2021, 9.0% priority guarantee notes due 2019 and 11.25% priority guarantee notes due 2021 (collectively, the priority guarantee notes) are each guaranteed on a senior basis by Clear Channel Capital and by Clear Channels wholly-owned domestic restricted subsidiaries that guarantee its senior secured credit facilities. Clear Channels foreign subsidiaries and CCOH and its subsidiaries have not guaranteed any of Clear Channels obligations under the priority guarantee notes. As of March 31, 2014, Clear Channel had outstanding $1,712.9 million aggregate principal amount of 9.0% priority guarantee notes due 2021, net of discounts of $37.1 million, $1,999.8 million of 9.0% priority guarantee notes due 2019 and $575.0 million aggregate principal amount of 11.25% priority guarantee notes due 2021. |
(3) | Clear Channels senior notes due 2021 are guaranteed on a senior basis by Clear Channel Capital and by Clear Channels wholly-owned domestic restricted subsidiaries that guarantee its senior secured credit facilities, except that those guarantees by Clear Channels subsidiaries are subordinated to each such guarantors guarantee of the senior credit facilities and the priority guarantee notes. As of March 31, 2014, Clear Channel had outstanding $1,645.2 million aggregate principal amount of the senior notes due 2021. Amount in chart above does not include $199.1 million of senior notes due 2021 held by a subsidiary of ours as of March 31, 2014. |
(4) | Clear Channels senior cash pay notes due 2016 (the senior cash pay notes) and senior toggle notes due 2016 (the senior toggle notes) are guaranteed on a senior basis by Clear Channel Capital and by Clear Channels wholly-owned domestic restricted subsidiaries that guarantee its senior secured credit facilities, except to the extent that those guarantees by Clear Channels subsidiaries are subordinated to each such guarantors guarantee of the senior credit facilities and the priority guarantee notes. |
(5) | The outstanding notes are not, and the exchange notes will not be, guaranteed by Clear Channel Capital or any of Clear Channels subsidiaries. |
(6) | As of March 31, 2014, Clear Channel had $514.8 million aggregate principal amount of legacy notes outstanding (the legacy notes), net of discounts of $210.2 million. Clear Channels legacy notes bear interest at fixed rates ranging from 5.5% to 7.25%, have maturities through 2027 and contain provisions, including limitations on certain liens and sale and leaseback transactions, customary for investment grade debt securities. The legacy notes are not guaranteed by Clear Channel Capital or any of Clear Channels subsidiaries. Amount in chart above does not include $303.1 million of legacy notes held by a subsidiary of Clear Channel as of March 31, 2014 (of which $14.5 million aggregate principal amount of legacy notes due 2014 were retired on April 9, 2014 and $130.0 million aggregate principal amount of legacy notes due 2014 were retired by Clear Channel on May 6, 2014). On June 6, 2014, Clear Channel redeemed $567.1 million aggregate principal amount of its legacy notes due 2014 (including $158.5 million aggregate principal amount held by a subsidiary of Clear Channel) and $241.0 million aggregate principal amount of legacy notes due 2015 using net proceeds of the issuance of the outstanding notes. |
(7) | As part of the day-to-day cash management services we provide to CCOH, we maintain accounts that represent amounts payable to or due from CCOH, and the net amount is recorded as Due from/to Clear Channel Communications on CCOHs consolidated balance sheet. |
(8) | Clear Channel Worldwide Holdings, Inc.s (CCWH) Series A senior notes due 2022 and Series B senior notes due 2022 are guaranteed by CCOH, Clear Channel Outdoor, Inc. (CCOI) and certain subsidiaries of CCOH. As of March 31, 2014, CCWH had outstanding $729.1 million aggregate principal amount of Series A senior notes due 2022, net of discounts of $6.6 million, and $1,989.3 million of Series B senior notes due 2022. |
(9) | CCWH Series A senior subordinated notes due 2020 and Series B senior subordinated notes due 2020 are guaranteed by CCOH, CCOI and certain subsidiaries of CCOH. |
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(10) | The CCOH revolving credit facility is a five-year senior secured revolving credit facility with an aggregate principal amount of $75.0 million. As of March 31, 2014, there were no amounts outstanding under the CCOH revolving credit facility, and $62.5 million of letters of credit issued under the revolving credit facility, which reduce availability under the facility. |
Equity Sponsors
Bain Capital, LLC
Bain Capital is a global private investment firm that manages several pools of capital including private equity, venture capital, public equity, credit products and absolute return with over $75 billion of assets under management. Bain Capital has a team of over 400 professionals dedicated to investing and to supporting its portfolio companies. Since its inception in 1984, Bain Capital has made private equity, growth, and venture capital investments in approximately 400 companies around the world. The firm has offices in Boston, New York, Chicago, Palo Alto, London, Munich, Tokyo, Shanghai, Melbourne, Hong Kong and Mumbai.
Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P.
THL is a leading private equity firm based in Boston, Massachusetts. The firm focuses on identifying and obtaining substantial ownership positions in growth-oriented companies, headquartered primarily in North America, where it implements operational and strategic improvements to accelerate sustainable revenue and profit growth. As one of the oldest and most experienced private equity firms, THL has raised approximately $20 billion of equity capital and invested in more than 100 businesses with an aggregate purchase price of more than $150 billion. THL strives to build great companies of lasting value and to generate superior investment returns.
Corporate Information
Clear Channel is a Texas corporation that was incorporated in 1974. Our corporate headquarters are in San Antonio, Texas and we have executive offices in New York, New York. Our corporate headquarters are located at 200 East Basse Road, San Antonio, Texas 78209 (telephone: 210-822-2828). Our website is http://www.clearchannel.com. The information on our website is not deemed to be part of this prospectus, and you should not rely on it in connection with your decision whether to invest in the notes.
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Exchange Offer
On May 1, 2014, the Escrow Issuer issued $850,000,000 aggregate principal amount of senior notes due 2018. In connection therewith, we entered into a registration rights agreement with Goldman, Sachs & Co., Citigroup Global Markets Inc., Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC and Wells Fargo Securities, LLC., as initial purchasers (the Initial Purchasers) and for the benefit of the holders of such notes, in which we agreed, among other things, to file the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. On June 6, 2014, the Escrow Issuer merged with and into Clear Channel, with Clear Channel being the surviving entity, and we assumed the Escrow Issuers obligations under the outstanding notes.
The following is a summary of the exchange offer. For more information, please see Exchange Offer.
The Initial Offering of Outstanding Notes | On May 1, 2014, the Escrow Issuer issued $850,000,000 aggregate principal amount of 10.0% Senior Notes due 2018 in a private offer. The outstanding notes were offered only in reliance on exemptions from registration under the Securities Act. | |
Registration Rights Agreement | Simultaneously with the issuance of the outstanding notes, we entered into a registration rights agreement with the Initial Purchasers, pursuant to which we have agreed, among other things, to use commercially reasonable efforts to file with the SEC and cause to become effective a registration statement relating to an offer to exchange the outstanding notes for an issue of SEC-registered notes with terms identical to the outstanding notes. The exchange offer for the outstanding notes is intended to satisfy your rights under the registration rights agreement. After the exchange offer for the outstanding notes is completed, you will no longer be entitled to any exchange or registration rights with respect to your outstanding notes. | |
The Exchange Offer | We are offering to exchange the exchange notes, which have been registered under the Securities Act, for your outstanding notes, which were issued in the private offering. In order to be exchanged, outstanding notes must be properly tendered and accepted. All outstanding notes that are validly tendered and not validly withdrawn will be exchanged. We will issue the exchange notes promptly after the expiration of the exchange offer. | |
Resales | Based on interpretations by the staff of the SEC set forth in no-action letters issued to unrelated parties, we believe that the exchange notes issued in the exchange offer may be offered for resale, resold and otherwise transferred by you without compliance with the registration and prospectus delivery requirements of the Securities Act provided that: | |
the exchange notes are being acquired in the ordinary course of your business; | ||
you are not participating, do not intend to participate, and have no arrangement or understanding with any person to participate, in the distribution of the exchange notes issued to you in the exchange offer; and | ||
you are not an affiliate of ours. |
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If any of these conditions are not satisfied and you transfer any exchange notes issued to you in the exchange offer without delivering a prospectus meeting the requirements of the Securities Act or without an exemption from registration of your exchange notes from these requirements, you may incur liability under the Securities Act. We will not assume, nor will we indemnify you against, any such liability. | ||
Each broker-dealer that is issued exchange notes in the exchange offer for its own account in exchange for outstanding notes that were acquired by that broker-dealer as a result of market-making or other trading activities, must acknowledge that it will deliver a prospectus meeting the requirements of the Securities Act in connection with any resale of the exchange notes. A broker-dealer may use this prospectus for an offer to resell, resale or other retransfer of the exchange notes issued to it in the exchange offer. | ||
Expiration Date | The exchange offer will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on , 2014 unless we decide to extend it. | |
Conditions to the Exchange Offer | The exchange offer is not subject to any condition, other than that the exchange offer does not violate applicable law or any applicable interpretation of the staff of the SEC. | |
Special Procedures for Beneficial Owners | If you are the beneficial owner of book-entry interests and your name does not appear on a security position listing of DTC as the holder of the book-entry interests or if you are a beneficial owner of outstanding notes that are registered in the name of a broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee and you wish to tender the book-entry interest or outstanding notes in the exchange offer, you should contact the person in whose name your book-entry interests or outstanding notes are registered promptly and instruct that person to tender on your behalf. | |
Withdrawal Rights | You may withdraw the tender of your outstanding notes from the exchange offer at any time prior to the expiration date. | |
U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences | We believe that the exchange of outstanding notes should not be a taxable event for United States federal income tax purposes. | |
Use of Proceeds; Fees and Expenses | We will not receive any proceeds from the issuance of exchange notes pursuant to the exchange offer. We will pay all of our expenses incident to the exchange offer. | |
Exchange Agent | U.S. Bank National Association is serving as the exchange agent in connection with the exchange offer. |
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Summary of the Terms of the Exchange Notes
The form and terms of the exchange notes are the same as the form and terms of the outstanding notes, except that the exchange notes will be registered under the Securities Act. As a result, the exchange notes will not bear legends restricting their transfer and will not contain the registration rights and liquidated damage provisions contained in the outstanding notes.
Issuer | Clear Channel Communications, Inc., a Texas corporation. | |
Notes Offered | $850,000,000 aggregate principal amount of senior notes due January 15, 2018. | |
Maturity | January 15, 2018. | |
Interest | The exchange notes will bear interest at a rate of 10.0% per annum. Interest on the exchange notes will be payable by Clear Channel semi-annually on January 15 and July 15 of each year, beginning on July 15, 2014. See Description of the Exchange NotesGeneral. | |
Ranking | The notes: | |
will be our senior unsecured obligations; | ||
will rank equally in right of payment with all of our existing and future unsecured and unguaranteed indebtedness;
will rank senior in right of payment to all of our existing and future indebtedness that is by its terms expressly subordinated in right of payment to the notes; | ||
will be effectively subordinated in right of payment to all of our existing and future secured indebtedness, including our senior secured credit facilities, our receivables based credit facility and our priority guarantee notes; and
will be structurally subordinated in right of payment to all existing and future indebtedness and other liabilities of our subsidiaries, including all of Clear Channels existing unsecured indebtedness that is guaranteed by such subsidiaries. | ||
As of March 31, 2014, after giving effect to the Refinancing Transactions, we would have had approximately $20,666.4 million of total indebtedness outstanding, including $12,531.5 million of secured indebtedness (net of unamortized purchase adjustments and discounts). As of March 31, 2014, our subsidiaries held approximately 68.2% of our consolidated assets, had $8.2 billion in outstanding indebtedness and liabilities, excluding intercompany obligations, and guaranteed $14.4 billion in our outstanding indebtedness, all of which would have been structurally senior to the notes. | ||
Guarantees | None. |
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Optional Redemption | We may redeem all or a portion of the notes beginning on July 15, 2016, at the redemption prices set forth in this prospectus plus accrued and unpaid interest to, but not including, the date of redemption. We may also redeem any of the notes at any time prior to July 15, 2016, at a price equal to 100% of the aggregate principal amount thereof plus a make-whole premium and accrued and unpaid interest to, but not including, the date of redemption. See Description of the Exchange NotesOptional Redemption. | |
Mandatory Repurchase Offers | Upon the occurrence of a change of control, we must offer to purchase the notes at 101% of their principal amount thereof, plus accrued and unpaid interest to, but not including, the date of purchase. See Description of the Exchange NotesRepurchase at the Option of Holders Upon a Change of Control. | |
Certain Covenants | The indenture governing the notes contains covenants that limit, among other things, our ability and the ability of our restricted subsidiaries to: | |
enter into sale and leaseback transactions; and | ||
consolidate, merge, sell or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of our assets. | ||
In addition, the indenture governing the notes limits our ability and the ability of our restricted subsidiaries that guarantee indebtedness under certain of our credit facilities to create liens on certain assets to secure debt.
The covenants are subject to a number of important limitations and exceptions. See Description of the Exchange Notes. | ||
Risk Factors | In evaluating whether to participate in the exchange offer, you should carefully consider, along with the other information set forth in this prospectus, the specific factors set forth under Risk Factors. |
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Summary Historical Consolidated Financial Data
The following table sets forth summary historical consolidated financial data as of the dates and for the periods indicated. The summary historical consolidated financial data for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, and as of December 31, 2013 and 2012, are derived from our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. The summary historical consolidated financial data for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013 and as of March 31, 2014 are derived from our unaudited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. The summary historical consolidated financial data as of December 31, 2011 are derived from our audited consolidated financial statements and related notes not included herein. The summary historical consolidated financial data as of March 31, 2013 are derived from our unaudited consolidated statements and related notes not included herein. Historical results are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for future periods and the interim results are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the full year.
The summary historical consolidated financial data should be read in conjunction with Risk Factors, Selected Historical Consolidated Financial Data, Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and our consolidated financial statements and the related notes thereto appearing elsewhere in this prospectus. The amounts in the tables may not add due to rounding.
(Dollars in millions except ratio data) | Year Ended December 31, | Three Months Ended March 31, |
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2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2014 | 2013 | ||||||||||||||||
(unaudited) | (unaudited) | |||||||||||||||||||
Results of Operations Data: |
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Revenue |
$ | 6,243 | $ | 6,247 | $ | 6,161 | $ | 1,343 | $ | 1,343 | ||||||||||
Operating Expenses: |
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Direct operating expenses |
2,543 | 2,494 | 2,504 | 596 | 595 | |||||||||||||||
Selling, general and administrative expenses |
1,650 | 1,666 | 1,605 | 416 | 403 | |||||||||||||||
Corporate expenses(1) |
324 | 297 | 239 | 73 | 84 | |||||||||||||||
Depreciation and amortization |
731 | 729 | 763 | 175 | 182 | |||||||||||||||
Impairment charges |
17 | 38 | 8 | - | - | |||||||||||||||
Other operating income, net |
23 | 48 | 13 | - | 2 | |||||||||||||||
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Operating income |
1,001 | 1,070 | 1,055 | 83 | 81 | |||||||||||||||
Interest expense |
1,649 | 1,549 | 1,466 | 431 | 386 | |||||||||||||||
Gain (loss) on marketable securities |
131 | (5) | (5) | - | - | |||||||||||||||
Equity in earnings (loss) of nonconsolidated affiliates |
(78) | 19 | 27 | (13) | 4 | |||||||||||||||
Loss on extinguishment of debt |
(88) | (255) | (1) | (4) | (4) | |||||||||||||||
Other income (expense), net |
(22) | - | (3) | 2 | (1) | |||||||||||||||
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Loss before income taxes |
(705) | (719) | (394) | (364) | (305) | |||||||||||||||
Income tax benefit (expense) |
122 | 308 | 126 | (68) | 96 | |||||||||||||||
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Consolidated net loss |
(584) | (411) | (268) | (432) | (209) | |||||||||||||||
Amount attributable to noncontrolling interest |
23 | 13 | 34 | (8) | (6) | |||||||||||||||
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Net loss attributable to the Company |
$ | (607) | $ | (424) | $ | (302) | $ | (424) | $ | (203) | ||||||||||
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Cash Flow Data: |
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Capital expenditures(2) |
325 | 390 | 362 | 67 | 62 | |||||||||||||||
Net cash flows provided by (used for) operating activities |
213 | 485 | 375 | (92) | (87) | |||||||||||||||
Net cash flows provided by (used for) investing activities |
(133) | (397) | (368) | 153 | (57) | |||||||||||||||
Net cash flows used for financing activities |
(596) | (95) | (698) | (106) | (354) | |||||||||||||||
Balance Sheet Data (at end of period): |
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Current assets |
$ | 2,513 | $ | 2,988 | $ | 2,985 | $ | 2,350 | $ | 2,369 | ||||||||||
Property, plant and equipment, net |
2,898 | 3,037 | 3,063 | 2,855 | 2,966 | |||||||||||||||
Total assets |
15,097 | 16,293 | 16,542 | 14,597 | 15,519 | |||||||||||||||
Current liabilities |
1,764 | 1,782 | 1,429 | 1,707 | 1,316 | |||||||||||||||
Long-term debt, net of current maturities |
20,030 | 20,365 | 19,939 | 20,011 | 20,358 | |||||||||||||||
Shareholders deficit |
(8,697) | (7,995) | (7,472) | (9,128) | (8,210) |
(1) | Includes non-cash compensation expense. |
(2) | Capital expenditures include additions to our property, plant and equipment and do not include any proceeds from disposal of assets, nor any expenditures for business combinations. |
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You should carefully consider the following risk factors as well as the other information and data included in this prospectus before participating in the exchange offer. Any of the following risks related to our business could materially and adversely affect our business, cash flows, financial condition or results of operations. In such a case, you may lose all or part of your original investment in your notes.
Risk Factors Related to the Exchange Offer
Because there is no public market for the exchange notes, you may not be able to resell your exchange notes
The exchange notes will be registered under the Securities Act, but will constitute a new issue of securities with no established trading market, and there can be no assurance as to:
| the liquidity of any trading market that may develop; |
| the ability of holders to sell their exchange notes; or |
| the price at which the holders would be able to sell their exchange notes. |
If a trading market were to develop, the exchange notes might trade at higher or lower prices than their principal amount or purchase price, depending on many factors, including prevailing interest rates, the market for similar securities and our financial performance.
Your outstanding notes will not be accepted for exchange if you fail to follow the exchange offer procedures
We will not accept your outstanding notes for exchange in the exchange offer if you do not follow the exchange offer procedures. We will issue exchange notes as part of the exchange offer only after a timely receipt of your outstanding notes and all other required documents. Therefore, if you want to tender your outstanding notes, please allow sufficient time to ensure timely delivery. If we do not receive your outstanding notes and other required documents by the expiration date of the exchange offer, we will not accept your outstanding notes for exchange. We are under no duty to give notification of defects or irregularities with respect to the tenders of outstanding notes for exchange. If there are defects or irregularities with respect to your tender of outstanding notes, we may not accept your outstanding notes for exchange. For more information, see Exchange Offer.
In addition, any holder of outstanding notes who tenders in the exchange offer for the purpose of participating in a distribution of the exchange notes may be deemed to have received restricted securities, and if so, will be required to comply with the registration and prospectus delivery requirements of the Securities Act in connection with any resale transaction. For a description of these requirements, see Exchange Offer.
If you do not exchange your outstanding notes, your outstanding notes will continue to be subject to the existing transfer restrictions and you may not be able to sell your outstanding notes
We did not register the outstanding notes, nor do we intend to do so following the exchange offer. Outstanding notes that are not tendered will therefore continue to be subject to the existing transfer restrictions and may be transferred only in limited circumstances under the securities laws. If you do not exchange your outstanding notes, you will lose your right to have your outstanding notes registered under the federal securities laws. As a result, if you hold outstanding notes after the exchange offer, you may not be able to sell your outstanding notes.
Risks Related to Our Business
Our results have been in the past, and could be in the future, adversely affected by economic uncertainty or deteriorations in economic conditions
We derive revenues from the sale of advertising. Expenditures by advertisers tend to be cyclical, reflecting economic conditions and budgeting and buying patterns. Periods of a slowing economy or recession, or periods of economic uncertainty, may be accompanied by a decrease in advertising. For example, the global economic downturn that began in 2008 resulted in a decline in advertising and marketing by our customers, which resulted in a
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decline in advertising revenues across our businesses. This reduction in advertising revenues had an adverse effect on our revenue, profit margins, cash flow and liquidity. Global economic conditions have been slow to recover and remain uncertain. If economic conditions do not continue to improve, economic uncertainty increases or economic conditions deteriorate again, global economic conditions may once again adversely impact our revenue, profit margins, cash flow and liquidity. Furthermore, because a significant portion of our revenue is derived from local advertisers, our ability to generate revenues in specific markets is directly affected by local and regional conditions, and unfavorable regional economic conditions also may adversely impact our results. In addition, even in the absence of a downturn in general economic conditions, an individual business sector or market may experience a downturn, causing it to reduce its advertising expenditures, which also may adversely impact our results.
We performed impairment tests on our goodwill and other intangible assets during the fourth quarter of 2013, 2012 and 2011 and recorded non-cash impairment charges of $17 million, $38 million and $8 million, respectively. Although we believe we have made reasonable estimates and used appropriate assumptions to calculate the fair value of our licenses, billboard permits and reporting units, it is possible a material change could occur. If actual market conditions and operational performance for the respective reporting units underlying the intangible assets were to deteriorate, or if facts and circumstances change that would more likely than not reduce the estimated fair value of the indefinite-lived assets or goodwill for these reporting units below their adjusted carrying amounts, we may also be required to recognize additional impairment charges in future periods, which could have a material impact on our financial condition and results of operations.
To service our debt obligations and to fund capital expenditures, we will require a significant amount of cash to meet our needs, which depends on many factors beyond our control
Our ability to service our debt obligations and to fund capital expenditures will require a significant amount of cash. Our primary source of liquidity is cash on hand, cash flow from operations and borrowing capacity under our receivables based credit facility, subject to certain limitations contained in our material financing agreements. Based on our current and anticipated levels of operations and conditions in our markets, we believe that cash on hand, cash flow from operations, borrowing capacity under our receivables based credit facility and cash flow from other liquidity-generating transactions will enable us to meet our working capital, capital expenditure, debt service and other funding requirements for at least the next twelve months. However, our ability to fund our working capital, capital expenditures, debt service and other obligations, and to comply with the financial covenant under our financing agreements, depends on our future operating performance and cash from operations and other liquidity-generating transactions, which are in turn subject to prevailing economic conditions and other factors, many of which are beyond our control. If our future operating performance does not meet our expectation or our plans materially change in an adverse manner or prove to be materially inaccurate, we may need additional financing. In addition, the purchase price of possible acquisitions, capital expenditures for deployment of digital billboards and/or other strategic initiatives could require additional indebtedness or equity financing on our part. Adverse securities and credit market conditions could significantly affect the availability of equity or debt financing. In connection with our financing transactions completed during 2013 and 2014, the average interest rate on our outstanding debt has increased. We anticipate paying cash interest of approximately $1.6 billion during 2014. Future financing transactions may further increase interest expense, which could in turn reduce our financial flexibility and our ability to fund other activities and make us more vulnerable to changes in operating performance or economic downturns generally. There can be no assurance that additional financing, if permitted under the terms of our financing agreements, will be available on terms acceptable to us or at all. The inability to generate sufficient cash or obtain additional financing could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and on our ability to meet our obligations or pursue strategic initiatives.
Our financial performance may be adversely affected by many factors beyond our control
Certain factors that could adversely affect our financial performance by, among other things, decreasing overall revenues, the numbers of advertising customers, advertising fees or profit margins include:
| unfavorable economic conditions, which may cause companies to reduce their expenditures on advertising; |
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| an increased level of competition for advertising dollars, which may lead to lower advertising rates as we attempt to retain customers or which may cause us to lose customers to our competitors who offer lower rates that we are unable or unwilling to match; |
| unfavorable fluctuations in operating costs, which we may be unwilling or unable to pass through to our customers; |
| technological changes and innovations that we are unable to successfully adopt or are late in adopting that offer more attractive advertising or listening alternatives than what we offer, which may lead to a loss of advertising customers or to lower advertising rates; |
| the impact of potential new royalties charged for terrestrial radio broadcasting, which could materially increase our expenses; |
| other changes in governmental regulations and policies and actions of regulatory bodies, which could increase our taxes or other costs, reduce our outdoor advertising inventory, restrict the advertising media that we employ or restrict some or all of our customers that operate in regulated areas from using certain advertising media or from advertising at all; |
| unfavorable shifts in population and other demographics, which may cause us to lose advertising customers as people migrate to markets where we have a smaller presence or which may cause advertisers to be willing to pay less in advertising fees if the general population shifts into a less desirable age or geographical demographic from an advertising perspective; and |
| unfavorable changes in labor conditions, which may impair our ability to operate or require us to spend more to retain and attract key employees. |
We face intense competition in our media and entertainment and our outdoor advertising businesses
We operate in a highly competitive industry, and we may not be able to maintain or increase our current audience ratings and advertising and sales revenues. Our media and entertainment and our outdoor advertising businesses compete for audiences and advertising revenues with other media and entertainment businesses and outdoor advertising businesses, as well as with other media, such as newspapers, magazines, television, direct mail, portable digital audio players, mobile devices, satellite radio, Internet-based services and live entertainment, within their respective markets. Audience ratings and market shares are subject to change, which could have the effect of reducing our revenues in that market. Our competitors may develop technology, services or advertising media that are equal or superior to those we provide or that achieve greater market acceptance and brand recognition than we achieve. It also is possible that new competitors may emerge and rapidly acquire significant market share in any of our business segments. An increased level of competition for advertising dollars may lead to lower advertising rates as we attempt to retain customers or may cause us to lose customers to our competitors who offer lower rates that we are unable or unwilling to match.
Alternative media platforms and technologies may continue to increase competition with our broadcasting operations
Our terrestrial radio broadcasting operations face increasing competition from alternative media platforms and technologies, such as broadband wireless, satellite radio, audio broadcasting by cable television systems and Internet-based audio music services, as well as consumer products, such as portable digital audio players and other mobile devices. These technologies and alternative media platforms, including those used by us, compete with our radio stations for audience share and advertising revenues. We are unable to predict the effect that such technologies and related services and products will have on our broadcasting operations. The capital expenditures necessary to implement these or other technologies could be substantial and we cannot assure you 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, or that our investments in new technologies or services will provide the desired returns. Other companies employing new technologies or services could more successfully implement such new technologies or services or otherwise increase competition with our businesses.
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Our media and entertainment business is dependent upon the performance of on-air talent and program hosts
We employ or independently contract with many on-air personalities and hosts of syndicated radio programs with significant loyal audiences in their respective markets. Although we have entered into long-term agreements with some of our 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 persons will remain with us or will retain their audiences. Competition for these individuals is intense and many of these individuals are under no legal obligation to remain with us. Our competitors may choose to extend offers to any of these individuals on terms which we may be unwilling to meet. 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 have a material adverse effect on our ability to attract local and/or national advertisers and on our revenue and/or ratings, and could result in increased expenses.
Our business is dependent on our management team and other key individuals
Our business is dependent upon the performance of our management team and other key individuals. A number of key individuals have joined us or assumed increased responsibilities over the past several years, including Robert W. Pittman, who became our Chief Executive Officer on October 2, 2011, C. William Eccleshare, who was promoted to be our Chief Executive OfficerOutdoor on January 24, 2012, and Richard J. Bressler, who became our President and Chief Financial Officer on July 29, 2013. Effective January 2014, Mr. Pittman and Mr. Bressler assumed direct management responsibility for our media and entertainment division in addition to their existing roles. Although we have entered into agreements with some members of our management team and certain other key individuals, we can give no assurance that all or any of our management team and other key individuals will remain with us. 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, and may decide to leave for a variety of personal or other reasons beyond our control. If members of our management or key individuals decide to leave us in the future, or if we are not successful in attracting, motivating and retaining other key employees, our business could be adversely affected.
Extensive current government regulation, and future regulation, may limit our radio broadcasting and other media and entertainment operations or adversely affect our business and financial results
Congress and several federal agencies, including the FCC, extensively regulate the domestic radio industry. For example, the FCC could impact our profitability by imposing large fines on us if, in response to pending complaints, it finds that we broadcast indecent programming. Additionally, we cannot be sure that the FCC will approve renewal of the licenses we must have in order to operate our stations. Nor can we be assured that our licenses will be renewed without conditions and for a full term. The non-renewal, or conditioned renewal, of a substantial number of our FCC licenses, could have a materially adverse impact on our operations. Furthermore, possible changes in interference protections, spectrum allocations and other technical rules may negatively affect the operation of our stations. For example, in January 2011, a law that eliminates certain minimum distance separation requirements between full-power and low-power FM radio stations was enacted, which could lead to increased interference between our stations and low-power FM stations. In March 2011, the FCC adopted policies which, in certain circumstances, could make it more difficult for radio stations to relocate to increase their population coverage. In addition, Congress, the FCC and other regulatory agencies have considered, and may in the future consider and adopt, new laws, regulations and policies that could, directly or indirectly, have an adverse effect on our business operations and financial performance. In particular, Congress may consider and adopt legislation that would impose an obligation upon all U.S. broadcasters to pay performing artists a royalty for the on-air broadcast of their sound recordings (this would be in addition to payments already made by broadcasters to owners of musical work rights, such as songwriters, composers and publishers). We cannot predict whether this or other legislation affecting our media and entertainment business will be adopted. Such legislation could have a material impact on our operations and financial results. Finally, various regulatory matters relating to our media and entertainment business are now, or may become, the subject of court litigation, and we cannot predict the outcome of any such litigation or its impact on our business.
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Regulations and consumer concerns regarding privacy and data protection, or any failure to comply with these regulations, could hinder our operations
We collect and utilize demographic and other information, including personally identifiable information, from and about our listeners, consumers, business partners and advertisers as they interact with us. For example: (1) our broadcast radio station websites and our iHeartRadio digital platform collect personal information as users register for our services, fill out their listener profiles, post comments, use our social networking features, participate in polls and contests and sign-up to receive email newsletters; (2) we use tracking technologies, such as cookies, to manage and track our listeners interactions with us so that we can deliver relevant music content and advertising; and (3) we collect credit card or debit card information from consumers, business partners and advertisers who use our services.
We are subject to numerous federal, state and foreign laws and regulations relating to consumer protection, information security, data protection and privacy, among other things. Many of these laws are still evolving, new laws may be enacted and any of these laws could be amended or interpreted in ways that could harm our business. In addition, changes in consumer expectations and demands regarding privacy and data protection could restrict our ability to collect, use, disclose and derive economic value from demographic and other information related to our listeners, consumers, business partners and advertisers. Such restrictions could limit our ability to provide customized music content to our listeners, interact directly with our listeners and consumers and offer targeted advertising opportunities to our business partners and advertisers. Although we have implemented policies and procedures designed to comply with these laws and regulations, any failure or perceived failure by us to comply with our policies or applicable regulatory requirements related to consumer protection, information security, data protection and privacy could result in a loss of confidence in us, damage to our brands, the loss of listeners, consumers, business partners and advertisers, as well as proceedings against us by governmental authorities or others, which could hinder our operations and adversely affect our business.
If our security measures are breached, we may face liability and public perception of our services could be diminished, which would negatively impact our ability to attract listeners, business partners and advertisers
Although we have implemented physical and electronic security measures to protect against the loss, misuse and alteration of our websites, digital assets and proprietary business information as well as listener, consumer, business partner and advertiser personally identifiable information, no security measures are perfect and impenetrable and we may be unable to anticipate or prevent unauthorized access. A security breach could occur due to the actions of outside parties, employee error, malfeasance or a combination of these or other actions. If an actual or perceived breach of our security occurs, we could lose competitively sensitive business information or suffer disruptions to our business operations. In addition, the public perception of the effectiveness of our security measures or services could be harmed, we could lose listeners, consumers, business partners and advertisers and we could suffer financial exposure in connection with remediation efforts, investigations and legal proceedings and changes in our security and system protection measures.
Government regulation of outdoor advertising may restrict our outdoor advertising operations
U.S. federal, state and local regulations have a significant impact on the outdoor advertising industry and our business. One of the seminal laws is the Highway Beautification Act (HBA), which regulates outdoor advertising on controlled roads in the United States. The HBA regulates the size and location of billboards, mandates a state compliance program, requires the development of state standards, promotes the expeditious removal of illegal signs and requires just compensation for takings. Construction, repair, maintenance, lighting, upgrading, height, size, spacing, the location and permitting of billboards and the use of new technologies for changing displays, such as digital displays, are regulated by federal, state and local governments. From time to time, states and municipalities have prohibited or significantly limited the construction of new outdoor advertising structures. Changes in laws and regulations affecting outdoor advertising, or changes in the interpretation of those laws and regulations, at any level of government, including the foreign jurisdictions in which we operate, could have a significant financial impact on us by requiring us to make significant expenditures or otherwise limiting or restricting some of our operations. Due to such regulations, it has become increasingly difficult to develop new outdoor advertising locations.
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From time to time, certain state and local governments and third parties have attempted to force the removal of our displays under various state and local laws, including zoning ordinances, permit enforcement, condemnation and amortization. Similar risks also arise in certain of our international jurisdictions. Amortization is the attempted forced removal of legal non-conforming billboards (billboards which conformed with applicable laws and regulations when built, but which do not conform to current laws and regulations) or the commercial advertising placed on such billboards after a period of years. Pursuant to this concept, the governmental body asserts that just compensation is earned by continued operation of the billboard over time. Although amortization is prohibited along all controlled roads and generally prohibited along non-controlled roads, amortization has been upheld along non-controlled roads in limited instances where provided by state and local law. Other regulations limit our ability to rebuild, replace, repair, maintain and upgrade non-conforming displays. In addition, from time to time third parties or local governments assert that we own or operate displays that either are not properly permitted or otherwise are not in strict compliance with applicable law. If we are increasingly unable to resolve such allegations or obtain acceptable arrangements in circumstances in which our displays are subject to removal, modification or amortization, or if there occurs an increase in such regulations or their enforcement, our operating results could suffer.
A number of state and local governments have implemented or initiated taxes, fees and registration requirements in an effort to decrease or restrict the number of outdoor signs and/or to raise revenue. From time to time, legislation also has been introduced in international jurisdictions attempting to impose taxes on revenue from outdoor advertising or for the right to use outdoor advertising assets. In addition, a number of jurisdictions have implemented legislation or interpreted existing legislation to restrict or prohibit the installation of digital billboards, and we expect these efforts to continue. The increased imposition of these measures, and our inability to overcome any such measures, could reduce our operating income if those outcomes require removal or restrictions on the use of preexisting displays or limit growth of digital displays. In addition, if we are unable to pass on the cost of these items to our clients, our operating income could be adversely affected.
International regulation of the outdoor advertising industry can vary by municipality, region and country, but generally limits the size, placement, nature and density of out-of-home displays. Other regulations limit the subject matter and language of out-of-home displays. Our failure to comply with these or any future international regulations could have an adverse impact on the effectiveness of our displays or their attractiveness to clients as an advertising medium and may require us to make significant expenditures to ensure compliance. As a result, we may experience a significant impact on our operations, revenue, international client base and overall financial condition.
Additional restrictions on outdoor advertising of tobacco, alcohol and other products may further restrict the categories of clients that can advertise using our products
Out-of-court settlements between the major U.S. tobacco companies and all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories include a ban on the outdoor advertising of tobacco products. Other products and services may be targeted in the U.S. in the future, including alcohol products. Most European Union countries, among other nations, also have banned outdoor advertisements for tobacco products and regulate alcohol advertising. Regulations vary across the countries in which we conduct business. Any significant reduction in alcohol-related advertising or advertising of other products due to content-related restrictions could cause a reduction in our direct revenues from such advertisements and an increase in the available space on the existing inventory of billboards in the outdoor advertising industry.
Environmental, health, safety and land use laws and regulations may limit or restrict some of our operations
As the owner or operator of various real properties and facilities, especially in our outdoor advertising operations, we must comply with various foreign, federal, state and local environmental, health, safety and land use laws and regulations. We and our properties 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. Historically, we have not incurred significant expenditures to comply with these laws. However, additional laws which may be passed in the future, or a finding of a violation of or liability under existing laws, could require us to make significant expenditures and otherwise limit or restrict some of our operations.
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Doing business in foreign countries exposes us to certain risks not found when doing business in the United States
Doing business in foreign countries carries with it certain risks that are not found when doing business in the United States. These risks could result in losses against which we are not insured. Examples of these risks include:
| potential adverse changes in the diplomatic relations of foreign countries with the United States; |
| hostility from local populations; |
| the adverse effect of foreign exchange controls; |
| government policies against businesses owned by foreigners; |
| investment restrictions or requirements; |
| expropriations of property without adequate compensation; |
| the potential instability of foreign governments; |
| the risk of insurrections; |
| risks of renegotiation or modification of existing agreements with governmental authorities; |
| difficulties collecting receivables and otherwise enforcing contracts with governmental agencies and others in some foreign legal systems; |
| withholding and other taxes on remittances and other payments by subsidiaries; |
| changes in tax structure and level; and |
| changes in laws or regulations or the interpretation or application of laws or regulations. |
In addition, because we own assets in foreign countries and derive revenues from our International operations, we may incur currency translation losses due to changes in the values of foreign currencies and in the value of the U.S. dollar. We cannot predict the effect of exchange rate fluctuations upon future operating results.
Our International operations involve contracts with, and regulation by, foreign governments. We operate in many parts of the world that experience corruption to some degree. Although we have policies and procedures in place that are designed to promote legal and regulatory compliance (including with respect to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the United Kingdom Bribery Act), our employees, subcontractors and agents could take actions that violate applicable anticorruption laws or regulations. Violations of these laws, or allegations of such violations, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position and results of operations.
The success of our street furniture and transit products businesses is dependent on our obtaining key municipal concessions, which we may not be able to obtain on favorable terms
Our street furniture and transit products businesses require us to obtain and renew contracts with municipalities and other governmental entities. Many of these contracts, which require us to participate in competitive bidding processes at each renewal, typically have terms ranging from 3 to 20 years and have revenue share and/or fixed payment components. Our inability to successfully negotiate, renew or complete these contracts due to governmental demands and delay and the highly competitive bidding processes for these contracts could affect our ability to offer these products to our clients, or to offer them to our clients at rates that are competitive to other forms of advertising, without adversely affecting our financial results.
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Future acquisitions and other strategic transactions could pose risks
We frequently evaluate strategic opportunities both within and outside our existing lines of business. We expect from time to time to pursue additional acquisitions and may decide to dispose of certain businesses. These acquisitions or dispositions could be material. Our acquisition strategy involves numerous risks, including:
| our acquisitions may prove unprofitable and fail to generate anticipated cash flows; |
| to successfully manage our large portfolio of media and entertainment, outdoor advertising and other businesses, we may need to: |
| recruit additional senior management as we cannot be assured that senior management of acquired businesses will continue to work for us and we cannot be certain that our recruiting efforts will succeed, and |
| expand corporate infrastructure to facilitate the integration of our operations with those of acquired businesses, because failure to do so may cause us to lose the benefits of any expansion that we decide to undertake by leading to disruptions in our ongoing businesses or by distracting our management; |
| we may enter into markets and geographic areas where we have limited or no experience; |
| we may encounter difficulties in the integration of operations and systems; and |
| our managements attention may be diverted from other business concerns. |
Additional acquisitions by us of media and entertainment businesses and outdoor advertising businesses may require antitrust review by U.S. federal antitrust agencies and may require review by foreign antitrust agencies under the antitrust laws of foreign jurisdictions. We can give no assurances that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) or foreign antitrust agencies will not seek to bar us from acquiring additional media and entertainment businesses or outdoor advertising businesses in any market where we already have a significant position. Further, radio acquisitions by us are subject to FCC approval. Such acquisitions must comply with the Communications Act and FCC regulatory requirements and policies, including with respect to the number of broadcast facilities in which a person or entity may have an ownership or attributable interest in a given local market and the level of interest that may be held by a foreign individual or entity. The FCCs media ownership rules remain subject to ongoing agency and court proceedings. Future changes could restrict our ability to acquire new radio assets or businesses.
Significant equity investors control us and may have conflicts of interest with us in the future
Private equity funds sponsored by or co-investors with Bain Capital and THL indirectly own a majority of our outstanding capital stock and will exercise control over matters requiring approval of our shareholder and board of directors. The directors elected by Bain Capital and THL will have significant authority to make decisions affecting us, including change of control transactions and the incurrence of additional indebtedness.
In addition, affiliates of Bain Capital and THL are lenders under our term loan credit facilities and holders of our 9.0% priority guarantee notes due 2019. It is possible that their interests in some circumstances may conflict with our interests.
Additionally, Bain Capital and THL are in the business of making investments in companies and may acquire and hold interests in businesses that compete directly or indirectly with us. One or more of the entities advised by or affiliated with Bain Capital and/or THL may also pursue acquisition opportunities that may be complementary to our business and, as a result, those acquisition opportunities may not be available to us. So long as entities advised by or affiliated with Bain Capital and THL directly or indirectly own a significant amount of the voting power of our outstanding capital stock, even if such amount is less than 50%, Bain Capital and THL will continue to be able to strongly influence or effectively control our decisions.
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Risks Related to the Notes
We may not be able to generate sufficient cash to service all of our indebtedness and may be forced to take other actions to satisfy our obligations under our indebtedness, which may not be successful
We have a substantial amount of indebtedness. As of March 31, 2014, after giving effect to the Refinancing Transactions, we would have had $20,666.4 million of total indebtedness outstanding, including: (1) $1,924.0 million aggregate principal amount outstanding under our term loan B and C, which mature at various dates in 2016, $5,000.0 million aggregate principal amount outstanding under our term loan D, which matures in January 2019, and $1,300.0 million aggregate principal amount outstanding term loan E, which matures in July 2019; (2) $1,712.9 million aggregate principal amount outstanding of our 9.0% priority guarantee notes due 2021, net of $37.1 million of unamortized discounts, which mature in March 2021; (3) $575.0 million aggregate principal amount of our outstanding 11.25% priority guarantee notes due 2021, which mature in March 2021; (4) $1,999.8 million aggregate principal amount outstanding of our 9.0% priority guarantee notes due 2019, which mature in December 2019; (5) $19.8 million aggregate principal amount of other secured debt; (6) $94.3 million and $127.9 million outstanding of senior cash pay notes and senior toggle notes, respectively, which mature in August 2016; (7) $1,645.2 million aggregate principal amount outstanding of senior notes due 2021 (net of $199.1 million held by a subsidiary of ours as of March 31, 2014), which mature in February 2021; (8) $850.0 million aggregate principal amount of outstanding notes; (9) $514.8 million aggregate principal amount outstanding of our legacy notes, net of unamortized purchase accounting discounts of $210.2 million (excluding $303.1 million held by a subsidiary of ours, of which $14.5 million aggregate principal amount of legacy notes due 2014 were retired on April 9, 2014 and $130.0 million aggregate principal amount of legacy notes due 2014 were retired on May 6, 2014), which mature at various dates from 2016 through 2027; (10) $2,718.4 million aggregate principal amount outstanding of subsidiary senior notes, net of unamortized discount of $6.6 million, which mature in November 2022; (11) $2,200.0 million aggregate principal amount outstanding of subsidiary senior subordinated notes, which mature in March 2020; and (12) other obligations of less than $1.0 million. This large amount of indebtedness could have negative consequences for us, including, without limitation:
| requiring us to dedicate a substantial portion of our cash flow to the payment of principal and interest on indebtedness, thereby reducing cash available for other purposes, including to fund operations and capital expenditures, invest in new technology and pursue other business opportunities; |
| limiting our liquidity and operational flexibility and limiting our ability to obtain additional financing for working capital, capital expenditures, debt service requirements, acquisitions and general corporate or other purposes; |
| limiting our ability to adjust to changing economic, business and competitive conditions; |
| requiring us to defer planned capital expenditures, reduce discretionary spending, sell assets, restructure existing indebtedness or defer acquisitions or other strategic opportunities; |
| limiting our ability to refinance any of our indebtedness or increasing the cost of any such financing; |
| making us more vulnerable to an increase in interest rates, a downturn in our operating performance, a decline in general economic or industry conditions or a disruption in the credit markets; and |
| making us more susceptible to negative changes in credit ratings, which could impact our ability to obtain financing in the future and increase the cost of such financing. |
If compliance with the debt obligations materially hinders our ability to operate our business and adapt to changing industry conditions, we may lose market share, our revenue may decline and our operating results may suffer. The terms of our credit facilities and the other indebtedness allow us, under certain conditions, to incur further indebtedness, including secured indebtedness, which heightens the foregoing risks.
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We and our subsidiaries may not be able to generate sufficient cash to service all of our indebtedness, may not be able to refinance all of our indebtedness before it becomes due and may be forced to take other actions to satisfy our obligations under our indebtedness, which may not be successful
Our ability and our subsidiaries ability to make scheduled payments on our respective debt obligations depends on our financial condition and operating performance, which is subject to prevailing economic and competitive conditions and to certain financial, business and other factors beyond our control. In addition, because we derive a substantial portion of our operating income from our subsidiaries, our ability to repay our debt depends upon the performance of our subsidiaries, their ability to dividend or distribute funds to us and our receipt of funds under our cash management arrangement with our subsidiary, CCOH.
We and our subsidiaries may not be able to generate cash flows from operations on an amount sufficient to fund our liquidity needs. We anticipate cash interest requirements of approximately $1.6 billion during 2014. At March 31, 2014, after giving effect to the Refinancing Transactions, we had debt maturities totaling $20.8 million, $6.4 million, and $2.4 billion in 2014, 2015, and 2016, respectively. We are currently exploring, and expect to continue to explore, a variety of transactions to provide us with additional liquidity. We cannot assure you that we will enter into or consummate any such liquidity-generating transactions, or that such transactions will provide sufficient cash to satisfy our liquidity needs, and we cannot currently predict the impact that any such transaction, if consummated, would have on us.
If our and our subsidiaries cash flows from operations, refinancing sources and other liquidity-generating transactions are insufficient to fund our respective debt service obligations, we may be forced to reduce or delay capital expenditures, sell material assets or operations or seek additional capital. We may not be able to take any of these actions, and these actions may not be successful or permit us to meet the scheduled debt service obligations. Furthermore, these actions may not be permitted under the terms of existing or future debt agreements.
The ability to refinance the debt will depend on the condition of the capital markets and our financial condition at such time. Any refinancing of our debt could be at higher interest rates and increase debt service obligations and may require us and our subsidiaries to comply with more onerous covenants, which could further restrict our business operations. The terms of existing or future debt instruments may restrict us from adopting some of these alternatives. These alternative measures may not be successful and may not permit us or our subsidiaries to meet scheduled debt service obligations. If we or our subsidiaries cannot make scheduled payments on indebtedness, we or our subsidiaries, as applicable, will be in default under one or more of the debt agreements and, as a result we could be forced into bankruptcy or liquidation.
Our substantial debt service obligations have increased as a result of our financing transactions and may continue to do so, which could adversely affect our liquidity and prevent us from fulfilling our obligations
In 2013 and 2014, we substantially increased our debt service obligations. Assuming constant outstanding balances and interest rates, our 2013 financing transactions increased our annual interest expense over a 12-month period by $267 million. Assuming constant outstanding balances and interest rates, our 2014 financing transactions increased our annual interest expense over a 12-month period by an additional $47 million. Future financing transactions are likely to further increase our interest expense.
The increase in our debt service obligations could adversely affect our liquidity and could have important consequences, including the following:
| it may make it more difficult for us to satisfy our obligations under our indebtedness and our contractual and commercial commitments; and |
| it may otherwise further limit us in the ways summarized above under The substantial amount of indebtedness of us and our subsidiaries, may adversely affect our cash flows and our ability to operate our business and make us more vulnerable to changes in the economy or our industry, including by reducing our cash available for operations, debt service obligations, future business opportunities, acquisitions and capital expenditures. |
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Our ability to make payments with respect to our debt obligations, including under the notes, will depend on our future operating performance and our ability to continue to refinance our indebtedness, which will be affected by prevailing economic and credit market conditions and financial, business and other factors, many of which are beyond our control.
Because we derive a substantial portion of operating income from our subsidiaries, our ability to repay our debt depends upon the performance of our subsidiaries and their ability to dividend or distribute funds to us
We derive a substantial portion of operating income from our subsidiaries. As a result, our cash flow and the ability to service our indebtedness depend on the performance of our subsidiaries and the ability of those entities to distribute funds to us. We cannot assure you that our subsidiaries will be able to, or be permitted to, pay to us the amounts necessary to service our debt.
Accordingly, repayment of our indebtedness, including the notes, depends on the generation of cash flow by our subsidiaries and their ability to make such cash available to us, by dividend, debt repayment or otherwise. For the year ended December 31, 2013 and the three months ended March 31, 2014, approximately 47% of our consolidated net revenue and 30% and 14%, respectively, of our operating income was generated collectively by our Americas Outdoor Advertising and our International Outdoor Advertising business segments, which are part of CCOH, which is not a guarantor of the notes. CCOH is subject to limitations on its ability to pay dividends or otherwise make distributions to us. Those limitations are set forth in the indenture governing one series of its outstanding senior notes and the indenture governing one series of its outstanding senior subordinated notes, respectively. In addition, the consolidated EBITDA (as defined under the terms of our senior secured credit facilities) of CCOH is included in the calculation of our consolidated EBITDA (as defined under the terms of our senior secured credit facilities) for purposes of calculating our consolidated leverage ratio under the respective notes. The financial performance of CCOH may be taken into account to enable us to incur additional debt, pay dividends or make other restricted payments that we could not otherwise incur, pay or make without such results, even though CCOHs ability to pay us dividends or make distributions to us is subject to limitations. Accordingly, investors should not place undue reliance on our outdoor advertising business as a means for repayment of the notes. Our subsidiaries do not have any obligation to pay amounts due on the notes or to make funds available for that purpose. Our subsidiaries may not be able to make distributions to enable us to make payments in respect of our indebtedness, including the notes. Each subsidiary is a distinct legal entity and, under certain circumstances, legal and contractual restrictions may limit our ability to obtain cash from our subsidiaries.
In addition, any payment of interest, dividends, distributions, loans or advances by our subsidiaries to us could be subject to restrictions on dividends or repatriation of distributions under applicable local law, monetary transfer restrictions and foreign currency exchange regulations in the jurisdictions in which the subsidiaries operate or under arrangements with local partners.
If we default on our obligations to pay our other indebtedness, holders of such indebtedness may declare all the funds borrowed thereunder immediately due and payable, which may cause us to be unable to make payments on the notes
Any default under the agreements governing our indebtedness, including a default under our senior secured credit facilities that is not waived by the required lenders thereunder, and the remedies sought by the holders of such indebtedness, could substantially decrease the market value of the notes. If we are unable to generate sufficient cash flow and are otherwise unable to obtain funds necessary to meet required payments of principal, premium, if any, or interest on our indebtedness, or if we otherwise fail to comply with the various covenants, including financial and operating covenants, in the instruments governing our indebtedness (including our senior secured credit facilities), we could be in default under the terms of the agreements governing such indebtedness. In the event of any such default, the holders of such indebtedness could elect to declare all the funds borrowed thereunder to be due and payable, together with accrued and unpaid interest. More specifically, the lenders under our receivables based credit facility could elect to terminate their commitments, cease making further loans, require us to cash collateralize amounts outstanding under the existing letter of credit obligations and the lenders under our senior secured credit facilities and receivables based credit facility could institute foreclosure proceedings against our assets, and we could be forced into bankruptcy or liquidation. If our operating performance declines, we may in the future need to seek waivers from the required lenders under our senior secured credit facilities and our receivables based credit facility to avoid being in default. If we breach our covenants under our senior secured credit facilities or our
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receivables based credit facility and seek a waiver, we may not be able to obtain a waiver from the required lenders. If this occurs, we would be in default under our senior secured credit facilities or our receivables based credit facility, the lenders could exercise their rights as described above, and we could be forced into bankruptcy or liquidation. See Description of Certain Other Indebtedness and Description of the Exchange Notes.
The notes will be structurally subordinated to all of the debt and liabilities of our subsidiaries
The notes are not guaranteed by any of our subsidiaries. As of March 31, 2014, our subsidiaries held approximately 68.2% of our consolidated assets, had $8.2 billion in outstanding indebtedness and liabilities, excluding intercompany obligations, and guaranteed $14.4 billion in our outstanding indebtedness, all of which would have been structurally senior to the notes. In addition, as of March 31, 2014, CCOH and its subsidiaries had $6.7 billion of total assets and $6.6 billion in total liabilities. Claims of creditors (both secured and unsecured) of our subsidiaries, including trade creditors and claims of preference shareholders (if any) of our subsidiaries (or the equivalent of any of the foregoing under local law), will have priority with respect to the assets and cash flow of our subsidiaries over the claims of creditors of their parent entities. Accordingly, those claims, including those related to the CCWH senior notes (as defined herein) and CCWH senior subordinated notes (as defined herein), will have priority with respect to the assets and cash flow of CCOH and its subsidiaries. As of March 31, 2014, there was $2.7 billion aggregate principal amount of CCWH senior notes and $2.2 billion of CCWH senior subordinated notes outstanding. In the event of a bankruptcy, liquidation or reorganization or other bankruptcy or insolvency proceeding of any of our subsidiaries (or the equivalent of any of the foregoing under local law), holders of the notes will participate with all other holders of our indebtedness in the assets remaining and dividended or otherwise paid to the issuer after the subsidiaries involved in such proceedings have paid all of their debts and liabilities. In any of these cases, the relevant subsidiaries may not have sufficient funds to make payments to us, and holders of the notes may receive less, ratably, than the holders of debt of such subsidiaries, including CCOH and its subsidiaries.
The notes are effectively subordinated to our existing and future secured indebtedness to the extent of the value of the collateral securing such indebtedness
The notes are our general unsecured obligations. As of March 31, 2014, the aggregate amount of our secured indebtedness was $12,531.5 million (net of unamortized purchase adjustments and discounts). In addition, the terms of our credit facilities and the other indebtedness allow us, under certain conditions, to incur further secured indebtedness. Holders of our secured indebtedness, including our senior secured credit facilities, our receivables based credit facility and our priority guarantee notes, will have claims that are prior to the claims of the holders of the notes to the extent of the value of the collateral securing such other indebtedness. In the event of any distribution or payment of our assets in any foreclosure, liquidation or reorganization or other bankruptcy or insolvency proceeding, holders of secured indebtedness will have a prior claim to those of our assets that constitute their collateral. Holders of the notes will participate ratably with all holders of our unsecured indebtedness that is deemed to be of the same class as the notes, and potentially with all of our other general creditors, based upon the respective amounts owed to each holder or creditor, in our remaining assets. In any of the foregoing events, we cannot assure you that there will be sufficient assets to pay amounts due on the notes. As a result, holders of the notes may receive less, ratably, than holders of secured indebtedness.
The documents governing our indebtedness contain restrictions that limit our flexibility in operating our business
Although the indenture governing the notes contains only limited restrictive covenants and will not limit our or our subsidiaries ability to incur additional indebtedness, issue or repurchase securities, pay dividends or engage in transactions with affiliates, our other material financing agreements, including our credit agreements and indentures, contain various covenants restricting, among other things, our ability to:
| make acquisitions or investments; |
| make loans or otherwise extend credit to others; |
| incur indebtedness or issue shares or guarantees; |
| create liens; |
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| enter into transactions with affiliates; |
| sell, lease, transfer or dispose of assets; |
| merge or consolidate with other companies; and |
| make a substantial change to the general nature of our business. |
In addition, under our senior secured credit facilities, we are required to comply with certain affirmative covenants and certain specified financial covenants and ratios. For instance, our senior secured credit facilities require us to comply on a quarterly basis with a financial covenant limiting the ratio of our consolidated secured debt, net of cash and cash equivalents, to our consolidated EBITDA (as defined under the terms of our senior secured credit facilities) for the preceding four quarters. The ratio under this financial covenant for the four quarters ended March 31, 2014 is set at 9.00 to 1 and reduces to 8.75 to 1 for the four quarters ended December 31, 2014.
The restrictions contained in our credit agreements and indentures could affect our ability to operate our business and may limit our ability to react to market conditions or take advantage of potential business opportunities as they arise. For example, such restrictions could adversely affect our ability to finance our operations, make strategic acquisitions, investments or alliances, restructure our organization or finance our capital needs. Additionally, our ability to comply with these covenants and restrictions may be affected by events beyond our control. These include prevailing economic, financial and industry conditions. If we breach any of these covenants or restrictions, we could be in default under the agreements governing our indebtedness, and as a result we would be forced into bankruptcy or liquidation.
U.S. federal and state fraudulent transfer laws permit a court to void the notes, and, if that occurs, you may not receive any payments on the notes or may be required to return payments made on the notes
The issuance of the notes may be subject to review under U.S. federal and state fraudulent transfer and conveyance statutes if a bankruptcy, liquidation or reorganization case or a lawsuit, including under circumstances in which bankruptcy is not involved, were commenced at some future date by us or on behalf of our unpaid creditors. While the relevant laws may vary from state to state, under such laws the payment of consideration in certain transactions could be considered a fraudulent conveyance if (1) the consideration was paid with the intent of hindering, delaying or defrauding creditors or (2) we received less than reasonably equivalent value or fair consideration in return for issuing notes and, in the case of (2) only, one of the following is also true:
| we were insolvent or rendered insolvent by reason of issuing notes; |
| payment of the consideration left us with an unreasonably small amount of capital to carry on our business; or |
| we intended to, or believed that we would, incur debts beyond our ability to pay as they mature. |
If a court were to find that the issuance of the notes was a fraudulent conveyance, the court could void the payment obligations under the notes, further subordinate the notes to existing and future indebtedness of ours or require the holders of the notes to repay any amounts received with respect to the notes. In the event of a finding that a fraudulent conveyance occurred, you may not receive any repayment on the notes. Further, the voidance of the notes could result in an event of default with respect to our other debt that could result in acceleration of such debt. The measures of insolvency for purposes of fraudulent conveyance laws vary depending upon the laws of the jurisdiction that is being applied. Generally, an entity would be considered insolvent if, at the time it incurred indebtedness:
| the sum of its debts, including contingent liabilities, was greater than the fair saleable value of all its assets; |
| the present fair saleable value of its assets was less than the amount that would be required to pay its probable liability on its existing debts and liabilities, including contingent liabilities, as they become absolute and mature; or |
| it could not pay its debts as they become due. |
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We cannot be certain as to the standards a court would use to determine whether or not we were solvent at the relevant time, or regardless of the standard that a court uses, that the issuance of the notes would not be subordinated to our other debt.
The notes will mature after a substantial portion of our existing indebtedness
The notes will mature on January 15, 2018. A substantial portion of our existing indebtedness will mature prior to the maturity of the notes. See Description of Certain Other Indebtedness. Therefore, we will be required to repay many of our other creditors, including holders of unsecured and unguaranteed indebtedness, before we are required to repay a portion of the interest due on, and the principal of, the notes. As a result, we may not have sufficient cash to repay all amounts owing on the notes at maturity. There can be no assurance that we will have the ability to borrow or otherwise raise the amounts necessary to repay such amounts.
We may not be able to repurchase the notes upon a change of control and holders of the notes may not be able to determine when a change of control giving rise to their right to have the notes repurchased has occurred following a sale of substantially all of our assets
Upon the occurrence of specific kinds of change of control events, we will be required to offer to repurchase all notes at 101% of their principal amount plus accrued and unpaid interest. The change of control provisions may not protect you if we undergo a highly leveraged transaction, reorganization, restructuring, acquisition or similar transaction that may adversely affect you unless the transaction is included within the definition of a change of control.
Our senior secured credit facilities and our receivables based credit facility provide that the occurrence of certain events that would constitute a change of control for the purposes of the indenture governing the notes would constitute a default under our senior secured credit facilities and our receivables based credit facility. If an event of default occurs, the lenders under our senior secured credit facilities and our receivables based credit facility will be entitled to take various actions, including the acceleration of all amounts due under our senior secured credit facilities and our receivables based credit facility and all actions permitted to be taken by a secured creditor. Much of our other debt, including our priority guarantee notes, the senior cash pay notes and the senior toggle notes, also requires us to repurchase such debt upon an event that would constitute a change of control for the purposes of the notes. Any of our future debt agreements may contain prohibitions of events that would constitute a change of control or would require such debt to be repurchased upon a change of control. The source of funds for any purchase of the notes will be our available cash or cash generated from our and our subsidiaries operations or other sources, including borrowings, sales of assets or sales of equity. We may not be able to repurchase the notes upon a change of control because we may not have sufficient financial resources to purchase all of the notes that are tendered upon a change of control. Further, we are contractually restricted under the terms of our senior secured credit facilities from repurchasing the notes tendered by holders upon a change of control. Accordingly, we may not be able to satisfy our obligations to purchase the notes unless we are able to refinance or obtain waivers under our senior secured credit facilities. Our failure to repurchase the notes upon a change of control would cause a default under the indenture governing the notes. Such a default would, in turn, constitute a default under our senior secured credit facilities.
The definition of change of control in the indenture governing the notes includes a phrase relating to the sale of all or substantially all of our assets. There is no precise established definition of the phrase substantially all under applicable law. Accordingly, the ability of a holder of notes to require us to repurchase its notes as a result of a sale of less than all our assets to another person is uncertain.
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Your ability to transfer the notes may be limited by the absence of an active trading market and you may not be able to sell them quickly or at the price you paid
The exchange notes are a new issues of securities for which there is no established public market. We do not intend to apply for the notes to be listed on any securities exchange or to arrange for their quotation on any automated dealer quotation system. An active market for the exchange notes may not develop or, if developed, it may not continue. Historically, the markets for non-investment grade debt have been subject to disruptions that have caused substantial volatility in the prices of securities similar to the notes. The market for the notes may experience similar disruptions and any such disruptions may adversely affect the prices at which you may sell your notes. In addition, subsequent to their initial issuances, the notes may trade at discounts, depending upon prevailing interest rates, the market for similar notes, our financial and operating performance and other factors.
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Purpose and Effect of the Exchange Offer
Simultaneously with the issuance of the outstanding notes, we entered into a registration rights agreement with the Initial Purchasers, pursuant to which we have agreed that we will use commercially reasonable efforts to take the following actions, at our expense, for the benefit of the holders of such notes:
| no later than 210 days after the closing date of the offering of the outstanding notes, file an exchange offer registration statement with the SEC with respect to a registered offer to exchange the outstanding notes for exchange notes, which will have terms identical in all material respects to the outstanding notes, except that additional interest will not be payable in respect of the exchange notes and the exchange notes will not be entitled to registration rights under the registration rights agreement and will not be subject to the transfer restrictions, |
| cause the exchange offer registration statement to be declared effective by the SEC no later than 270 days after the closing date of the issuance of the outstanding notes, |
| commence the exchange offer promptly (but no later than 10 business days) after the registration statement is declared effective, and |
| keep the exchange offer open for at least 20 business days after the date we mail notice of such exchange offer to such notes. |
For each outstanding note surrendered to us pursuant to the exchange offer, the holder of such outstanding note will receive an exchange note having a principal amount at maturity equal to that of the surrendered note.
Under existing SEC interpretations set forth in no-action letters to third parties, the exchange notes will in general be freely transferable after the exchange offer without further registration under the Securities Act; provided that, in the case of broker-dealers, a prospectus meeting the requirements of the Securities Act is delivered as required. We have agreed for a period of 180 days after consummation of the exchange offer to make available a prospectus meeting the requirements of the Securities Act to any broker-dealer for use in connection with any resale of any such exchange notes acquired as described below. A broker-dealer which delivers such a prospectus to purchasers in connection with such resales will be subject to certain of the civil liability provisions under the Securities Act, and will be bound by the provisions of the exchange and registration rights agreement, including certain indemnification rights and obligations.
If you wish to participate in the exchange offer, you will be required to represent to us, among other things, that, at the time of the consummation of the exchange offer:
| any exchange notes received by you will be acquired in the ordinary course of business, |
| you have no arrangement or understanding with any person to participate in the distribution of the exchange notes within the meaning of the Securities Act, |
| you are not our affiliate, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act, |
| if you are not a broker-dealer, you are not engaged in, and do not intend to engage in, the distribution of the exchange notes within the meaning of the Securities Act, and |
| if you are a broker-dealer, you will receive exchange notes in exchange for outstanding notes that were acquired for your own account as a result of market-making activities or other trading activities and that you will be required to acknowledge that you will deliver a prospectus meeting the requirements of the Securities Act in connection with any resale of such exchange notes. |
Any holder that is not able to make these representations or certain similar representations will not be entitled to participate in the exchange offer or to exchange their outstanding notes for exchange notes.
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If (i) applicable law or the interpretations of the staff of the SEC do not permit us to effect an exchange offer, (ii) an exchange offer for any other reason is not completed within the time frame described above or (iii) any holder notifies us within 20 business days following the exchange offer that, for certain reasons, it was unable to participate in the exchange offer, we will, no later than 30 days after such event (but in no event earlier than 210 days after the closing date), file a shelf registration statement relating to resales of the applicable outstanding notes and use commercially reasonable efforts to cause it to become effective within 90 days after filing (but in no event earlier than 270 days after the closing date) and keep that shelf registration statement effective until the expiration of two years from the closing date of the issuance of the outstanding notes, or such shorter time period that will terminate when all notes covered by the shelf registration statement have been sold pursuant to the shelf registration statement. We will, in the event of such a shelf registration, provide to each holder of the notes copies of a prospectus, notify each such holder of notes when the shelf registration statement has become effective and take certain other actions to permit resales of the notes. A holder of notes that sells notes under a shelf registration statement generally will be required to be named as a selling securityholder in the related prospectus and to deliver a prospectus to purchasers, will be subject to certain of the civil liability provisions under the Securities Act in connection with those sales and will be bound by the provisions of the exchange and registration rights agreement that are applicable to such a holder (including certain indemnification obligations).
If we fail to comply in a timely fashion with the requirements outlined above regarding the completion of the exchange offer (or, if required, a shelf registration statement), and in certain other limited circumstances, the annual interest rate borne by the relevant notes will be increased by 0.25% per annum and an additional 0.25% per annum every 90 days thereafter, up to a maximum additional cash interest of 0.50% per annum, until the exchange offer is completed, the shelf registration statement is declared effective or, with respect to any particular note, such note ceases to be outstanding or is actually sold by the holder thereof pursuant to Rule 144 under circumstances in which any legend borne by such note relating to restrictions on transferability thereof, under the Securities Act or otherwise, is removed by us or pursuant to the indenture.
Terms of the Exchange Offer
Upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in this prospectus and in the letter of transmittal, we will accept any and all outstanding notes validly tendered and not withdrawn prior to 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the expiration date of the exchange offer. You may tender all or any portion of your outstanding notes; however, exchange notes will only be issued in denominations of $2,000 and integral multiples of $1,000 in excess thereof.
The form and terms of the exchange notes are the same as the form and terms of the outstanding notes, except that:
(1) | the exchange notes each bear a different CUSIP Number from the outstanding notes; |
(2) | the exchange notes have been registered under the Securities Act and hence will not bear legends restricting the transfer thereof; and |
(3) | the holders of the exchange notes will not be entitled to certain rights under the registration rights agreement, including the provisions providing for an increase in the interest rate on the outstanding notes in certain circumstances relating to the timing of the exchange offer, all of which rights will terminate when the exchange offer is terminated. |
We will be deemed to have accepted validly tendered outstanding notes when, as and if we have given oral or written notice (if oral, to be promptly confirmed in writing) thereof to the exchange agent. The exchange agent will act as agent for the tendering holders for the purpose of receiving the exchange notes from us.
If any tendered outstanding notes are not accepted for exchange because of an invalid tender, the occurrence of specified other events set forth in this prospectus or otherwise, the certificates for any unaccepted outstanding notes will be returned, without expense, to the tendering holder thereof as promptly as practicable after the expiration date of the exchange offer.
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Holders who tender outstanding notes in the exchange offer will not be required to pay brokerage commissions or fees or, subject to the instructions in the letter of transmittal, transfer taxes with respect to the exchange of outstanding notes pursuant to the exchange offer. We will pay all charges and expenses, other than transfer taxes in certain circumstances, in connection with the exchange offer. See Fees and Expenses.
Expiration Date; Extensions; Amendments
The term expiration date means 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on , 2014, unless we, in our sole discretion, extend the exchange offer, in which case the term expiration date will mean the latest date and time to which the exchange offer is extended.
In order to extend the exchange offer we will promptly make a press release or other public announcement and notify the exchange agent of any extension by oral or written notice (if oral, to be promptly confirmed in writing), prior to 9:00 a.m., New York City time, on the next business day after the previously scheduled expiration date.
We reserve the right, in our sole discretion, (1) to delay accepting any outstanding notes, to extend the exchange offer or to terminate the exchange offer if any of the conditions set forth below under Conditions have not been satisfied, by giving oral or written notice (if oral, to be promptly confirmed in writing) of any delay, extension or termination to the exchange agent or (2) to amend the terms of the exchange offer in any manner. Such decision will also be communicated in a press release or other public announcement prior to 9:00 a.m., New York City time, on the next business day following such decision. Any announcement of delay in acceptance, extension, termination or amendment will be followed promptly by oral or written notice (if oral, to be promptly confirmed in writing) thereof to the registered holders.
Interest on the Exchange Notes
The exchange notes will bear interest from its issuance date. The holders of outstanding notes that are accepted for exchange will receive accrued interest on those outstanding notes through, but not including, the issuance date of the exchange notes. This interest will be paid with the first interest payment on the exchange notes. Interest on the outstanding notes accepted for exchange will cease to accrue upon issuance of the exchange notes.
Interest on the exchange notes is payable semi-annually in arrears on January 15 and July 15 of each year, commencing on July 15, 2014.
Procedures for Tendering
Only a holder of outstanding notes may tender outstanding notes in the exchange offer. To tender in the exchange offer, a holder must complete, sign and date the letter of transmittal, or a facsimile thereof, have the signatures thereon guaranteed if required by the letter of transmittal or transmit an agents message in connection with a book-entry transfer, and, unless transmitting an agents message in connection with a book-entry transfer, mail or otherwise deliver the letter of transmittal or the facsimile, together with the outstanding notes and any other required documents, to the exchange agent prior to 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the expiration date. To be tendered effectively, the outstanding notes, letter of transmittal or an agents message and other required documents must be completed and received by the exchange agent at the address set forth below under Exchange Agent prior to 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the expiration date. Delivery of the outstanding notes may be made by book-entry transfer in accordance with the procedures described below. Confirmation of the book-entry transfer must be received by the exchange agent prior to the expiration date.
The term agents message means a message, transmitted by a book-entry transfer facility to, and received by, the exchange agent forming a part of a confirmation of a book-entry, which states that the book-entry transfer facility has received an express acknowledgement from the participant in the book-entry transfer facility tendering the outstanding notes that the participant has received and agrees: (1) to participate in ATOP; (2) to be bound by the terms of the letter of transmittal; and (3) that we may enforce the agreement against the participant.
By executing the letter of transmittal, each holder will make to us the representations set forth above in the fourth paragraph under the heading Purpose and Effect of the Exchange Offer.
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The tender by a holder and our acceptance thereof will constitute agreement between the holder and us in accordance with the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in this prospectus and in the letter of transmittal or agents message.
The method of delivery of outstanding notes and the letter of transmittal or agents message and all other required documents to the exchange agent is at the election and sole risk of the holder. As an alternative to delivery by mail, holders may wish to consider overnight or hand delivery service. In all cases, sufficient time should be allowed to assure delivery to the exchange agent before the expiration date. No letter of transmittal or outstanding notes should be sent to us. Holders may request their respective brokers, dealers, commercial banks, trust companies or nominees to effect the above transactions for them.
Any beneficial owner whose outstanding notes are registered in the name of a broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee and who wishes to tender should contact the registered holder promptly and instruct the registered holder to tender on the beneficial owners behalf. See Instructions to Letter of Transmittal included with the letter of transmittal.
Signatures on a letter of transmittal or a notice of withdrawal, as the case may be, must be guaranteed by a member of the Medallion System unless the outstanding notes tendered pursuant to the letter of transmittal are tendered (1) by a registered holder who has not completed the box entitled Special Issuance Instructions on the letter of transmittal or (2) for the account of a member firm of the Medallion System. In the event that signatures on a letter of transmittal or a notice of withdrawal, as the case may be, are required to be guaranteed, the guarantee must be by a member firm of the Medallion System.
If the letter of transmittal is signed by a person other than the registered holder of any outstanding notes listed in this prospectus, the outstanding notes must be endorsed or accompanied by a properly completed bond power, signed by the registered holder as the registered holders name appears on the outstanding notes with the signature thereon guaranteed by a member firm of the Medallion System.
If the letter of transmittal or any outstanding notes or bond powers are signed by trustees, executors, administrators, guardians, attorneys-in-fact, officers of corporations or others acting in a fiduciary or representative capacity, the person signing should so indicate when signing, and evidence satisfactory to us of its authority to so act must be submitted with the letter of transmittal.
We understand that the exchange agent will make a request promptly after the date of this prospectus to establish accounts with respect to the outstanding notes at DTC for the purpose of facilitating the exchange offer, and subject to the establishment thereof, any financial institution that is a participant in DTCs system may make book-entry delivery of outstanding notes by causing DTC to transfer the outstanding notes into the exchange agents account with respect to the outstanding notes in accordance with DTCs procedures for the transfer. Although delivery of the outstanding notes may be effected through book-entry transfer into the exchange agents account at DTC, unless an agents message is received by the exchange agent in compliance with ATOP, an appropriate letter of transmittal properly completed and duly executed with any required signature guarantee and all other required documents must in each case be transmitted to and received or confirmed by the exchange agent at its address set forth below on or prior to the expiration date. Delivery of documents to DTC does not constitute delivery to the exchange agent.
All questions as to the validity, form and eligibility, including time of receipt, of the acceptance of tendered outstanding notes and the withdrawal of tendered outstanding notes will be determined by us in our sole discretion, which determination will be final and binding on all parties. We reserve the absolute right to reject any and all outstanding notes not properly tendered or any outstanding notes our acceptance of which would, in the opinion of our counsel, be unlawful. We also reserve the right in our sole discretion to waive any defects, irregularities or conditions of tender as to particular outstanding notes. Our interpretation of the terms and conditions of the exchange offer, including the instructions in the letter of transmittal, will be final and binding on all parties. Unless waived, any defects or irregularities in connection with tenders of outstanding notes must be cured within the time we determine. Although we intend to notify holders of defects or irregularities with respect to tenders of outstanding notes, neither we, the exchange agent nor any other person will incur any liability for failure to give the notification. Tenders of outstanding notes will not be deemed to have been made until the defects or irregularities have been cured or waived. Any outstanding notes received by the exchange agent that are not properly tendered and as to which the defects or irregularities have not been cured or waived will be returned by the exchange agent to the tendering holders, unless otherwise provided in the letter of transmittal, as soon as practicable following the expiration date.
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No Guaranteed Delivery Procedures
There are no guaranteed delivery procedures provided by us in connection with the exchange offer. As only registered holders are authorized to tender outstanding notes through DTC, beneficial owners of outstanding notes that are held in the name of a custodial entity must contact such entity sufficiently in advance of the expiration date if they wish to tender outstanding notes and be eligible to receive the exchange notes.
Withdrawal of Tenders
Except as otherwise provided in this prospectus, tenders of outstanding notes may be withdrawn at any time prior to 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the expiration date.
To withdraw a tender of outstanding notes in the exchange offer, a letter or facsimile transmission notice of withdrawal must be received by the exchange agent at its address set forth in this prospectus prior to 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the expiration date. Any notice of withdrawal must:
(1) | specify the name of the person having deposited the outstanding notes to be withdrawn; |
(2) | identify the outstanding notes to be withdrawn, including the certificate number(s) and principal amount of the outstanding notes, or, in the case of outstanding notes transferred by book-entry transfer, the name and number of the account at DTC to be credited; |
(3) | be signed by the holder in the same manner as the original signature on the letter of transmittal by which the outstanding notes were tendered, including any required signature guarantees, or be accompanied by documents of transfer sufficient to have the trustee with respect to the outstanding notes register the transfer of the outstanding notes into the name of the person withdrawing the tender; and |
(4) | specify the name in which any outstanding notes are to be registered, if different from that of the person depositing the outstanding notes to be withdrawn. |
All questions as to the validity, form and eligibility, including time of receipt, of the notices will be determined by us in our sole discretion, which determination will be final and binding on all parties. Any outstanding notes so withdrawn will be deemed not to have been validly tendered for purposes of the exchange offer and no exchange notes will be issued with respect thereto unless the outstanding notes so withdrawn are validly retendered. Any outstanding notes which have been tendered but which are not accepted for exchange will be returned to the holder thereof without cost to the holder as soon as practicable after withdrawal, rejection of tender or termination of the exchange offer. Properly withdrawn outstanding notes may be retendered by following one of the procedures described above under Procedures for Tendering at any time prior to the expiration date.
Conditions
We intend to conduct the exchange offer in accordance with the applicable requirements of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations of the SEC thereunder. Notwithstanding any other term of the exchange offer, we will not be required to accept for exchange, or exchange notes for, any outstanding notes, and may, prior to the expiration of the exchange offer, terminate or amend the exchange offer as provided in this prospectus before the acceptance of the outstanding notes, if:
(1) | any action or proceeding is instituted or threatened in any court or by or before any governmental agency with respect to the exchange offer which we reasonably believe might materially impair our ability to proceed with the exchange offer or any material adverse development has occurred in any existing action or proceeding with respect to us or any of our subsidiaries; or |
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(2) | any law, statute, rule, regulation or interpretation by the staff of the SEC is proposed, adopted or enacted, which we reasonably believe might materially impair our ability to proceed with the exchange offer or materially impair the contemplated benefits of the exchange offer to us; or |
(3) | any governmental approval has not been obtained, which approval we reasonably believe to be necessary for the consummation of the exchange offer as contemplated by this prospectus. |
If we determine in our sole discretion that any of the conditions are not satisfied, we may (1) refuse to accept any outstanding notes and return all tendered outstanding notes to the tendering holders, (2) extend the exchange offer and retain all outstanding notes tendered prior to the expiration of the exchange offer, subject, however, to the rights of holders to withdraw the outstanding notes (see Withdrawal of Tenders), or (3) waive the unsatisfied conditions with respect to the exchange offer and accept all properly tendered outstanding notes which have not been withdrawn.
Exchange Agent
U.S. Bank National Association has been appointed as exchange agent for the exchange offer. Requests for additional copies of this prospectus or the letter of transmittal should be directed to the exchange agent addressed as follows:
By Mail, Hand or Overnight Delivery: U.S. Bank National Association Corporate Trust Services Attn: Specialized Finance Department 111 Fillmore Ave. E St. Paul, Minnesota 55107 |
Facsimile Transmission: (651) 466-7372
For Information or to Confirm Receipt of |
Delivery to an address other than set forth above will not constitute a valid delivery.
Fees and Expenses
We will bear the expenses of soliciting tenders. The principal solicitation is being made through DTC by U.S. Bank National Association; however, additional solicitation may be made by electronic mail, facsimile, telephone or in person by our and our affiliates officers and regular employees.
We have not retained any dealer-manager in connection with the exchange offer and will not make any payments to brokers, dealers or others soliciting acceptances of the exchange offer. We will, however, pay the exchange agent reasonable and customary fees for its services and will reimburse it for its reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with these services.
We will pay the cash expenses to be incurred in connection with the exchange offer. Such expenses include fees and expenses of the exchange agent and trustee, accounting and legal fees and printing costs, among others.
Accounting Treatment
The exchange notes will be recorded at the same carrying value as the outstanding notes, which is face value, as reflected in our accounting records on the date of exchange. Accordingly, we will not recognize any gain or loss for accounting purposes as a result of the exchange offer. The expenses of the exchange offer will be expensed as incurred.
Consequences of Failure to Exchange
The outstanding notes that are not exchanged for exchange notes pursuant to the exchange offer will remain restricted securities. Accordingly, the outstanding notes may be resold only:
(1) | to us upon redemption thereof or otherwise; |
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(2) | so long as the outstanding notes are eligible for resale pursuant to Rule 144A, to a person inside the United States whom the seller reasonably believes is a qualified institutional buyer within the meaning of Rule 144A under the Securities Act in a transaction meeting the requirements of Rule 144A, in accordance with Rule 144 under the Securities Act, or pursuant to another exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act, which other exemption is based upon an opinion of counsel reasonably acceptable to us if we so request; |
(3) | outside the United States to a foreign person in a transaction meeting the requirements of Rule 904 under the Securities Act; or |
(4) | pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act, in each case in accordance with any applicable securities laws of any state of the United States. |
Resale of the Exchange Notes
With respect to resales of exchange notes, based on interpretations by the staff of the SEC set forth in no-action letters issued to third parties, we believe that a holder or other person who receives exchange notes, whether or not the person is the holder, other than a person that is our affiliate within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act, in exchange for outstanding notes in the ordinary course of business and who is not participating, does not intend to participate, and has no arrangement or understanding with any person to participate, in the distribution of the exchange notes, will be allowed to resell the exchange notes to the public without further registration under the Securities Act and without delivering to the purchasers of the exchange notes a prospectus that satisfies the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act. However, if any holder acquires exchange notes in the exchange offer for the purpose of distributing or participating in a distribution of the exchange notes, the holder cannot rely on the position of the staff of the SEC expressed in the no-action letters or any similar interpretive letters, and must comply with the registration and prospectus delivery requirements of the Securities Act in connection with any resale transaction, unless an exemption from registration is otherwise available. Further, each broker-dealer that receives exchange notes for its own account in exchange for outstanding notes, where the outstanding notes were acquired by the broker-dealer as a result of market-making activities or other trading activities, must acknowledge that it will deliver a prospectus in connection with any resale of the exchange notes. See Plan of Distribution for more information.
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The exchange offer is intended to satisfy our obligations under the registration rights agreement. We will not receive any cash proceeds from the issuance of any exchange notes. The outstanding notes properly tendered and exchanged for the exchange notes will be retired and cancelled. Accordingly, no additional debt will result from the exchange offer. We have agreed to bear the expenses of the exchange offer.
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The following table sets forth our consolidated cash and cash equivalents and capitalization as of March 31, 2014 on an actual basis and as adjusted to give effect to the Refinancing Transactions as well as the retirement and cancellation of $14.5 million aggregate principal amount of legacy notes due 2014 on April 9, 2014 and the retirement and cancellation of $130.0 million aggregate principal amount of legacy notes due 2014 on May 6, 2014. You should read the following information in conjunction with the information contained in Selected Historical Consolidated Financial Data, Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and our consolidated financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus.
As of March 31, 2014 (in millions) |
||||||||
Actual | As Adjusted | |||||||
Cash and cash equivalents |
$ | 660.7 | $ | 823.5 | ||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Long-term debt (including current portion) |
||||||||
Senior secured credit facilities: |
||||||||
Term loan B facility due 2016 |
$ | 1,891.0 | $ | 1,891.0 | ||||
Term loan C facilityasset sale facility due 2016 |
33.0 | 33.0 | ||||||
Term loan D facility due 2019 |
5,000.0 | 5,000.0 | ||||||
Term loan E facility due 2019 |
1,300.0 | 1,300.0 | ||||||
9.0% priority guarantee notes due 2019 |
1,999.8 | 1,999.8 | ||||||
9.0% priority guarantee notes due 2021 |
1,750.0 | 1,750.0 | ||||||
11.25% priority guarantee notes due 2021 |
575.0 | 575.0 | ||||||
Receivables based credit facility |
| | ||||||
Other secured long-term debt |
19.8 | 19.8 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Total secured debt |
12,568.6 | 12,568.6 | ||||||
Senior cash pay notes due 2016 |
94.3 | 94.3 | ||||||
Senior toggle notes due 2016 |
127.9 | 127.9 | ||||||
Senior notes due 2021 |
1,645.2 | 1,645.2 | ||||||
Other long term debt |
0.9 | 0.9 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Total guaranteed debt |
14,437.0 | 14,437.0 | ||||||
Senior notes due 2018 |
| 850.0 | ||||||
Legacy notes |
||||||||
5.5% senior notes due 2014 |
408.6 | | ||||||
4.9% senior notes due 2015 |
241.0 | | ||||||
5.5% senior notes due 2016 |
250.0 | 250.0 | ||||||
6.875% senior debentures due 2018 |
175.0 | 175.0 | ||||||
7.25% debentures due 2027 |
300.0 | 300.0 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Total legacy notes |
1,374.6 | 725.0 | ||||||
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|
|
|
|||||
Total Clear Channel debt |
15,811.6 | 16,012.0 | ||||||
CCWH Notes due 2022 |
2,725.0 | 2,725.0 | ||||||
CCWH Subordinated Notes due 2020 |
2,200.0 | 2,200.0 | ||||||
CCOH revolving credit facility |
| | ||||||
Purchase accounting adjustments and original issue discount |
(312.2) | (270.6) | ||||||
|
|
|
|
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Total long-term debt |
$ | 20,424.4 | $ | 20,666.4 | ||||
Total shareholders deficit |
(9,128.0) | (9,128.0) | ||||||
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|
|
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Total capitalization |
$ | 11,296.4 | $ | 11,538.4 | ||||
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38
SELECTED HISTORICAL CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL DATA
The following table sets forth our selected historical consolidated financial data as of and for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010 and 2009 and as of and for the three month periods ended March 31, 2014 and 2013. The selected historical consolidated financial data as of December 31, 2013 and 2012 and for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011 are derived from our audited consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus. The selected historical consolidated financial data as of December 31, 2011 and as of and for the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009 are derived from our audited consolidated financial statements and related notes not included herein. The selected historical consolidated financial data as of March 31, 2014 and for the three month periods ended March 31, 2014 and 2013 are derived from our unaudited consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus. The selected historical consolidated financial data as of March 31, 2013 are derived from our unaudited consolidated financial statements and related notes not included herein. Historical results are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for future periods.
In the opinion of management, the interim financial data reflects all adjustments (consisting only of normal and recurring adjustments) necessary for a fair presentation of the results for the interim periods. Historical results are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for future periods and operating results for the three month period ended March 31, 2014 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2014.
This information is only a summary and you should read the information presented below in conjunction with our historical consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus, as well as the section entitled Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
(Dollars in thousands) | Year Ended December 31, | Three Months Ended March 31, |
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2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2014 | 2013 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
(unaudited) | (unaudited) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Results of Operations Data: |
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Revenue |
$ | 6,243,044 | $ | 6,246,884 | $ | 6,161,352 | $ | 5,865,685 | $ | 5,551,909 | $ | 1,342,548 | $ | 1,343,058 | ||||||||||||||
Operating expenses: |
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Direct operating expenses |
2,543,419 | 2,494,241 | 2,504,467 | 2,368,943 | 2,515,001 | 596,496 | 594,817 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Selling, general and administrative expenses |
1,649,861 | 1,666,418 | 1,604,524 | 1,566,580 | 1,516,190 | 415,828 | 403,363 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Corporate expenses |
324,182 | 297,366 | 239,399 | 300,378 | 272,629 | 72,705 | 83,763 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Depreciation and amortization |
730,828 | 729,285 | 763,306 | 732,869 | 765,474 | 174,871 | 182,182 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Impairment charges(1) |
16,970 | 37,651 | 7,614 | 15,364 | 4,118,924 | | | |||||||||||||||||||||
Other operating income, net |
22,998 | 48,127 | 12,682 | (16,710) | (50,837) | 165 | 2,395 | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Operating income (loss) |
1,000,782 | 1,070,050 | 1,054,724 | 864,841 | (3,687,146) | 82,813 | 81,328 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Interest expense |
1,649,451 | 1,549,023 | 1,466,246 | 1,533,341 | 1,500,866 | 431,114 | 385,525 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Gain (loss) on marketable securities |
130,879 | (4,580) | (4,827) | (6,490) | (13,371) | | | |||||||||||||||||||||
Equity in earnings (loss) of nonconsolidated affiliates |
(77,696) | 18,557 | 26,958 | 5,702 | (20,689) | (13,326) | 3,641 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Gain (loss) on extinguishment of debt |
(87,868) | (254,723) | (1,447) | 60,289 | 713,034 | (3,916) | (3,888) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Other income (expense), net |
(21,980) | 250 | (3,169) | (13,834) | (33,318) | 1,541 | (1,000) | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Loss before income taxes and discontinued operations |
(705,334) | (719,469) | (394,007) | (622,833) | (4,542,356) | (364,002) | (305,444) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Income tax benefit (expense) |
121,817 | 308,279 | 125,978 | 159,980 | 493,320 | (68,388) | 96,325 | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Consolidated net loss |
(583,517) | (411,190) | (268,029) | (462,853) | (4,049,036) | (432,390) | (209,119) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Amount attributable to noncontrolling interest |
23,366 | 13,289 | 34,065 | 16,236 | (14,950) | (8,200) | (6,116) | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Net loss attributable to the Company |
$ | (606,883) | $ | (424,479) | $ | (302,094) | $ | (479,089) | $ | (4,034,086) | $ | (424,190) | $ | (203,003) | ||||||||||||||
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39
(Dollars in thousands) | Year Ended December 31, | Three Months Ended March 31, |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2014 | 2013 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
(unaudited) | (unaudited) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Balance Sheet Data (at end of period): |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Current assets |
$2,513,294 | $2,987,753 | $2,985,285 | $3,603,173 | $3,658,845 | $2,350,390 | $2,369,154 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Property, plant and equipmentnet |
2,897,630 | 3,036,854 | 3,063,327 | 3,145,554 | 3,332,393 | 2,855,386 | 2,965,864 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Total assets |
15,097,302 | 16,292,713 | 16,542,039 | 17,460,382 | 18,047,101 | 14,597,126 | 15,519,151 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Current liabilities |
1,763,618 | 1,782,142 | 1,428,962 | 2,098,579 | 1,544,136 | 1,706,540 | 1,315,692 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Long-term debt, net of current maturities |
20,030,479 | 20,365,369 | 19,938,531 | 19,739,617 | 20,303,126 | 20,010,504 | 20,357,790 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Shareholders deficit |
(8,696,635 | ) | (7,995,191 | ) | (7,471,941 | ) | (7,204,686 | ) | (6,844,738 | ) | (9,127,952 | ) | (8,209,703 | ) | ||||||||||||||
Other Financial Data: |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ratio of earnings to fixed charges(2) |
| | | | | | | |||||||||||||||||||||
Deficiency of earnings to fixed charges(2) |
607,644 | 717,904 | 402,438 | 617,451 | 4,500,766 | 350,448 | 303,503 |
(1) | We recorded non-cash impairment charges of $17 million during 2013, $38 million during 2012, $8 million during 2011 and $15 million during 2010. We also recorded non-cash impairment charges of $4.1 billion in 2009 as a result of the global economic downturn which adversely affected advertising revenues across our businesses. |
(2) | Ratio of earnings to fixed charges represents the ratio of earnings (defined as pre-tax income (loss) from continuing operations before equity in earnings (loss) of nonconsolidated affiliates) to fixed charges (defined as interest expense plus the interest portion of rental expense). Our earnings, which included impairment charges of $17 million, $38 million, $8 million, $15 million and $4.1 billion for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively, were not sufficient to cover our fixed charges by $607.6 million, $717.9 million, $402.4 million, $617.5 million and $4,500.8 million, respectively. Our earnings for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013 were not sufficient to cover our fixed charges by $350.4 million and $303.5 million, respectively. |
40
MANAGEMENTS DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
You should read the following discussion of our results of operations and financial condition together with the information included under Selected Historical Consolidated Financial Data and our consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus. This discussion contains forward-looking statements and involves numerous risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, those described under Forward-Looking Statements and Risk Factors. Actual results may differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements.
OVERVIEW
Format of Presentation
Managements discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations (Managements Discussion and Analysis) should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and related footnotes. Our discussion is presented on both a consolidated and segment basis. Our reportable operating segments are Media and Entertainment (CCME), Americas outdoor advertising (Americas outdoor or Americas outdoor advertising), and International outdoor advertising (International outdoor or International outdoor advertising). Our CCME segment provides media and entertainment services via broadcast and digital delivery and also includes our national syndication business. Our Americas outdoor and International outdoor segments provide outdoor advertising services in their respective geographic regions using various digital and traditional display types. Included in the Other segment are our media representation business, Katz Media Group, as well as other general support services and initiatives, which are ancillary to our other businesses.
We manage our operating segments primarily focusing on their operating income, while Corporate expenses, Impairment charges, Other operating income (expense), net, Interest expense, Gain (loss) on marketable securities, Equity in earnings (loss) of nonconsolidated affiliates, Loss on extinguishment of debt, Other income (expense)net and Income tax benefit (expense) are managed on a total company basis and are, therefore, included only in our discussion of consolidated results.
Certain prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform to the 2013 presentation.
During the first quarter of 2012, and in connection with the appointment of the new chief executive officer of our indirect subsidiary, Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings, Inc. (CCOH), we reevaluated our segment reporting and determined that our Latin American operations were more appropriately aligned within the operations of our International outdoor advertising segment. As a result, the operations of Latin America are no longer reflected within our Americas outdoor advertising segment and are currently included in the results of our International outdoor advertising segment. Accordingly, we have recast the corresponding segment disclosures for prior periods.
CCME
Our revenue is derived primarily from selling advertising time, or spots, on our radio stations, with advertising contracts typically less than one year in duration. The programming formats of our radio stations are designed to reach audiences with targeted demographic characteristics that appeal to our advertisers. We also provide streaming content via the Internet, mobile and other digital platforms which reach national, regional and local audiences and derive revenues primarily from selling advertising time with advertising contracts similar to those used by our radio stations.
CCME management monitors average advertising rates, which are principally based on the length of the spot and how many people in a targeted audience listen to our stations, as measured by an independent ratings service. Also, our advertising rates are influenced by the time of day the advertisement airs, with morning and evening drive-time hours typically priced the highest. Management monitors yield per available minute in addition to average rates because yield allows management to track revenue performance across our inventory. Yield is measured by management in a variety of ways, including revenue earned divided by minutes of advertising sold.
41
Management monitors macro-level indicators to assess our CCME operations performance. Due to the geographic diversity and autonomy of our markets, we have a multitude of market-specific advertising rates and audience demographics. Therefore, management reviews average unit rates across each of our stations.
Management looks at our CCME operations overall revenue as well as the revenue from each type of advertising, including local advertising, which is sold predominately in a stations local market, and national advertising, which is sold across multiple markets. Local advertising is sold by each radio stations sales staff while national advertising is sold by our national sales team and through our national representation firm. Local advertising, which is our largest source of advertising revenue, and national advertising revenues are tracked separately because these revenue streams have different sales forces and respond differently to changes in the economic environment. We periodically review and refine our selling structures in all markets in an effort to maximize the value of our offering to advertisers and, therefore, our revenue.
Management also looks at CCME revenue by market size. Typically, larger markets can reach larger audiences with wider demographics than smaller markets. Additionally, management reviews our share of CCME advertising revenues in markets where such information is available, as well as our share of target demographics listening in an average quarter hour. This metric gauges how well our formats are attracting and retaining listeners.
A portion of our CCME segments expenses vary in connection with changes in revenue. These variable expenses primarily relate to costs in our sales department, such as commissions, and bad debt. Our programming and general and administrative departments incur most of our fixed costs, such as utilities and office salaries. We incur discretionary costs in our marketing and promotions, which we primarily use in an effort to maintain and/or increase our audience share. Lastly, we have incentive systems in each of our departments which provide for bonus payments based on specific performance metrics, including ratings, sales levels, pricing and overall profitability.
Outdoor Advertising
Our outdoor advertising revenue is derived from selling advertising space on the displays we own or operate in key markets worldwide, consisting primarily of billboards, street furniture and transit displays. Part of our long-term strategy for our outdoor advertising businesses is to pursue the technology of digital displays, including flat screens, LCDs and LEDs, as additions to traditional methods of displaying our clients advertisements. We are currently installing these technologies in certain markets, both domestically and internationally.
Management typically monitors our outdoor advertising business by reviewing the average rates, average revenue per display, occupancy, and inventory levels of each of our display types by market.
We own the majority of our advertising displays, which typically are located on sites that we either lease or own or for which we have acquired permanent easements. Our advertising contracts with clients typically outline the number of displays reserved, the duration of the advertising campaign and the unit price per display.
The significant expenses associated with our operations include direct production, maintenance and installation expenses as well as site lease expenses for land under our displays, including revenue-sharing or minimum guaranteed amounts payable under our billboard, street furniture and transit display contracts. Our direct production, maintenance and installation expenses include costs for printing, transporting and changing the advertising copy on our displays, the related labor costs, the vinyl and paper costs, electricity costs and the costs for cleaning and maintaining our displays. Vinyl and paper costs vary according to the complexity of the advertising copy and the quantity of displays. Our site lease expenses include lease payments for use of the land under our displays, as well as any revenue-sharing arrangements or minimum guaranteed amounts payable that we may have with the landlords. The terms of our site leases and revenue-sharing or minimum guaranteed contracts generally range from one to 20 years.
Americas Outdoor Advertising
Our advertising rates are based on a number of different factors including location, competition, type and size of display, illumination, market and gross ratings points. Gross ratings points are the total number of impressions delivered by a display or group of displays, expressed as a percentage of a market population. The number of impressions delivered by a display is measured by the number of people passing the site during a defined period of time. For all of our billboards in the United States, we use independent, third-party auditing companies to verify the number of impressions delivered by a display.
42
Client contract terms typically range from four weeks to one year for the majority of our display inventory in the United States. Generally, we own the street furniture structures and are responsible for their construction and maintenance. Contracts for the right to place our street furniture and transit displays and sell advertising space on them are awarded by municipal and transit authorities in competitive bidding processes governed by local law or are negotiated with private transit operators. Generally, these contracts have terms ranging from 10 to 20 years.
International Outdoor Advertising
Similar to our Americas outdoor business, advertising rates generally are based on the gross ratings points of a display or group of displays. The number of impressions delivered by a display, in some countries, is weighted to account for such factors as illumination, proximity to other displays and the speed and viewing angle of approaching traffic. In addition, because our International outdoor advertising operations are conducted in foreign markets, including Europe, Asia, Australia and Latin America, management reviews the operating results from our foreign operations on a constant dollar basis. A constant dollar basis allows for comparison of operations independent of foreign exchange movements.
Our International display inventory is typically sold to clients through network packages, with client contract terms typically ranging from one to two weeks with terms of up to one year available as well. Internationally, contracts with municipal and transit authorities for the right to place our street furniture and transit displays typically provide for terms ranging from three to 15 years. The major difference between our International and Americas street furniture businesses is in the nature of the municipal contracts. In our International outdoor business, these contracts typically require us to provide the municipality with a broader range of metropolitan amenities in exchange for which we are authorized to sell advertising space on certain sections of the structures we erect in the public domain. A different regulatory environment for billboards and competitive bidding for street furniture and transit display contracts, which constitute a larger portion of our business internationally, may result in higher site lease costs in our International business. As a result, our margins are typically lower in our International business than in our Americas outdoor business.
Macroeconomic Indicators
Our advertising revenue for all of our segments is highly correlated to changes in gross domestic product (GDP) as advertising spending has historically trended in line with GDP, both domestically and internationally. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, estimated U.S. GDP growth for 2013 was 1.9%. Internationally, our results are impacted by fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates as well as the economic conditions in the foreign markets in which we have operations.
Executive Summary
The key developments in our business for the three months ended March 31, 2014 are summarized below:
| Consolidated revenue was relatively flat including an increase of $0.5 million from movements in foreign exchange during the three months ended March 31, 2014 compared to the same period of 2013. Excluding foreign exchange impacts, consolidated revenue decreased $1.0 million over the comparable three-month period in the prior year. |
| CCME revenue increased $13.8 million during the three months ended March 31, 2014 compared to the same period of 2013 driven by increased revenues from our traffic and weather business, national revenues and digital revenues. |
| Americas outdoor revenue decreased $17.7 million including a decrease of $0.9 million from movements in foreign exchange during the three months ended March 31, 2014 compared to the same period of 2013. Excluding foreign exchange impacts, revenue decreased $16.8 million over the comparable three-month period of 2013 primarily driven by lower revenues in our Los Angeles market as a result of the impact of litigation as well as lower airport revenues as a result of the loss of certain national accounts and the nonrenewal of certain airport contracts. |
43
| International outdoor revenue increased $2.7 million including an increase of $1.4 million from movements in foreign exchange during the three months ended March 31, 2014 compared to the same period of 2013. Excluding foreign exchange impacts, revenue increased $1.3 million over the comparable three-month period of 2013 primarily driven by growth in emerging markets and certain developed markets, partially offset by declines in other countries. |
| Revenues in our Other category increased $2.2 million during the three months ended March 31, 2014 compared to the same period of 2013 primarily due to increased political advertising revenue in our media representation business. |
| During the first quarter of 2014, we spent $13.2 million on strategic revenue and cost-saving initiatives to realign and improve our on-going business operationsan increase of $4.4 million compared to the first quarter of 2013. |
| During the first quarter of 2014, a subsidiary of ours sold its 50% interest in Australian Radio Network (ARN), an Australian company that owns and operates radio stations in Australia and New Zealand for proceeds of $221.0 million. |
| During the first quarter of 2014, a subsidiary of ours sold $227.0 million in aggregate principal amount of Senior Notes due 2021 to private purchasers. |
| During the first quarter of 2014, we repaid the full principal amount outstanding under our receivables based credit facility of $247.0 million, using cash on hand. This voluntary repayment did not reduce the commitments under this facility and we have the ability to redraw amounts under this facility at any time. |
The key developments in our business for the year ended December 31, 2013 are summarized below:
| Consolidated revenue for 2013 decreased $3.8 million including an increase of $3.5 million from movements in foreign exchange compared to 2012. Excluding foreign exchange impacts and $20.4 million impact of our divestiture of our international neon business during 2012, consolidated revenue increased $13.1 million over the prior year. |
| CCME revenue for 2013 increased $46.8 million compared to 2012 driven by increased digital and national sales partially offset by lower political revenues. Our iHeartRadio platform continues to drive higher digital revenues with listening hours increasing by 29%. |
| Americas outdoor revenue for 2013 increased $11.2 million compared to 2012 primarily due to increases in occupancy, capacity and rates in our traditional and digital product lines. |
| International outdoor revenue for 2013 decreased $11.9 million including the impact of favorable foreign exchange movements of $5.2 million compared to 2012. Excluding foreign exchange impacts and the $20.4 million impact of our divestiture of our international neon business during 2012, revenue increased $3.3 million compared to 2012. Continued weakened macro-economic conditions in Europe were partially offset by growth in other markets. |
| Revenues in our Other category for 2013 declined $54.0 million primarily due to decreased political advertising through our media representation business. |
| We spent $57.9 million on strategic revenue and cost-saving initiatives during 2013 to realign and improve our on-going business operationsa decrease of $18.3 million compared to 2012. |
| We issued $575.0 million aggregate principal amount of 11.25% priority guarantee notes due 2021 (the 11.25% Priority Guarantee Notes). Using the proceeds from the 11.25% Priority Guarantee Notes issuance along with borrowings under our receivables based credit facility of $269.5 million and cash on hand, we prepaid all $846.9 million outstanding under our Term Loan A under our senior secured credit facility. |
44
| We repaid our 5.75% senior notes at maturity for $312.1 million (net of $187.9 million principal amount repaid to a subsidiary of ours with respect to notes repurchased and held by such entity), plus accrued interest, using cash on hand. |
| We amended our senior secured credit facility by extending $5.0 billion aggregate principal amount of Term Loan B loans and Term Loan C loans under our senior secured credit facility through the creation of a new Term Loan D due January 30, 2019. We further amended our senior secured credit facility by extending $1.3 billion aggregate principal amount of Term Loan B loans and Term Loan C loans under our senior secured credit facility through the creation of a new Term Loan E due July 30, 2019. |
| We completed an exchange offer with certain holders of our 10.75% Senior Cash Pay Notes due 2016 (the Outstanding Cash Pay Notes) and 11.00%/11.75% Senior Toggle Notes due 2016 (the Outstanding Toggle Notes and collectively with the Outstanding Cash Pay Notes, the Outstanding Notes) pursuant to which $348.1 million aggregate principal amount of Outstanding Cash Pay Notes was exchanged for $348.0 million aggregate principal amount of 14.00% Senior Notes due 2021 (the Senior Notes due 2021), and $917.2 million aggregate principal amount of Outstanding Toggle Notes (including $452.7 million aggregate principal amount held by a subsidiary of ours) was exchanged for $853.0 million aggregate principal amount of Senior Notes due 2021 (including $421.0 million aggregate principal amount issued to the subsidiary of ours) and $64.2 million of cash (including $31.7 million of cash paid to the subsidiary of ours), plus, in each case, cash in an amount equal to accrued and unpaid interest from the last interest payment date applicable on the Outstanding Notes to, but not including, the closing date of the exchange offer. |
| We completed a supplemental exchange offer with certain holders of our Outstanding Notes pursuant to which $353.8 million aggregate principal amount of Outstanding Cash Pay Notes was exchanged for $389.2 million aggregate principal amount of Senior Notes due 2021 and $14.2 million in cash and $212.1 million aggregate principal amount of Outstanding Toggle Notes was exchanged for $233.3 million aggregate principal amount of Senior Notes due 2021 and $8.5 million of cash, plus, in each case, cash in an amount equal to accrued and unpaid interest from the last interest payment date applicable on the Outstanding Notes to, but not including, the closing date of the exchange offer less cash in an amount equal to accrued and unpaid interest from the last interest payment date applicable on the Senior Notes due 2021. |
| We sold our shares of Sirius XM Radio, Inc. for $135.5 million, recognizing a gain on the sale of securities of $130.9 million. |
45
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Three Months Ended March 31, 2014 as Compared to Three Months Ended March 31, 2013
Consolidated Results of Operations
The comparison of our results of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2014 to the three months ended March 31, 2013 is as follows:
(In thousands) | Three Months Ended March 31, | % Change |
||||||||||||||
2014 | 2013 | |||||||||||||||
Revenue |
$ | 1,342,548 | $ | 1,343,058 | (0.0%) | |||||||||||
Operating expenses: |
||||||||||||||||
Direct operating expenses (excludes depreciation and amortization) |
596,496 | 594,817 | 0.3% | |||||||||||||
Selling, general and administrative expenses (excludes depreciation and amortization) |
415,828 | 403,363 | 3.1% | |||||||||||||
Corporate expenses (excludes depreciation and amortization) |
72,705 | 83,763 | (13.2%) | |||||||||||||
Depreciation and amortization |
174,871 | 182,182 | (4.0%) | |||||||||||||
Other operating income, net |
165 | 2,395 | (93.1%) | |||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
Operating income |
82,813 | 81,328 | 1.8% | |||||||||||||
Interest expense |
431,114 | 385,525 | ||||||||||||||
Equity in earnings (loss) of nonconsolidated affiliates |
(13,326 | ) | 3,641 | |||||||||||||
Loss on extinguishment of debt |
(3,916 | ) | (3,888 | ) | ||||||||||||
Other income (expense), net |
1,541 | (1,000 | ) | |||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
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Loss before income taxes |
(364,002 | ) | (305,444 | ) | ||||||||||||
Income tax benefit (expense) |
(68,388 | ) | 96,325 | |||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
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Consolidated net loss |
(432,390 | ) | (209,119 | ) | ||||||||||||
Less amount attributable to noncontrolling interest |
(8,200 | ) | (6,116 | ) | ||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
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Net loss attributable to the Company |
$ | (424,190 | ) | $ | (203,003 | ) | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
Consolidated Revenue
Our consolidated revenue during the first quarter of 2014 was relatively flat including an increase of $0.5 million from movements in foreign exchange compared to the same period of 2013. Excluding the impact of foreign exchange movements consolidated revenue decreased $1.0 million. Our CCME revenue increased $13.8 million, primarily due to increased revenues in our traffic and weather business, increased national revenues and higher digital revenues. Americas outdoor revenue decreased $17.7 million including negative movements in foreign exchange of $0.9 million compared to the same period of 2013. Excluding the impact of foreign exchange movements, Americas outdoor revenue decreased $16.8 million driven primarily by lower revenues in our Los Angeles market as a result of the impact of litigation, as well as the loss of certain national accounts and the nonrenewal of certain airport contracts. Our International outdoor revenue increased $2.7 million including positive movements in foreign exchange of $1.4 million compared to the same period of 2013. Excluding the impact of foreign exchange movements, International outdoor revenue increased $1.3 million. Revenue growth in street furniture in emerging markets and certain developed markets was partially offset by declines in other countries. Other revenues increased by $2.2 million primarily as a result of increased political advertising through our media representation business as well as an increase in TV advertisers.
Consolidated Direct Operating Expenses
Direct operating expenses increased $1.7 million including an increase of $0.5 million from movements in foreign exchange during the first quarter of 2014 compared to the same period of 2013. Excluding the impact of foreign exchange movements, consolidated direct operating expenses increased $1.2 million. Our CCME direct operating expenses increased $6.5 million compared to the first quarter of 2013, primarily resulting from increased production costs from events such as the iHeartRadio Country Music Festival and increasing digital streaming expenses resulting from higher listening hours. Direct operating expenses in our Americas outdoor segment decreased $3.6 million including a decrease of $0.7 million from movements in foreign exchange compared to the same period of 2013. Excluding the impact of foreign exchange movements, direct operating expenses in our
46
Americas outdoor segment decreased $2.9 million, primarily due to reduced site lease expenses related to our airports business resulting from the nonrenewal of certain airport contracts as well as cost reduction efforts from previous strategic efficiency initiatives. Direct operating expenses in our International outdoor segment decreased $1.1 million including an increase of $1.2 million from movements in foreign exchange compared to the same period of 2013. Excluding the impact of foreign exchange movements, direct operating expenses in our International outdoor segment decreased $2.3 million, primarily as a result of previous strategic efficiency initiatives.
Consolidated Selling, General and Administrative (SG&A) Expenses
SG&A expenses increased $12.5 million both on a reported basis and excluding offsetting impacts from movements in foreign exchange compared to the same period of 2013. Our CCME SG&A expenses increased $20.0 million, primarily due to compensation expenses in connection with higher revenues as well as investing in our national and digital sales force. SG&A expenses decreased $3.3 million in our Americas outdoor segment primarily due to lower commission expense payments in connection with lower revenues. Our International outdoor SG&A expenses decreased $3.4 million compared to the same period in the prior year, primarily due to benefits resulting from our previous strategic efficiency initiatives.
Corporate Expenses
Corporate expenses decreased $11.1 million during the three months ended March 31, 2014 compared to the same period of 2013, driven by a decrease in stockholder litigation costs and by decreases in compensation expenses, including amounts related to our variable compensation plans, partially offset by severance related to workforce initiatives and other costs incurred in connection with improving our businesses. Included in Corporate expenses for the first quarter of 2014 is an $8.5 million credit for the realization of an insurance recovery related to litigation filed by stockholders of CCOH. The litigation settled during the fourth quarter of 2013.
Revenue and Efficiency Initiatives
Included in the amounts for direct operating expenses, SG&A and corporate expenses discussed above are expenses of $13.2 million incurred in connection with our strategic revenue and efficiency initiatives during the three months ended March 31, 2014. The costs were incurred to improve revenue growth, enhance yield, reduce costs, and organize each business to maximize performance and profitability. These costs consist primarily of consolidation of locations and positions, severance related to workforce initiatives, consulting expenses, and other costs incurred in connection with improving our businesses. These costs are expected to provide benefits in future periods as the initiative results are realized. Also included in corporate expenses for the first quarter of 2014 is $6.3 million related to the separation of our former Chief Executive Officer of our CCME segment. Of the strategic revenue and efficiency costs of $13.2 million during the first quarter of 2014, $1.2 million are reported within direct operating expenses, $1.8 million are reported within SG&A and $10.2 million are reported within corporate expense. In the first quarter of 2013, such costs totaled $2.5 million, $5.2 million, and $1.1 million, respectively.
Depreciation and Amortization
Depreciation and amortization decreased $7.3 million during the three months ended March 31, 2014 compared to the same period of 2013. The decrease during the three months ended March 31, 2014 was primarily due to assets becoming fully depreciated since March 2013.
Other Operating Income, Net
Other operating income of $2.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2013, primarily related to proceeds from the disposal of operating and fixed assets.
Interest Expense
Interest expense increased $45.6 million during the three months ended March 31, 2014 compared to the same period of 2013, primarily due to the weighted average cost of debt increasing as a result of debt refinancings that occurred since March 2013.
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Equity in Earnings (Loss) of Nonconsolidated Affiliates
The loss of $13.3 million during the three months ended March 31, 2014 primarily related to the sale of our 50% interest in ARN, which included a loss on the sale of $2.4 million and $11.5 million of foreign exchange losses that were reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income at the date of the sale.
Loss on Extinguishment of Debt
During March 2014, CC Finco LLC (CC Finco), an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of ours, repurchased $52.9 million aggregate principal amount of our outstanding 5.5% Senior Notes due 2014 and $9.0 million aggregate principal amount of our outstanding 4.9% Senior Notes due 2015 for a total of $63.1 million, including accrued interest, through open market purchases. In connection with these transactions, we recognized a loss of $3.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2014.
In connection with the prepayment of Term Loan A of our senior secured credit facilities during the three months ended March 31, 2013, we recognized a loss of $3.9 million due to the write-off of deferred loan costs.
Income Tax Benefit (Expense)
The effective tax rate for the three months ended March 31, 2014 was (18.8)%. The 2014 effective tax rate was primarily impacted by the valuation allowance recorded against a portion of our U.S. federal, state and certain foreign jurisdiction net operating losses and other deferred tax assets due to the uncertainty of the ability to utilize those assets in future periods. We recorded a partial valuation allowance against these deferred tax assets as the reversing deferred tax liabilities that can be used as a source of future taxable income to realize the deferred tax assets was exceeded by the additional net operating losses generated in the period ended March 31, 2014.
Our effective tax rate for the three months ended March 31, 2013 was 31.5%. Our effective tax rate was primarily impacted by tax losses in certain foreign jurisdictions for which benefits could not be recorded due to the uncertainty of the ability to utilize those losses in future years.
CCME Results of Operations
Our CCME operating results were as follows:
(In thousands) | Three Months Ended March 31, | % | ||||||||||||||||
2014 | 2013 | Change | ||||||||||||||||
Revenue |
$ | 670,347 | $ | 656,566 | 2% | |||||||||||||
Direct operating expenses |
210,754 | 204,268 | 3% | |||||||||||||||
SG&A expenses |
259,155 | 239,142 | 8% | |||||||||||||||
Depreciation and amortization |
62,571 | 67,832 | (8% | ) | ||||||||||||||
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Operating income |
$ | 137,867 | $ | 145,324 | (5% | ) | ||||||||||||
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CCME revenue increased $13.8 million during the first quarter of 2014 compared to the same period of 2013. Revenue increased primarily due to higher revenues in our traffic and weather business as a result of new product offerings and the impact of strategic sales initiatives, as well as increased national revenues driven by growth in telecommunications, healthcare and automotive categories. We continued to experience increases in digital advertising revenue as a result of continued increased listenership on our iHeartRadio platform, with total listening hours increasing 13.1%. Partially offsetting these increases was a decrease in our local and syndication revenues.
Direct operating expenses increased $6.5 million during the first quarter of 2014, primarily resulting from increased production costs from events such as the iHeartRadio Country Music Festival, as well as increases in digital streaming and performance rights expenses driven by higher digital listening hours and higher total revenues. SG&A expenses increased $20.0 million during the first quarter of 2014 primarily due to increased compensation expenses including higher commissions in connection with increased revenues and investments in our national and digital sales force, as well as higher spending on strategic revenue and efficiency initiatives.
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Americas Outdoor Advertising Results of Operations
Our Americas outdoor advertising operating results were as follows:
(In thousands) | Three Months Ended March 31, | |||||||||||
2014 | 2013 | % Change | ||||||||||
Revenue |
$ | 268,756 | $ | 286,461 | (6%) | |||||||
Direct operating expenses |
133,288 | 136,891 | (3%) | |||||||||
SG&A expenses |
51,111 | 54,372 | (6%) | |||||||||
Depreciation and amortization |
47,599 | 48,685 | (2%) | |||||||||
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Operating income |
$ | 36,758 | $ | 46,513 | (21%) | |||||||
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Our Americas outdoor revenue decreased $17.7 million including negative movements in foreign exchange of $0.9 million during the first quarter of 2014 compared to the same period of 2013. Excluding the impact of foreign exchange movements, Americas outdoor revenue decreased $16.8 million driven primarily by lower revenues in our Los Angeles market as a result of the impact of litigation as discussed further in BusinessLegal Proceedings, as well as the loss of certain national accounts and the nonrenewal of certain airport contracts. Increased capacity and occupancy for our digital displays outside Los Angeles partially offset these declines.
Direct operating expenses decreased $3.6 million including a decrease of $0.7 million from movements in foreign exchange compared to the same period of 2013. Excluding the impact of foreign exchange movements, direct operating expenses in our Americas outdoor segment decreased $2.9 million primarily due to reduced site lease expenses related to our airports business resulting from the nonrenewal of certain airport contracts as well as cost reduction efforts from previous strategic efficiency initiatives. SG&A expenses decreased $3.3 million primarily due to reduced compensation expenses, which were lower in connection with our reduced revenues.
International Outdoor Advertising Results of Operations
Our International outdoor advertising operating results were as follows:
(In thousands) | Three Months Ended March 31, | |||||||||||
2014 | 2013 | % Change | ||||||||||
Revenue |
$ | 366,495 | $ | 363,749 | 1% | |||||||
Direct operating expenses |
248,225 | 249,300 | 0% | |||||||||
SG&A expenses |
81,838 | 85,189 | (4%) | |||||||||
Depreciation and amortization |
50,444 | 50,933 | (1%) | |||||||||
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Operating loss |
$ | (14,012) | $ | (21,733) | (36%) | |||||||
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International outdoor revenue increased $2.7 million during the first quarter of 2014 compared to the same period of 2013, including an increase of $1.4 million from movements in foreign exchange. Excluding the impact of foreign exchange, revenues increased $1.3 million. The increase was driven by revenue growth in emerging markets, including China, and certain developed markets including the UK and France, primarily in street furniture and digital advertising revenue, partially offset by declines in other countries, including those in Northern and Eastern Europe, primarily due to challenging macroeconomic conditions.
Direct operating expenses decreased $1.1 million including an increase of $1.2 million from movements in foreign exchange during the first quarter of 2014. Excluding the impact of movements in foreign exchange, direct operating expenses decreased $2.3 million, resulting from various decreases across multiple countries as a result of previous strategic efficiency initiatives. The $3.4 million reduction in SG&A expenses was primarily due to benefits resulting from previous strategic efficiency initiatives.
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Reconciliation of Segment Operating Income to Consolidated Operating Income (Loss)
(In thousands) | Three Months Ended March 31, | |||||||
2014 | 2013 | |||||||
CCME |
$ | 137,867 | $ | 145,324 | ||||
Americas outdoor advertising |
36,758 | 46,513 | ||||||
International outdoor advertising |
(14,012) | (21,733) | ||||||
Other |
278 | (2,718) | ||||||
Other operating income, net |
165 | 2,395 | ||||||
Corporate expenses (1) |
(78,243) | (88,453) | ||||||
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Consolidated operating income |
$ | 82,813 | $ | 81,328 | ||||
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(1) | Corporate expenses include expenses related to CCME, Americas outdoor, International outdoor and our Other category, as well as overall executive, administrative and support functions. |
Share-Based Compensation Expense
We do not have any compensation plans under which we grant stock awards to employees. Our employees receive equity awards from CC Media Holdings, Inc.s (CCMH) and CCOHs equity incentive plans.
Share-based compensation payments are recorded in corporate expenses and were $3.0 million and $5.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively.
As of March 31, 2014, there was $22.1 million of unrecognized compensation cost, net of estimated forfeitures, related to unvested share-based compensation arrangements that will vest based on service conditions. Based on the terms of the award agreements, this cost is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of approximately three years. In addition, as of March 31, 2014, there was $20.0 million of unrecognized compensation cost, net of estimated forfeitures, related to unvested share-based compensation arrangements that will vest based on market, performance and service conditions. This cost will be recognized when it becomes probable that the performance condition will be satisfied.
Year Ended December 31, 2013 as Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2012
Consolidated Results of Operations
The comparison of our historical results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2013 to the year ended December 31, 2012 is as follows:
(In thousands) | Years Ended December 31, | |||||||||||
|
% | |||||||||||
2013 | 2012 | Change | ||||||||||
Revenue |
$ | 6,243,044 | $ | 6,246,884 | (0%) | |||||||
Operating expenses: |
||||||||||||
Direct operating expenses (excludes depreciation and amortization) |
2,543,419 | 2,494,241 | 2% | |||||||||
Selling, general and administrative expenses (excludes depreciation and amortization) |
1,649,861 | 1,666,418 | (1%) | |||||||||
Corporate expenses (excludes depreciation and amortization) |
324,182 | 297,366 | 9% | |||||||||
Depreciation and amortization |
730,828 | 729,285 | 0% | |||||||||
Impairment charges |
16,970 | 37,651 | (55%) | |||||||||
Other operating income, net |
22,998 | 48,127 | (52%) | |||||||||
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Operating income |
1,000,782 | 1,070,050 | (6%) | |||||||||
Interest expense |
1,649,451 | 1,549,023 | 6% | |||||||||
Gain (loss) on marketable securities |
130,879 | (4,580) |
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Equity in earnings (loss) of nonconsolidated affiliates |
(77,696) | 18,557 | ||||||
Loss on extinguishment of debt |
(87,868) | (254,723) | ||||||
Other income (expense), net |
(21,980) | 250 | ||||||
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Loss before income taxes |
(705,334) | (719,469) | ||||||
Income tax benefit |
121,817 | 308,279 | ||||||
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Consolidated net loss |
(583,517) | (411,190) | ||||||
Less amount attributable to noncontrolling interest |
23,366 | 13,289 | ||||||
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Net loss attributable to the Company |
$ | (606,883) | $ | (424,479) | ||||
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Consolidated Revenue
Our consolidated revenue decreased $3.8 million including the increase of $3.5 million from the impact of movements in foreign exchange compared to 2012. Excluding the impact of foreign exchange movements and $20.4 million impact of our divestiture of our international neon business during 2012, revenue increased $13.1 million. CCME revenue increased $46.8 million, driven by growth from national advertising including telecommunications, retail, and entertainment, and higher advertising revenues from our digital services primarily as a result of increased demand as listening hours have increased. Americas outdoor revenue increased $11.2 million, driven primarily by bulletin revenue growth as a result of increases in occupancy, capacity and rates in our traditional and digital product lines. International outdoor revenue decreased $11.9 million including the impact of favorable movements in foreign exchange of $5.2 million compared to 2012. Excluding the impact of foreign exchange movements and the $20.4 million impact of our divestiture of our international neon business during 2012, International outdoor revenue increased $3.3 million. Declines in certain countries as a result of weakened macroeconomic conditions were partially offset by growth in street furniture and billboard revenue in other countries. Revenue in our Other category declined $54.0 million as a result of decreased political advertising through our media representation business.
Consolidated Direct Operating Expenses
Direct operating expenses increased $49.2 million including an increase of $3.6 million due to the effects of movements in foreign exchange compared to 2012 and the impact of our divestiture of our international neon business of $13.0 million during 2012. CCME direct operating expenses increased $53.4 million, primarily due to higher promotional and sponsorship costs for special events such as the iHeartRadio Music Festival and Jingle Balls and an increase in digital expenses related to our iHeartRadio digital platform including higher digital streaming fees due to increased listening hours, as well as music licensing fees, partially offset by a decline in traffic expenses. Americas outdoor direct operating expenses decreased $15.7 million, primarily due to decreased site lease expense associated with declining revenues of some of our lower-margin product lines. Direct operating expenses in our International outdoor segment increased $6.9 million, including a $4.8 million increase due to the effects of movements in foreign exchange. The increase in expense excluding the impact of movements in foreign exchange and $13.0 million impact of our divestiture of our international neon business during 2012 was primarily driven by higher site lease and other expenses as a result of increased revenues in certain countries due to revenue growth and new contracts. These increases were partially offset by lower variable costs in other countries where revenues have declined.
Consolidated Selling, General and Administrative Expenses
SG&A expenses decreased $16.6 million including an increase of $1.7 million due to the effects of movements in foreign exchange compared to 2012. CCME SG&A expenses increased $27.0 million primarily due to compensation expenses and amounts related to our variable compensation plans including commissions, which were higher for the 2013 period in connection with increasing national and digital revenues. SG&A expenses in our Americas outdoor segment increased $9.5 million including a $7.8 million decrease in expenses related to a favorable court ruling in 2012, with other 2013 increases being driven by higher compensation expenses including commissions and amounts related to our variable compensation plans and legal costs. Our International outdoor SG&A expenses decreased $40.6 million including a $1.9 million increase due to the effects of movements in foreign exchange compared to the same period of 2012. Excluding the impact of foreign exchange movements and excluding the $4.2 million impact of our divestiture of our international neon business during 2012, SG&A expenses decreased $38.3 million primarily due to certain expenses during the 2012 period related to legal and other costs in Brazil that did not recur during 2013, as well as lower expenses as a result of cost saving initiatives.
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Corporate Expenses
Corporate expenses increased $26.8 million during 2013 compared to 2012. This increase was primarily driven by increases in compensation expenses including amounts related to our variable compensation plans and strategic initiatives as well as $7.8 million in executive transition costs and legal costs related to the stockholder litigation discussed further in the Business section of this prospectus.
Revenue and Efficiency Initiatives
Included in the amounts for direct operating expenses, SG&A and corporate expenses discussed above are expenses of $57.9 million incurred in connection with our strategic revenue and efficiency initiatives. The costs were incurred to improve revenue growth, enhance yield, reduce costs, and organize each business to maximize performance and profitability. These costs consist primarily of consulting expenses, consolidation of locations and positions, severance related to workforce initiatives and other costs incurred in connection with streamlining our businesses. These costs are expected to provide benefits in future periods as the initiative results are realized. Of these costs, $15.1 million are reported within direct operating expenses, $22.3 million are reported within SG&A and $20.5 million are reported within corporate expense. In 2012, such costs totaled $13.8 million, $47.2 million, and $15.2 million, respectively.
Depreciation and Amortization
Depreciation and amortization increased $1.5 million during 2013 compared to 2012, primarily due to fixed asset additions primarily consisting of digital assets and software, which are depreciated over shorter useful lives partially offset by various assets becoming fully depreciated in 2013.
Impairment Charges
We performed our annual impairment tests as of October 1, 2013 and 2012 on our goodwill, FCC licenses, billboard permits, and other intangible assets and recorded impairment charges of $17.0 million and $37.7 million, respectively. During 2013, we recognized a $10.7 million goodwill impairment charge in our International outdoor segment related to a decline in the estimated fair value of one market. Please see Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus for a further description of the impairment charges.
Other Operating Income, Net
Other operating income of $23.0 million in 2013 primarily related to the gain on the sale of certain outdoor assets in our Americas outdoor segment.
Other operating income of $48.1 million in 2012 primarily related to the gain on the sale of our international neon business in the third quarter of 2012.
Interest Expense
Interest expense increased $100.4 million during 2013 compared to 2012 primarily as a result of interest expense associated with the impact of refinancing transactions resulting in higher interest rates. Please refer to Sources of Capital for additional discussion of debt issuances and exchanges. Our weighted average cost of debt during 2013 and 2012 was 7.6% and 6.7%, respectively.
Gain (Loss) on Marketable Securities
The gain on marketable securities of $130.9 million during 2013 resulted from the sale of the shares we held in Sirius XM Radio, Inc.
The loss on marketable securities of $4.6 million during 2012 primarily related to the impairment of our investment in Independent News & Media PLC (INM) during 2012 and the impairment of a cost-basis investment during 2012. The fair value of INM was below cost for an extended period of time and recovery of the value was not probable. As a result, we considered the guidance in ASC 320-10-S99 and reviewed the length of the time and the extent to which the market value was less than cost, the financial condition and the near-term prospects of the issuer.
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After this assessment, we concluded that the impairment at each date was other than temporary and recorded non-cash impairment charges to our investment in INM, as noted above. We obtained the financial information for our cost-basis investment and noted continued doubt of the investments ability to continue as a going concern. After evaluating the financial condition of the investment, we concluded that the investment was other than temporarily impaired and recorded a non-cash impairment charge to that investment.
Equity in Earnings (Loss) of Nonconsolidated Affiliates
Equity in loss of nonconsolidated affiliates of $77.7 million for 2013 primarily included the loss from our investments in ARN. On February 18, 2014, a subsidiary of ours sold its 50% interest in ARN. As of December 31, 2013 the book value of our investment in ARN exceeded the estimated selling price. Accordingly, we recorded an impairment charge of $95.4 million during the fourth quarter of 2013 to write down the investment to its estimated fair value.
Equity in earnings of nonconsolidated affiliates of $18.6 million for 2012 primarily included earnings from our investments in ARN.
Loss on Extinguishment of Debt
We recognized a loss of $84.0 million due to a debt exchange during the fourth quarter of 2013 related to Clear Channels outstanding notes as discussed elsewhere in this Managements Discussion and Analysis. In addition, we recognized a loss of $3.9 million due to the write-off of deferred loan costs in connection with the prepayment of Term Loan A of Clear Channels senior secured credit facilities.
In connection with the refinancing of Clear Channel Worldwide Holdings, Inc. (CCWH) Series A Senior Notes and Series B Senior Notes due 2017 with an interest rate of 9.25% (the Existing CCWH Senior Notes) with the CCWH Series A Senior Notes and Series B Senior Notes due 2022 with a stated interest rate of 6.5% (the CCWH Senior Notes) during the fourth quarter of 2012, CCWH paid existing note holders a tender premium of 7.4% of face value on the $1,724.7 million of Existing CCWH Senior Notes that were tendered in the tender offer and a call premium of 6.9% on the $775.3 million of Existing CCWH Senior Notes that were redeemed following the tender offer. The tender premium of $128.3 million and the call premium of $53.8 million are included in the loss on extinguishment of debt. In addition, we recognized a loss of $39.0 million due to the write-off of deferred loan costs in connection with the call of the Existing CCWH Senior Notes, and recognized losses of $33.7 million in connection with a prepayment during the first quarter of 2012 and a debt exchange during the fourth quarter of 2012 related to our senior secured credit facilities as discussed elsewhere in this Managements Discussion and Analysis.
Other Income (Expense), Net
In connection with the June 2013 exchange offer of a portion of the outstanding notes for newly-issued Senior Notes due 2021 and in connection with the senior secured credit facility amendments discussed elsewhere in the Managements Discussion and Analysis, all of which were accounted for as modifications of existing debt, we incurred expenses of $23.6 million partially offset by $1.8 million in foreign exchange gains on short-term intercompany accounts.
Other income of $0.3 million for 2012 primarily related to miscellaneous dividend and other income of $3.2 million offset by $3.0 million in foreign exchange losses on short-term intercompany accounts.
Income Tax Benefit
The effective tax rate for the year ended December 31, 2013 was 17.3% as compared to 42.8% for the year ended December 31, 2012. The effective tax rate for 2013 was primarily impacted by the $143.5 million valuation allowance recorded during the period as additional deferred tax expense. The valuation allowance was recorded against a portion of the U.S. Federal and State net operating losses due to the uncertainty of the ability to utilize those losses in future periods. This expense was partially offset by tax benefits recorded during the period due to the settlement of our U.S. Federal and certain State tax examinations during the year. Pursuant to the settlements, we recorded a reduction to income tax expense of approximately $20.2 million to reflect the net tax benefits of the settlements.
53
The effective tax rate for the year ended December 31, 2012 was 42.8% as compared to 32.0% for the year ended December 31, 2011. The effective tax rate for 2012 was favorably impacted by our settlement of U.S. Federal and foreign tax examinations during the year. Pursuant to the settlements, we recorded a reduction to income tax expense of approximately $60.6 million to reflect the net tax benefits of the settlements. This benefit was partially offset by additional tax recorded during 2012 related to the write-off of deferred tax assets associated with the vesting of certain equity awards.
CCME Results of Operations
Our CCME operating results were as follows:
(In thousands) | Years Ended December 31, | |||||||||||
2013 | 2012 | % Change | ||||||||||
Revenue |
$ | 3,131,595 | $ | 3,084,780 | 2% | |||||||
Direct operating expenses |
931,976 | 878,626 | 6% | |||||||||
SG&A expenses |
1,020,097 | 993,116 | 3% | |||||||||
Depreciation and amortization |
271,126 | 271,399 | (0%) | |||||||||
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Operating income |
$ | 908,396 | $ | 941,639 | (4%) | |||||||
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CCME revenue increased $46.8 million during 2013 compared to 2012, primarily due to an increase in national advertising revenue across various markets and advertising categories, including telecommunications, retail, and entertainment, as well as growth in digital advertising revenue as a result of increased listenership on our iHeartRadio platform, with total listening hours increasing 29%. Promotional and sponsorship revenues were also higher driven by special events, such as the iHeart Radio Music Festival, Jingle Balls, iHeartRadio Ultimate Pool Party, and album release events. These increases were partially offset by lower political revenues compared to 2012, as well as a decline in our traffic business as a result of integration activities and certain contract losses.
Direct operating expenses increased $53.4 million during 2013 primarily from special events, promotional cost, compensation, and higher streaming and performance royalty expenses during 2013 due to increased listenership on our iHeartRadio platform. In addition, we incurred higher music license fees after receiving a one-time $20.7 million credit in 2012 from one of our performance rights organizations. These increases were partially offset by lower costs in our traffic business as a result of lower revenues and reduced spending on strategic revenue and cost initiatives. SG&A expenses increased $27.0 million primarily on our variable compensation plans, including commissions, as a result of an increase in national and digital revenue. In addition, we also incurred higher legal fees and research expenses related to sales and programming activities in 2013.
Americas Outdoor Advertising Results of Operations
Our Americas outdoor operating results were as follows:
(In thousands) | Years Ended December 31, | % | ||||||||||
2013 | 2012 | Change | ||||||||||
Revenue |
$ | 1,290,452 | $ | 1,279,257 | 1% | |||||||
Direct operating expenses |
566,669 | 582,340 | (3%) | |||||||||
SG&A expenses |
220,732 | 211,245 | 4% | |||||||||
Depreciation and amortization |
196,597 | 192,023 | 2% | |||||||||
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Operating income |
$ | 306,454 | $ | 293,649 | 4% | |||||||
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Our Americas outdoor revenue increased $11.2 million during 2013 compared to 2012, driven primarily by increases in revenues from bulletins and posters. Traditional bulletins and posters had increases in occupancy and rates in connection with new contracts, while the increase for digital displays was driven by higher occupancy and capacity. The increase for digital displays was negatively impacted by lower revenues in our Los Angeles market as a result of the impact of litigation as discussed further in the Business section of this prospectus. Partially
54
offsetting these increases were declines in specialty business revenues due primarily to a significant contract during 2012 that did not recur during 2013, and declines in our airport business driven primarily by the loss of certain of our U.S. airport contracts and other airport revenue.
Direct operating expenses decreased $15.7 million, primarily due to the benefits resulting from our previous strategic cost initiatives as well as reduced variable costs associated with site lease expenses due to reduced revenues on lower margin products. SG&A expenses increased $9.5 million primarily due to the 2012 period being impacted by a favorable court ruling that resulted in a $7.8 million decrease in expenses, with other 2013 increases being driven by legal costs related to the Los Angeles litigation discussed further in BusinessLegal Proceedings, as well as compensation expenses including commissions and amounts related to our variable compensation plans, which were higher for the 2013 period in connection with increasing our revenues, partially offset by a decrease in costs during 2013 associated with our strategic revenue and cost initiatives compared to 2012.
Depreciation and amortization increased $4.6 million, primarily due to our continued deployment of digital billboards partially offset by assets becoming fully depreciated during 2013.
International Outdoor Advertising Results of Operations
Our International outdoor operating results were as follows:
(In thousands) | Years Ended December 31, | % | ||||||||||
2013 | 2012 | Change | ||||||||||
Revenue |
$ | 1,655,738 | $ | 1,667,687 | (1%) | |||||||
Direct operating expenses |
1,028,059 | 1,021,152 | 1% | |||||||||
SG&A expenses |
322,840 | 363,417 | (11%) | |||||||||
Depreciation and amortization |
203,927 | 205,258 | (1%) | |||||||||
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Operating income |
$ | 100,912 | $ | 77,860 | 30% | |||||||
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International outdoor revenue decreased $11.9 million during 2013 compared to 2012, including an increase of $5.2 million from movements in foreign exchange, and the divestiture of our international neon business which had $20.4 million in revenues during 2012. Excluding the impact of foreign exchange and the divestiture, revenues increased $3.3 million. Revenue growth in certain markets including China, Latin America, and the UK primarily in street furniture advertising revenue, as well as higher transit advertising sales resulting from new contracts in Norway, was partially offset by lower revenues in other countries in Europe as a result of weakened macroeconomic conditions.
Direct operating expenses increased $6.9 million including an increase of $4.8 million from movements in foreign exchange, and the divestiture of our international neon business during 2012 which had $13.0 million in direct operating expenses during 2012. Excluding the impact of movements in foreign exchange and the divestiture, direct operating expenses increased $15.1 million driven primarily by increases in variable costs in certain markets such as China, Norway and Latin America resulting from increased revenues partially offset by declines in expenses in response to declining revenues in other countries in Europe. SG&A expenses decreased $40.6 million including an increase of $1.9 million from movements in foreign exchange and the divestiture of our international neon business during 2012, which had $4.2 million in SG&A expenses during 2012. Excluding the impact of movements in foreign exchange and the divestiture, SG&A expenses decreased $38.3 million primarily due to the absence in 2013 of $22.7 million in expenses incurred during 2012 in connection with legal and other costs in Brazil as well as decreases in 2013 in strategic revenue and cost initiative expenses.
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Year Ended December 31, 2012 as Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2011
Consolidated Results of Operations
The comparison of our historical results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2012 to the year ended December 31, 2011 is as follows:
(In thousands) | Years Ended December 31, | % | ||||||||||
2012 | 2011 | Change | ||||||||||
Revenue |
$ | 6,246,884 | $ | 6,161,352 | 1% | |||||||
Operating expenses: |
||||||||||||
Direct operating expenses (excludes depreciation and amortization) |
2,494,241 | 2,504,467 | (0%) | |||||||||
Selling, general and administrative expenses (excludes depreciation and amortization) |
1,666,418 | 1,604,524 | 4% | |||||||||
Corporate expenses (excludes depreciation and amortization) |
297,366 | 239,399 | 24% | |||||||||
Depreciation and amortization |
729,285 | 763,306 | (4%) | |||||||||
Impairment charges |
37,651 | 7,614 | 394% | |||||||||
Other operating income, net |
48,127 | 12,682 | 279% | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Operating income |
1,070,050 | 1,054,724 | 1% | |||||||||
Interest expense |
1,549,023 | 1,466,246 | ||||||||||
Loss on marketable securities |
(4,580) | (4,827) | ||||||||||
Equity in earnings of nonconsolidated affiliates |
18,557 | 26,958 | ||||||||||
Loss on extinguishment of debt |
(254,723) | (1,447) | ||||||||||
Other income (expense), net |
250 | (3,169) | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Loss before income taxes |
(719,469) | (394,007) | ||||||||||
Income tax benefit |
308,279 | 125,978 | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Consolidated net loss |
(411,190) | (268,029) | ||||||||||
Less amount attributable to noncontrolling interest |
13,289 | 34,065 | ||||||||||
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|
|
|
|||||||||
Net loss attributable to the Company |
$ | (424,479) | $ | (302,094) | ||||||||
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|
|
Consolidated Revenue
Our consolidated revenue increased $85.5 million including the impact of negative movements in foreign exchange of $79.3 million compared to 2011. Excluding the impact of foreign exchange movements, revenue increased $164.8 million. CCME revenue increased $98.0 million, driven by growth from national and local advertising including political, telecommunications and auto, and higher advertising revenues from our digital services primarily as a result of higher listening hours and event sponsorship. Americas outdoor revenue increased $26.5 million, driven primarily by bulletin revenue growth as a result of our continued deployment of new digital displays during 2012 and 2011 and revenue growth from our airports business. International outdoor revenue decreased $83.5 million including the impact of negative movements in foreign exchange of $78.9 million compared to 2011. Excluding the impact of foreign exchange movements, International outdoor revenue decreased $4.6 million. Declines in certain countries as a result of weakened macroeconomic conditions and our divestiture of our international neon business during the third quarter of 2012 were partially offset by growth in street furniture and billboard revenue in other countries. Our Other category revenue grew by $47.3 million as a result of increased political advertising through our media representation business during the election year in the United States.
Consolidated Direct Operating Expenses
Direct operating expenses decreased $10.2 million including a $49.7 million decline due to the effects of movements in foreign exchange compared to 2011. CCME direct operating expenses increased $21.0 million, primarily due to an increase in digital expenses related to our iHeartRadio digital platform including higher digital streaming fees due to increased listening hours and rates and personnel costs. In addition, increased expenses related to our traffic acquisition completed in the second quarter of 2011 were partially offset by a decline in music license fees. Americas outdoor direct operating expenses increased $16.0 million, primarily due to increased site lease expense associated with our continued development of digital displays and growth from our airports business. Direct operating expenses in our International outdoor segment decreased $43.4 million including a $49.4 million decline due to the effects of movements in foreign exchange. The increase in expense excluding the impact of movements in foreign exchange was primarily driven by higher site lease and other expenses as a result of new contracts. These increases were partially offset by lower variable costs in countries where revenues have declined and the impact of the divestiture of our international neon business.
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Consolidated SG&A Expenses
SG&A expenses increased $61.9 million including a decline of $21.7 million due to the effects of movements in foreign exchange compared to 2011. CCME SG&A expenses increased $22.1 million, primarily due to expenses incurred in connection with strategic revenue and cost initiatives. SG&A expenses in our Americas outdoor segment increased $12.3 million primarily due to increased personnel costs resulting from increased revenue in addition to increases in costs associated with strategic revenue and cost initiatives. International outdoor SG&A expenses increased $24.4 million including a $21.6 million decline due to the effects of movements in foreign exchange. The increase was primarily due to $22.7 million of expense related to the negative impact of litigation in Brazil.
Corporate Expenses
Corporate expenses increased $58.0 million during 2012 compared to 2011. This increase was driven by higher personnel costs resulting from amounts recorded under our variable compensation plans, higher expenses under our benefit plans, and increases in corporate infrastructure. In addition, we incurred $14.2 million more in corporate strategic revenue and cost initiatives compared to the prior year as well as expenses related to the litigation previously filed by the stockholders of CCOH. Also impacting the increase during 2012 compared to 2011 is the reversal of $6.6 million of share-based compensation expense included in 2011 related to the cancellation of a portion of an executives stock options.
Revenue and Efficiency Initiatives
Included in the amounts for direct operating expenses, SG&A and corporate expenses discussed above are expenses of $76.2 million incurred in connection with our strategic revenue and efficiency initiatives. The costs were incurred to improve revenue growth, enhance yield, reduce costs, and organize each business to maximize performance and profitability. These costs consist primarily of consulting expenses, consolidation of locations and positions, severance related to workforce initiatives and other costs incurred in connection with streamlining our businesses. These costs are expected to provide benefits in future periods as the initiative results are realized. Of these costs, $13.8 million are reported within direct operating expenses, $47.2 million are reported within SG&A and $15.2 million are reported within corporate expense. In 2011, such costs totaled $8.8 million, $26.6 million, and $1.0 million, respectively.
Depreciation and Amortization
Depreciation and amortization decreased $34.0 million during 2012 compared to 2011, primarily due to various assets becoming fully depreciated in 2011. In addition, movements in foreign exchange contributed a decrease of $9.3 million during 2012.
Impairment Charges
We performed our annual impairment tests as of October 1, 2012 and 2011 on our goodwill, FCC licenses, billboard permits, and other intangible assets and recorded impairment charges of $37.7 million and $7.6 million, respectively. During 2012, we recognized a $35.9 million impairment charge in our Americas outdoor segment related to declines in estimated fair values of certain markets billboard permits. Please see Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus for a further description of the impairment charges.
Other Operating Income, Net
Other operating income of $48.1 million in 2012 primarily related to the gain on the sale of our international neon business in the third quarter of 2012.
Other operating income of $12.7 million in 2011 primarily related to a gain on the sale of a tower and proceeds received from condemnations of bulletins.
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Interest Expense
Interest expense increased $82.7 million during 2012 compared to 2011 primarily as a result of interest expense associated with CCWHs issuance of $275.0 million aggregate principal amount of 7.625% Series A Senior Subordinated Notes due 2020 and $1,925.0 million aggregate principal amount of 7.625% Series B Senior Subordinated Notes due 2020 (collectively, the CCWH Subordinated Notes) during the first quarter of 2012, partially offset by the impact of other refinancing actions and repayments of senior notes. Please refer to Sources of Capital for additional discussion of debt issuances and exchanges. Our weighted average cost of debt during 2012 and 2011 was 6.7% and 6.2%, respectively.
Loss on Marketable Securities
The loss on marketable securities of $4.6 million and $4.8 million during 2012 and 2011, respectively, primarily related to the impairment of our investment in INM during 2012 and 2011 and the impairment of a cost-basis investment during 2012. The fair value of INM was below cost for an extended period of time. As a result, we considered the guidance in ASC 320-10-S99 and reviewed the length of the time and the extent to which the market value was less than cost, the financial condition and the near-term prospects of the issuer. After this assessment, we concluded that the impairment at each date was other than temporary and recorded non-cash impairment charges to our investment in INM, as noted above. We obtained the financial information for our cost-basis investment and noted continued doubt of the investments ability to continue as a going concern. After evaluating the financial condition of the investment, we concluded that the investment was other than temporarily impaired and recorded a non-cash impairment charge to that investment.
Equity in Earnings of Nonconsolidated Affiliates
Equity in earnings of nonconsolidated affiliates of $18.6 million for 2012 included earnings from our investments in ARN.
Equity in earnings of nonconsolidated affiliates of $27.0 million for 2011 included earnings from our investments primarily in ARN.
Loss on Extinguishment of Debt
In connection with the refinancing of the Existing CCWH Senior Notes with an interest rate of 9.25% with the CCWH Senior Notes with a stated interest rate of 6.5% during the fourth quarter of 2012, CCWH paid existing note holders a tender premium of 7.4% of face value on the $1,724.7 million of Existing CCWH Senior Notes that were tendered in the tender offer and a call premium of 6.9% on the $775.3 million of Existing CCWH Senior Notes that were redeemed following the tender offer. The tender premium of $128.3 million and the call premium of $53.8 million are included in the loss on extinguishment of debt. In addition, we recognized a loss of $39.0 million due to the write-off of deferred loan costs in connection with the call of the Existing CCWH Senior Notes, and recognized losses of $33.7 million in connection with a prepayment during the first quarter of 2012 and a debt exchange during the fourth quarter of 2012 related to our senior secured credit facilities as discussed elsewhere in this Managements Discussion and Analysis.
Loss on extinguishment of debt of $1.4 million for 2011 primarily related to the accelerated expensing of $5.7 million of loan fees upon the prepayment of $500.0 million of our senior secured credit facilities in connection with our issuance of $1.0 billion of 9.0% Priority Guarantee Notes due 2021 during February 2011 (the February 2011 Offering), partially offset by an aggregate gain of $4.3 million on the repurchase of our 5.5% senior notes due 2014.
Other Income (Expense), Net
Other income of $0.3 million for 2012 primarily related to miscellaneous dividend and other income of $3.2 million offset by $3.0 million in foreign exchange losses on short-term intercompany accounts.
Other expense of $3.2 million for 2011 primarily related to miscellaneous bank fees and foreign exchange losses on short-term intercompany accounts.
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Income Tax Benefit
The effective tax rate for the year ended December 31, 2012 was 42.8% as compared to 32.0% for the year ended December 31, 2011. The effective tax rate for 2012 was favorably impacted by our settlement of U.S. Federal and foreign tax examinations during the year. Pursuant to the settlements, we recorded a reduction to income tax expense of approximately $60.6 million to reflect the net tax benefits of the settlements. This benefit was partially offset by additional tax recorded during 2012 related to the write-off of deferred tax assets associated with the vesting of certain equity awards.
The effective tax rate for the year ended December 31, 2011 was 32.0% as compared to 25.7% for the year ended December 31, 2010. The effective tax rate for 2011 was favorably impacted by our settlement of U.S. Federal and state tax examinations during the year. Pursuant to the settlements, we recorded a reduction to income tax expense of approximately $16.3 million to reflect the net tax benefits of the settlements. This benefit was partially offset by additional tax recorded during 2011 related to the write-off of deferred tax assets associated with the vesting of certain equity awards and our inability to benefit from certain tax loss carryforwards in foreign jurisdictions.
CCME Results of Operations
Our CCME operating results were as follows:
(In thousands) | Years Ended December 31, | % | |||||||||||||
2012 | 2011 | Change | |||||||||||||
Revenue |
$ | 3,084,780 | $ | 2,986,828 | 3% | ||||||||||
Direct operating expenses |
878,626 | 857,622 | 2% | ||||||||||||
SG&A expenses |
993,116 | 971,066 | 2% | ||||||||||||
Depreciation and amortization |
271,399 | 268,245 | 1% | ||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||
Operating income |
$ | 941,639 | $ | 889,895 | 6% | ||||||||||
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|
|
|
CCME revenue increased $98.0 million during 2012 compared to 2011, driven by growth from national and local advertising across political, automotive and telecommunication categories. We continued to experience increases in digital revenue as a result of increased listening hours through our iHeartRadio platform as well as higher event sponsorship revenue. Revenue in our traffic business increased due to our traffic acquisition completed in the second quarter of 2011. This revenue growth was partially offset by declines in syndicated programming sales.
Direct operating expenses increased $21.0 million during 2012 compared to 2011, primarily due to an increase in digital expenses related to our iHeartRadio digital platform including higher digital streaming fees due to increased listening hours and rates and personnel costs as well as an increase from our traffic acquisition, partially offset by a decline in music license fees resulting from receiving a one-time $20.7 million credit from one of our performance rights organizations in 2012 and from lower negotiated royalty rates. SG&A expenses increased $22.1 million, primarily due to higher spending on strategic revenue and cost initiatives.
Depreciation and amortization increased $3.2 million, primarily due to our traffic acquisition.
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Americas Outdoor Advertising Results of Operations
Our Americas outdoor operating results were as follows:
(In thousands) | Years Ended December 31, | % | ||||||||||
2012 | 2011 | Change | ||||||||||
Revenue |
$ | 1,279,257 | $ | 1,252,725 | 2% | |||||||
Direct operating expenses |
582,340 | 566,313 | 3% | |||||||||
SG&A expenses |
211,245 | 198,989 | 6% | |||||||||
Depreciation and amortization |
192,023 | 211,009 | (9%) | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Operating income |
$ | 293,649 | $ | 276,414 | 6% | |||||||
|
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|
|
Americas outdoor revenue increased $26.5 million during 2012 compared to 2011, primarily driven by revenue growth from our digital bulletins and from our airports business. We deployed an additional 178 digital bulletins during 2012 bringing our total to more than 1,000 digital bulletins in service. The revenue growth resulting from our increased digital bulletin capacity was partially offset by declines in our traditional bulletin and poster revenues. Our airport revenues grew primarily as a result of higher average rates and increased occupancy by customers of our largest U.S. airports.
Direct operating expenses increased $16.0 million due to increased site lease expense as a result of our continued deployment of digital displays and growth of our airport revenue. SG&A expenses increased $12.3 million, primarily as a result of higher personnel costs associated with the increase in revenue generating headcount and commissions and bonuses related to increased revenue, as well as legal and other expenses related to billboard permitting issues. In addition, included in our 2012 SG&A expenses are revenue and cost initiatives. These increases were partially offset by a favorable court ruling resulting in a $7.8 million decrease in expenses.
Depreciation and amortization decreased $19.0 million, primarily due to increases in 2011 for accelerated depreciation and amortization related to the removal of various structures, including the removal of traditional billboards in connection with the continued deployment of digital billboards.
International Outdoor Advertising Results of Operations
Our International outdoor operating results were as follows:
(In thousands) | Years Ended December 31, | % | ||||||||||
2012 | 2011 | Change | ||||||||||
Revenue |
$ | 1,667,687 | $ | 1,751,149 | (5%) | |||||||
Direct operating expenses |
1,021,152 | 1,064,562 | (4%) | |||||||||
SG&A expenses |
363,417 | 339,043 | 7% | |||||||||
Depreciation and amortization |
205,258 | 219,955 | (7%) | |||||||||
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|
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Operating income |
$ | 77,860 | $ | 127,589 | (39%) | |||||||
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|
|
International outdoor revenue decreased $83.5 million during 2012 compared to 2011, including $78.9 million of negative movements in foreign exchange. Excluding the impact of movements in foreign exchange, revenues declined in certain geographies as a result of weakened macroeconomic conditions, particularly in France, southern Europe and the Nordic countries, as well as the impact of $15.1 million due to the divestiture of our international neon business during the third quarter of 2012. These decreases were partially offset by countries including Australia, China and Mexico where economic conditions were stronger, and in the United Kingdom which benefited from the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. These and other countries experienced increased revenues, primarily related to our shelters, street furniture, equipment sales and billboard businesses. New contracts won during 2011 helped drive revenue growth.
Direct operating expenses decreased $43.4 million, attributable to a $49.4 million decrease from movements in foreign exchange. The increase in expenses excluding the impact of foreign exchange was primarily due to higher site lease expense associated with new contracts, partially offset by lower site lease expenses in those markets where revenue declined as a result of weakened macroeconomic conditions. The divestiture of our international neon business resulted in a $9.0 million decline in direct operating expenses. SG&A expenses increased $24.4 million including a $21.6 million decrease from movements in foreign exchange. The increase was primarily due to $22.7 million of expense related to the negative impact of litigation in Latin America. Also contributing to the increase were revenue and cost initiatives and increased shelter maintenance in Latin America, partially offset by a $3.2 million impact from the divestiture of our international neon business.
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Depreciation and amortization declined $14.7 million, including $9.3 million of negative movements in foreign exchange, primarily as a result of assets that became fully depreciated or amortized during 2011.
Reconciliation of Segment Operating Income to Consolidated Operating Income
(In thousands) | Years Ended December 31, | |||||||||||
2013 | 2012 | 2011 | ||||||||||
CCME |
$ | 908,396 | $ | 941,639 | $ | 889,895 | ||||||
Americas outdoor advertising |
306,454 | 293,649 | 276,414 | |||||||||
International outdoor advertising |
100,912 | 77,860 | 127,589 | |||||||||
Other |
23,061 | 58,829 | 9,427 | |||||||||
Impairment charges |
(16,970) | (37,651) | (7,614) | |||||||||
Other operating income, net |
22,998 | 48,127 | 12,682 | |||||||||
Corporate expense(1) |
(344,069) | (312,403) | (253,669) | |||||||||
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Consolidated operating income |
$ | 1,000,782 | $ | 1,070,050 | $ | 1,054,724 | ||||||
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(1) | Corporate expenses include expenses related to CCME, Americas outdoor, International outdoor and our Other category, as well as overall executive, administrative and support functions. |
Share-Based Compensation Expense
We do not have any compensation plans under which we grant stock awards to employees. Our employees receive equity awards from the equity incentive plans of our indirect parent, CCMH, and our subsidiary, CCOH.
As of December 31, 2013, there was $22.9 million of unrecognized compensation cost, net of estimated forfeitures, related to unvested share-based compensation arrangements that will vest based on service conditions. This cost is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of approximately three years. In addition, as of December 31, 2013, there was $19.6 million of unrecognized compensation cost, net of estimated forfeitures, related to unvested share-based compensation arrangements that will vest based on market, performance and service conditions. This cost will be recognized when it becomes probable that the performance condition will be satisfied.
Share-based compensation payments are recorded in corporate expenses and were $16.7 million, $28.5 million and $20.7 million for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively. Included in share-based compensation for year ended December 31, 2011 is a $6.6 million reversal of expense related to the cancellation of a portion of an executives stock options.
On October 22, 2012, CCMH granted 1.8 million restricted shares of its Class A common stock (the Replacement Shares) in exchange for 2.0 million stock options granted under the Clear Channel 2008 Executive Incentive Plan pursuant to an option exchange program (the Program) that expired on November 19, 2012. In addition, on October 22, 2012, CCMH granted 1.5 million fully-vested shares of its Class A common stock (the Additional Shares) pursuant to a tax assistance program offered in connection with the Program. Upon the expiration of the Program on November 19, 2012, CCMH repurchased 0.9 million of the Additional Shares from the employees who elected to participate in the Program and timely delivered to us a properly completed election form under Internal Revenue Code Section 83(b) to fund tax withholdings in connection with the Program. Employees who ceased to be eligible, declined to participate in the Program or, in the case of the Additional Shares, declined to participate in the tax assistance program, forfeited their Replacement Shares and Additional Shares on November 19, 2012 and retained their stock options with no changes to the terms. We accounted for the exchange program as a modification of the existing awards under ASC 718 and will recognize incremental compensation expense of approximately $1.7 million over the service period of the new awards. We recognized $2.6 million of expense related to the Additional Shares granted in connection with the tax assistance program.
61
CCMH also completed a stock option exchange program on March 21, 2011 and exchanged 2.5 million stock options granted under the Clear Channel 2008 Executive Incentive Plan for 1.3 million replacement stock options with a lower exercise price and different service and performance conditions. We accounted for the exchange program as a modification of the existing awards under ASC 718 and will recognize incremental compensation expense of approximately $1.0 million over the service period of the new awards.
LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
Cash Flows
Three Months Ended March 31, 2014 Compared to Three Months Ended March 31, 2013
The following discussion highlights cash flow activities during the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively.
(In thousands) | Three Months Ended March 31, | |||||||
2014 | 2013 | |||||||
Cash provided by (used for): |
||||||||
Operating activities |
$ | (91,648) | $ | (86,591) | ||||
Investing activities |
152,654 | (57,211) | ||||||
Financing activities |
(105,984) | (354,282) |
Operating Activities
Our consolidated net loss, adjusted for $253.4 million of non-cash items, resulted in negative cash flows of $179.0 million during the three months ended March 31, 2014. Our consolidated net loss, adjusted for $121.0 million of non-cash items, resulted in negative cash flows of $88.2 million during the three months ended March 31, 2013. Cash used for operating activities during the three months ended March 31, 2014 was $91.6 million compared to $86.6 million during the three months ended March 31, 2013. Cash paid for interest was $27.4 million higher in the three months ended March 31, 2014 compared to the same period of the prior year due to an increase in the weighted average cost of debt.
Non-cash items affecting our net loss include depreciation and amortization, deferred taxes, gain on disposal of operating and fixed assets, provision for doubtful accounts, share-based compensation, equity in earnings (loss) of nonconsolidated affiliates, amortization of deferred financing charges and note discounts, net and other reconciling items, net as presented on the face of the consolidated statement of cash flows.
Investing Activities
Cash provided by investing activities of $152.7 million during the three months ended March 31, 2014 primarily reflected proceeds of $221.0 million from the sale of our 50% interest in ARN, partially offset by capital expenditures of $67.4 million. We spent $10.3 million for capital expenditures in our CCME segment primarily related to leasehold improvements and equipment, $12.2 million in our Americas outdoor segment primarily related to the construction of new advertising structures including digital displays, $25.1 million in our International outdoor segment primarily related to billboard and street furniture advertising structures, $1.8 million in our Other category, and $18.0 million by Corporate primarily related to equipment and software.
Cash used for investing activities during the first three months of 2013 primarily reflected capital expenditures of $61.6 million. We spent $14.2 million for capital expenditures in our CCME segment primarily related to leasehold improvements, $12.9 million in our Americas outdoor segment primarily related to the construction of new advertising structures such as digital displays, $25.9 million in our International outdoor segment primarily related to new advertising structures such as billboards and street furniture and renewals of existing contracts, and $2.1 million in our Other category related to our national representation business, and $6.5 million at Corporate primarily related to equipment and software. Partially offsetting cash used for investing activities were $7.3 million of proceeds from the sales of other operating and fixed assets.
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Financing Activities
Cash used for financing activities of $106.0 million during the three months ended March 31, 2014 primarily reflected payments on credit facilities, partially offset by proceeds from long-term debt. We repaid the full $247.0 million principal amount outstanding under our receivables based credit facility, using cash on hand. This was partially offset by cash proceeds from the sale by a subsidiary of ours of 14% Senior Notes due 2021 to private purchasers ($227.0 million in aggregate principal amount). Other cash used for financing activities included payments by a subsidiary of ours to repurchase $52.9 million aggregate principal amount of our outstanding 5.5% Senior Notes and $9.0 million aggregate principal amount of our outstanding 4.9% of Senior Notes for a total of $63.1 million, including accrued interest.
Cash used for financing activities of $354.3 million during the three months ended March 31, 2013 primarily reflected payments on long-term debt. We repaid our 5.75% senior notes at maturity for $312.1 million (net of $187.9 million principal amount held by and repaid to a subsidiary of ours) using cash on hand and our prepayment of $846.9 million outstanding under our Term Loan A under our senior secured credit facilities using the proceeds from the issuance of our 11.25% Priority Guarantee Notes, borrowings under our receivables based credit facility, and cash on hand.
Years Ended December 31, 2013, 2012, and 2011
The following discussion highlights cash flow activities during the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011.
(In thousands) | Years Ended December 31, | |||||||||||
2013 | 2012 | 2011 | ||||||||||
Cash provided by (used for): |
||||||||||||
Operating activities |
$ | 212,872 | $ | 485,132 | $ | 374,861 | ||||||
Investing activities |
$ | (133,365) | $ | (397,021) | $ | (368,086) | ||||||
Financing activities |
$ | (595,882) | $ | (95,349) | $ | (698,116) |
Operating Activities
2013
Our consolidated net loss, adjusted for $782.5 million of non-cash items resulted in positive cash flows of $199.0 million in 2013. Our consolidated net loss, adjusted for $873.5 million of non-cash items, provided positive cash flows of $462.3 million in 2012. Cash provided by operating activities in 2013 was $212.9 million compared to $485.1 million in 2012. Cash paid for interest was $162.0 million higher in 2013 compared to the prior year due to the timing of accrued interest with the issuance of CCWHs Subordinated Notes during the first quarter of 2012 and our 9.0% Priority Guarantee Notes due 2019 during the fourth quarter of 2012.
Non-cash items affecting our net loss include impairment charges, depreciation and amortization, deferred taxes, provision for doubtful accounts, amortization of deferred financing charges and note discounts, net, share-based compensation, gain on disposal of operating and fixed assets, gain on marketable securities, equity in loss of nonconsolidated affiliates, loss on extinguishment of debt, and other reconciling items, net as presented on the face of the consolidated statement of cash flows.
2012
The $110.2 million increase in cash flows from operations to $485.1 million in 2012 compared to $374.9 million in 2011 was primarily driven by changes in working capital. Our consolidated net loss, adjusted for $873.5 million of non-cash items, provided positive cash flows of $462.3 million in 2012. Cash paid for interest was $120.6 million higher during 2012 compared to the prior year. Cash provided by operations in 2012 compared to 2011 also reflected lower variable compensation payments in 2012 associated with our employee incentive programs based on 2011 operating performance compared to such payments made in 2011 based on 2010 performance.
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Non-cash items affecting our net loss include impairment charges, depreciation and amortization, deferred taxes, provision for doubtful accounts, amortization of deferred financing charges and note discounts, net, share-based compensation, gain on disposal of operating and fixed assets, loss on marketable securities, equity in earnings of nonconsolidated affiliates, loss on extinguishment of debt, and other reconciling items, net as presented on the face of the consolidated statement of cash flows.
2011
The decrease in cash flows from operations in 2011 compared to 2010 was primarily driven by changes in working capital partially offset by improved profitability, including a 5% increase in revenue. Our consolidated net loss of $268.0 million, adjusted for $833.1 million of non-cash items, provided positive cash flows of $565.0 million in 2011. Cash generated by higher operating income in 2011 compared to 2010 was offset by the decrease in accrued expenses in 2011 as a result of higher variable compensation payments in 2011 associated with our employee incentive programs based on 2010 operating performance. In addition, in 2010 we received $132.3 million in U.S. Federal income tax refunds that increased cash flow from operations in 2010.
Non-cash items affecting our net loss include impairment charges, depreciation and amortization, deferred taxes, provision for doubtful accounts, amortization of deferred financing charges and note discounts, net, share-based compensation, gain on disposal of operating and fixed assets, loss on marketable securities, equity in earnings of nonconsolidated affiliates, loss on extinguishment of debt, and other reconciling items, net as presented on the face of the consolidated statement of cash flows.
Investing Activities
2013
Cash used for investing activities of $133.4 million during 2013 reflected our capital expenditures of $324.5 million as well as proceeds from the sale of our shares of Sirius XM Radio, Inc. of $135.6 million. We spent $75.7 million for capital expenditures in our CCME segment primarily related to leasehold improvements, $89.0 million in our Americas outdoor segment primarily related to the construction of new advertising structures such as digital displays, $108.6 million in our International outdoor segment primarily related to new advertising structures such as billboards and street furniture and renewals of existing contracts, $9.9 million in our Other category related to our national representation business, and $41.3 million by Corporate primarily related to equipment and software. Other cash provided by investing activities were $81.6 million of proceeds from sales of other operating and fixed assets.
2012
Cash used for investing activities of $397.0 million during 2012 reflected capital expenditures of $390.3 million. We spent $65.8 million for capital expenditures in our CCME segment, $117.7 million in our Americas outdoor segment primarily related to the installation of new digital displays, $150.1 million in our International outdoor segment primarily related to new billboard, street furniture and mall contracts and renewals of existing contracts, $17.4 million in our Other category related to our national representation business, and $39.3 million by Corporate. Partially offsetting cash used for investing activities were $59.7 million of proceeds from the divestiture of our international neon business and the sales of other operating assets.
2011
Cash used for investing activities during 2011 primarily reflected capital expenditures of $362.3 million. We spent $50.2 million for capital expenditures in our CCME segment, $120.8 million in our Americas outdoor segment primarily related to the construction of new digital displays, $166.0 million in our International outdoor segment primarily related to new billboard and street furniture contracts and renewals of existing contracts, $5.7 million in our Other category related to our national representation business, and $19.5 million by Corporate. Cash paid for purchases of businesses primarily related to our traffic acquisition and the cloud-based music technology business we purchased during 2011. In addition, we received proceeds of $54.3 million primarily related to the sale of radio stations, a tower and other assets in our CCME, Americas outdoor, and International outdoor segments.
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Financing Activities
2013
Cash used for financing activities of $595.9 million in 2013 primarily reflected payments on long-term debt. We repaid our 5.75% senior notes at maturity for $312.1 million (net of $187.9 million principal amount held by and repaid to a subsidiary of ours) using cash on hand. We prepaid $846.9 million outstanding under our Term Loan A under our senior secured credit facilities using the proceeds from the issuance of our 11.25% Priority Guarantee Notes, borrowings under our receivables based credit facility, and cash on hand. Other cash used for financing activities included payments to holders of the outstanding notes in connection with exchange offers in June 2013 of $32.5 million and in December 2013 of $22.7 million, payment of an applicable high yield discount obligation to holders of outstanding notes in August 2013 of $25.3 million, payments to repurchase noncontrolling interests of $61.1 million and $91.9 million in payments for dividends and other payments to noncontrolling interests.
2012
Cash used for financing activities of $95.3 million during 2012 primarily reflected (i) the issuance of $2.2 billion of the CCWH Subordinated Notes by CCWH and the use of proceeds distributed to us in connection with a dividend declared by CCOH during 2012, in addition to cash on hand, to repay $2.1 billion of indebtedness under our senior secured credit facilities, (ii) the issuance by CCWH of $2.7 billion aggregate principal amount of the CCWH Senior Notes and the use of the proceeds to fund the tender offer for and redemption of the Existing CCWH Senior Notes, (iii) the repayment of our 5.0% senior notes at maturity for $249.9 million (net of $50.1 million principal amount held by and repaid to a subsidiary of ours with respect to notes repurchased and held by such entity), using a portion of the proceeds from our June 2011 issuance of $750.0 million aggregate principal amount of 9.0% priority guarantee notes due 2021 (the Additional Priority Guarantee Notes due 2021), along with available cash on hand and (iv) the exchange of $2.0 billion aggregate principal amount of Term Loans under our senior secured credit facilities for $2.0 billion aggregate principal amount of newly issued 9.0% priority guarantee notes due 2019. Our financing activities also reflect a $244.7 million reduction in noncontrolling interest as a result of the dividend paid by CCOH in connection with the CCWH Subordinated Notes issuance, which represents the portion paid to parties other than our subsidiaries that own CCOH common stock.
2011
Cash used for financing activities during 2011 primarily reflected our issuance in February 2011 of $1.0 billion aggregate principal amount of 9.0% priority guarantee notes due 2021 (the Initial Priority Guarantee Notes due 2021) and the June 2011 issuance of Additional Priority Guarantee Notes due 2021, and the use of proceeds from the Initial Priority Guarantee Notes due 2021 offering, as well as cash on hand, to prepay $500.0 million of our senior secured credit facilities and repay at maturity our 6.25% senior notes that matured in 2011 as discussed under Refinancing Transactions. We also repaid all outstanding amounts under its receivables based facility prior to, and in connection with, the Additional Priority Guarantee Notes due 2021 offering. Cash used for financing activities also included the $95.0 million of pre-existing, intercompany debt owed repaid immediately after the closing of the traffic acquisition. Additionally, we repaid our 4.4% notes at maturity in May 2011 for $140.2 million, plus accrued interest, with available cash on hand, and repaid $500.0 million of our revolving credit facility on June 27, 2011. Additionally, CC Finco repurchased $80.0 million aggregate principal amount of our 5.5% senior notes for $57.1 million, including accrued interest, as discussed in the Debt Repurchases, Maturities and Other section within this Managements Discussion and Analysis.
Anticipated Cash Requirements
Our primary source of liquidity is cash on hand, cash flow from operations and borrowing capacity under our domestic receivables based credit facility, subject to certain limitations contained in our material financing agreements. A significant amount of our cash requirements are for debt service obligations. We anticipate cash interest requirements of approximately $1.1 billion for the remainder of 2014. At March 31, 2014, we had debt maturities totaling $429.3 million, $247.4 million, and $2.4 billion in 2014, 2015, and 2016, respectively. At March 31, 2014, we had $660.7 million of cash on our balance sheet including $216.7 million in consolidated cash balances held outside the U.S. by our subsidiaries, all of which is readily convertible into other foreign currencies
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including the U.S. dollar. It is our policy is to permanently reinvest the earnings of our non-U.S. subsidiaries as these earnings are generally redeployed in those jurisdictions for operating needs and continued functioning of their businesses. We have the ability and intent to indefinitely reinvest the undistributed earnings of consolidated subsidiaries based outside of the United States. If any excess cash held by our foreign subsidiaries were needed to fund operations in the United States, we could presently repatriate available funds without a requirement to accrue or pay U.S. taxes. This is a result of significant current and historic deficits in our foreign earnings and profits, which gives us flexibility to make future cash distributions as non-taxable returns of capital.
Our ability to fund our working capital, capital expenditures, debt service and other obligations, and to comply with the financial covenants under our financing agreements, depends on our future operating performance and cash from operations and our ability to generate cash from other liquidity-generating transactions, which are in turn subject to prevailing economic conditions and other factors, many of which are beyond our control. We are currently exploring, and expect to continue to explore, a variety of transactions to provide us with additional liquidity. We cannot assure you that we will enter into or consummate any such liquidity-generating transactions, or that such transactions will provide sufficient cash to satisfy our liquidity needs, and we cannot currently predict the impact that any such transaction, if consummated, would have on us. If our future operating performance does not meet our expectations or our plans materially change in an adverse manner or prove to be materially inaccurate, we may not be able to refinance the debt as currently contemplated. Our ability to refinance the debt will depend on the condition of the capital markets and our financial condition at the time. There can be no assurance that refinancing alternatives will be available on terms acceptable to us or at all. Even if refinancing alternatives are available to us, we may not find them suitable or at comparable interest rates to the indebtedness being refinanced. In addition, the terms of our existing or future debt agreements may restrict us from securing a refinancing on terms that are available to us at that time. If we are unable to obtain sources of refinancing or generate sufficient cash through liquidity-generating transactions, we could face substantial liquidity problems, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and on our ability to meet our obligations.
Our financing transactions during 2013 increased our annual interest expense by $267 million. Our increased interest payment obligations will reduce our liquidity over time, which could in turn reduce our financial flexibility and make us more vulnerable to changes in operating performance and economic downturns generally, and could negatively affect our ability to obtain additional financing in the future.
We frequently evaluate strategic opportunities both within and outside our existing lines of business. We expect from time to time to pursue acquisitions or dispositions, which could be material. We and our subsidiaries significant amount of indebtedness may limit our ability to pursue acquisitions. The terms of our existing or future debt agreements may also restrict our ability to engage in these transactions.
Our currently available sources of cash include cash on hand, cash flow from operations and borrowing capacity under our receivables based credit facility. We are also exploring various liquidity-generating transactions, and expect to continue to do so. Based on our current and anticipated levels of operations and conditions in our markets, we believe that cash on hand, cash flow from operations, borrowing capacity under our receivables based credit facility and cash from other liquidity-generating transactions will enable us to meet our working capital, capital expenditure, debt service and other funding requirements for at least the next 12 months. Significant assumptions underlie this belief, including, among other things, that we will continue to be successful in implementing our business strategy and that there will be no material adverse developments in our business, liquidity or capital requirements, and that we will be able to consummate liquidity-generating transactions in a timely manner and on terms acceptable to us. We cannot assure you that this will be the case. If our future cash flows from operations, financing sources and other liquidity-generating transactions are insufficient to pay our debt obligations as they mature or to fund our liquidity needs, we may be forced to reduce or delay our business activities and capital expenditures, sell material assets, seek additional capital or refinance our and our subsidiaries debt. We cannot assure you that we would be able to accomplish any of these alternatives on a timely basis or on satisfactory terms, if at all.
We were in compliance with the covenants contained in our material financing agreements as of March 31, 2014, including the maximum consolidated senior secured net debt to consolidated EBITDA limitation contained in our senior secured credit facilities. We believe our long-term plans, which include promoting spending in our industries and capitalizing on our diverse geographic and product opportunities, including the continued investment in our media and entertainment initiatives and continued deployment of digital displays, will enable us to continue
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generating cash flows from operations sufficient to meet our liquidity and funding requirements long term. However, our anticipated results are subject to significant uncertainty and there can be no assurance that we will be able to maintain compliance with these covenants. In addition, our ability to comply with these covenants may be affected by events beyond our control, including prevailing economic, financial and industry conditions. The breach of any covenants set forth in our financing agreements would result in a default thereunder. An event of default would permit the lenders under a defaulted financing agreement to declare all indebtedness thereunder to be due and payable prior to maturity. Moreover, the lenders under the receivables based facility under our senior secured credit facilities would have the option to terminate their commitments to make further extensions of credit thereunder. If we are unable to repay our obligations under any secured credit facility, the lenders could proceed against any assets that were pledged to secure such facility. In addition, a default or acceleration under any of our material financing agreements could cause a default under other of our obligations that are subject to cross-default and cross-acceleration provisions. The threshold amount for a cross-default under the senior secured credit facilities is $100.0 million.
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Sources of Capital
As of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013 and 2012, we had the following debt outstanding, net of cash and cash equivalents:
December 31, | ||||||||||||
(In millions) | March 31, 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | |||||||||
Senior Secured Credit Facilities: |
||||||||||||
Term loan A Facility |
$ | | | $ | 846.9 | |||||||
Term loan B Facility |
1,891.0 | 1,891.0 | 7,714.9 | |||||||||
Term loan CAsset Sale Facility |
33.0 | 34.8 | 513.7 | |||||||||
Term loan D Facility |
5,000.0 | 5,000.0 | | |||||||||
Term loan E Facility |
1,300.0 | 1,300.0 | | |||||||||
Receivables Based Facility(1) |
| 247.0 | | |||||||||
9% Priority Guarantee Notes due 2019 |
1,999.8 | 1,999.8 | 1,999.8 | |||||||||
9% Priority Guarantee Notes due 2021 |
1,750.0 | 1,750.0 | 1,750.0 | |||||||||
11.25% Priority Guarantee Notes due 2021 |
575.0 | 575.0 | | |||||||||
Other Secured Subsidiary Debt |
19.8 | 21.1 | 25.5 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Total Secured Debt |
12,568.6 | 12,818.7 | 12,850.8 | |||||||||
Senior Cash Pay Notes |
94.3 | 94.3 | 796.3 | |||||||||
Senior Toggle Notes |
127.9 | 127.9 | 829.8 | |||||||||
Senior Notes due 2021 |
1,645.2 | 1,404.2 | | |||||||||
Legacy Notes |
1,374.6 | 1,436.5 | 1,748.6 | |||||||||
Subsidiary Senior Notes due 2022 |
2,725.0 | 2,725.0 | 2,725.0 | |||||||||
Subsidiary Senior Subordinated Notes due 2020 |
2,200.0 | 2,200.0 | 2,200.0 | |||||||||
Other Subsidiary Debt |
0.9 | | 5.6 | |||||||||
Purchase accounting adjustments and original issue discount |
(312.2) | (322.4) | (409.0) | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Total Debt |
20,424.4 | 20,484.2 | 20,747.1 | |||||||||
Less: Cash and cash equivalents |
660.7 | 708.2 | 1,225.0 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
$ | 19,763.6 | $ | 19,776.0 | $ | 19,522.1 | |||||||
|
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|
|
(1) | The receivables based credit facility provides for borrowings of up to the lesser of $535 million (the revolving credit commitment) or the borrowing base amount, as defined under the receivables based facility, subject to certain limitations contained in our material financing agreements. |
Our subsidiaries have from time to time repurchased certain of our debt obligations and outstanding equity securities of CCOH and CCMH, and may in the future, as part of various financing and investment strategies, purchase additional outstanding indebtedness of us or our subsidiaries or outstanding equity securities of CCOH or CCMH, in tender offers, open market purchases, privately negotiated transactions or otherwise. We or our subsidiaries may also sell certain assets, securities or properties and use the proceeds to reduce our indebtedness. These purchases or sales, if any, could have a material positive or negative impact on our liquidity available to repay outstanding debt obligations or on our consolidated results of operations. These transactions could also require or result in amendments to the agreements governing outstanding debt obligations or changes in our leverage or other financial ratios, which could have a material positive or negative impact on our ability to comply with the covenants contained in our debt agreements. These transactions, if any, will depend on prevailing market conditions, our liquidity requirements, contractual restrictions and other factors. The amounts involved may be material.
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Senior Secured Credit Facilities
As of March 31, 2014, we had a total of $8.2 billion outstanding under our senior secured credit facilities, consisting of:
| a $1.9 billion Term Loan B, which matures on January 29, 2016; and |
| a $33.0 million Term Loan C, which matures on January 29, 2016; and |
| a $5.0 billion Term Loan D, which matures on January 30, 2019; and |
| a $1.3 billion Term Loan E, which matures on July 30, 2019. |
We may raise incremental Term Loans of up to (a) $1.5 billion, plus (b) the excess, if any, of (x) 0.65 times pro forma consolidated EBITDA (as calculated in the manner provided in the senior secured credit facilities documentation), over (y) $1.5 billion, plus (c) the aggregate amount of certain principal prepayments made in respect of the Term Loans under the senior secured credit facilities. Availability of such incremental Term Loans is subject, among other things, to the absence of any default, pro forma compliance with the financial covenant and the receipt of commitments by existing or additional financial institutions.
We are the primary borrower under the senior secured credit facilities, except that certain of our domestic restricted subsidiaries are co-borrowers under a portion of the Term Loan facilities.
Interest Rate and Fees
Borrowings under our senior secured credit facilities bear interest at a rate equal to an applicable margin plus, at our option, either (i) a base rate determined by reference to the higher of (A) the prime lending rate publicly announced by the administrative agent or (B) the Federal funds effective rate from time to time plus 0.50%, or (ii) a Eurocurrency rate determined by reference to the costs of funds for deposits for the interest period relevant to such borrowing adjusted for certain additional costs.
The margin percentages applicable to the Term Loan facilities are the following percentages per annum:
| with respect to loans under the Term Loan A, (i) 2.40% in the case of base rate loans and (ii) 3.40% in the case of Eurocurrency rate loans; and |
| with respect to loans under the Term Loan B and Term Loan C asset sale facility, (i) 2.65%, in the case of base rate loans and (ii) 3.65%, in the case of Eurocurrency rate loans; and |
| with respect to loans under the Term Loan D, (i) 5.75% in the case of base rate loans and (ii) 6.75% in the case of Eurocurrency rate loans; and |
| with respect to loans under the Term Loan E, (i) 6.50% in the case of base rate loans and (ii) 7.50% in the case of Eurocurrency rate loans. |
The margin percentages are subject to adjustment based upon our leverage ratio.
Prepayments
The senior secured credit facilities require us to prepay outstanding Term Loans, subject to certain exceptions, with:
| 50% (which percentage may be reduced to 25% and to 0% based upon our leverage ratio) of our annual excess cash flow (as calculated in accordance with our senior secured credit facilities), less any voluntary prepayments of Term Loans and subject to customary credits; |
| 100% of the net cash proceeds of sales or other dispositions of specified assets being marketed for sale (including casualty and condemnation events), subject to certain exceptions; |
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| 100% (which percentage may be reduced to 75% and 50% based upon our leverage ratio) of the net cash proceeds of sales or other dispositions by us or our wholly-owned restricted subsidiaries of assets other than specified assets being marketed for sale, subject to reinvestment rights and certain other exceptions; |
| 100% of the net cash proceeds of (i) any incurrence of certain debt, other than debt permitted under our senior secured credit facilities. (ii) certain securitization financing, (iii) certain issuances of Permitted Additional Notes (as defined in the senior secured credit facilities) and (iv) certain issuances of Permitted Unsecured Notes and Permitted Senior Secured Notes (as defined in the senior secured credit facilities); and |
| Net cash proceeds received by us as dividends or distributions from indebtedness incurred at CCOH provided that the Consolidated Leverage Ratio of CCOH is no greater than 7.00 to 1.00. |
The foregoing prepayments with the net cash proceeds of any incurrence of certain debt, other than debt permitted under our senior secured credit facilities, certain securitization financing, issuances of Permitted Additional Notes and annual excess cash flow will be applied, at our option, to the Term Loans (on a pro rata basis, other than that non-extended classes of Term Loans may be prepaid prior to any corresponding extended class), in each case (i) first to the Term Loans outstanding under Term Loan B and (ii) one of (w) second, to outstanding Term Loan Casset sale facility loans; third, to outstanding Term Loan D; and fourth, to outstanding Term Loan E, or (x) second, to outstanding Term Loan Casset sale facility loans; third, to outstanding Term Loan E; and fourth, to outstanding Term Loan D, or (y) second, to outstanding Term Loan Casset sale facility loans; and third, ratably to outstanding Term Loan D and Term Loan E, or (z) second, ratably to outstanding Term Loan Casset sale facility loans, Term Loan D and Term Loan E. In each case to the remaining installments thereof in direct order of maturity for the Term Loan Casset sale facility loans.
The foregoing prepayments with net cash proceeds of sales or other dispositions by us or our wholly-owned restricted subsidiaries of assets other than specified assets being marketed for sale, subject to reinvestment rights and certain other exceptions, will be applied (i) first to the Term Loan Casset sale facility loans in direct order of maturity, and (ii) one of (w) second, to outstanding Term Loan B; third, to outstanding Term Loan D; and fourth, to outstanding Term Loan E, or (x) second, to outstanding Term Loan B; third, to outstanding Term Loan E; and fourth, to outstanding Term Loan D, or (y) second, to outstanding Term Loan B; and third, ratably to outstanding Term Loan D and Term Loan E, or (z) second, ratably to outstanding Term Loan B, Term Loan D and Term Loan E.
The foregoing prepayments with net cash proceeds of issuances of Permitted Unsecured Notes and Permitted Senior Secured Notes and Net Cash Proceeds received by us as a distribution from indebtedness incurred by CCOH will be applied (i) first, ratably to outstanding Term Loan B and Term Loan C in direct order of maturity, second, to the outstanding Term Loan D and, third, to outstanding Term Loan E, (ii) first, ratably to outstanding Term Loan B and Term Loan C in direct order of maturity, second, to the outstanding Term Loan E and, third, to outstanding Term Loan D, (iii) first, ratably to outstanding Term Loan B and Term Loan C in direct order of maturity and, second, ratably to outstanding Term Loan D and Term Loan E or (iv) ratably to outstanding Term Loan B, Term Loan C, Term Loan D and Term Loan E.
We may voluntarily repay outstanding loans under the senior secured credit facilities at any time without premium or penalty, other than customary breakage costs with respect to Eurocurrency rate loans.
Amendments
On October 25, 2012, we amended the terms of our senior secured credit facilities (the Amendments). The Amendments, among other things: (i) permit exchange offers of Term Loans for new debt securities in an aggregate principal amount of up to $5.0 billion (including the $2.0 billion of 9.0% priority guarantee notes due 2019 issued in December 2012 as described under Refinancing Transactions below); (ii) provide us with greater flexibility to prepay tranche A Term Loans; (iii) following the repayment or extension of all tranche A Term Loans, permit below par non-pro rata purchases of Term Loans pursuant to customary Dutch auction procedures whereby all lenders of the class of Term Loans offered to be purchased will be offered an opportunity to participate; (iv) following the repayment or extension of all tranche A Term Loans, permit the repurchase of junior debt maturing before January 2016 with cash on hand in an amount not to exceed $200.0 million; (v) combine the Term
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Loan B, the delayed draw Term Loan 1 and the delayed draw Term Loan 2 under the senior secured credit facilities; (vi ) preserve revolving credit facility capacity in the event we repay all amounts outstanding under the revolving credit facility; and (vii) eliminate certain restrictions on the ability of CCOH and its subsidiaries to incur debt. On October 31, 2012, we repaid and permanently cancelled the commitments under our revolving credit facility, which was set to mature July 2014.
On February 28, 2013, we repaid all $846.9 million of loans outstanding under our Term Loan A facility.
On May 31, 2013, we further amended the terms of our senior secured credit facilities by extending a portion of Term Loan B and Term Loan C loans due 2016 through the creation of a new $5.0 billion Term Loan D due January 30, 2019. The amendment also permitted us to make applicable high yield discount obligation catch-up payments beginning after May 2018 with respect to the new Term Loan D and in June 2018 with respect to the outstanding notes, which were issued in connection with the exchange of a portion of the Senior Cash Pay Notes and Senior Toggle Notes.
In connection with the December 2013 refinancing discussed later, we further amended the terms of our senior secured credit facilities on December 18, 2013, to extend a portion of the Term Loan B and Term Loan C due 2016 through the creation of a new $1.3 billion Term Loan E due July 30, 2019.
Collateral and Guarantees
The senior secured credit facilities are guaranteed by us and each of our existing and future material wholly-owned domestic restricted subsidiaries, subject to certain exceptions.
All obligations under the senior secured credit facilities, and the guarantees of those obligations, are secured, subject to permitted liens, including prior liens permitted by the indenture governing our senior notes, and other exceptions, by:
| a lien on our capital stock; |
| 100% of the capital stock of any future material wholly-owned domestic license subsidiary that is not a Restricted Subsidiary under the indenture governing our senior notes; |
| certain assets that do not constitute principal property (as defined in the indenture governing our senior notes); |
| certain specified assets of ours and the guarantors that constitute principal property (as defined in the indenture governing our senior notes) securing obligations under the senior secured credit facilities up to the maximum amount permitted to be secured by such assets without requiring equal and ratable security under the indenture governing our senior notes; and |
| a lien on the accounts receivable and related assets securing our receivables based credit facility that is junior to the lien securing our obligations under such credit facility. |
Certain Covenants and Events of Default
The senior secured credit facilities require us to comply on a quarterly basis with a financial covenant limiting the ratio of consolidated secured debt, net of cash and cash equivalents, to consolidated EBITDA (as defined by our senior secured credit facilities) for the preceding four quarters. Our secured debt consists of the senior secured credit facilities, the receivables-based credit facility, the priority guarantee notes and certain other secured subsidiary debt. As required by the definition of consolidated EBITDA in our senior secured credit facilities, our consolidated EBITDA for the preceding four quarters of $1.9 billion is calculated as operating income (loss) before depreciation, amortization, impairment charges and other operating income (expense), net plus share-based compensation and is further adjusted for the following items: (i) costs incurred in connection with the closure and/or consolidation of facilities, retention charges, consulting fees and other permitted activities; (ii) extraordinary, non-recurring or unusual gains or losses or expenses and severance; (iii) non-cash charges; (iv) cash received from nonconsolidated affiliates; and (v) various other items.
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The following table reflects a reconciliation of consolidated EBITDA (as defined by our senior secured credit facilities) to operating income and net cash provided by operating activities for the four quarters ended March 31, 2014:
(In Millions) | Four Quarters Ended March 31, 2014 |
|||
Consolidated EBITDA (as defined by Clear Channels senior secured credit facilities) |
$ | 1,920.8 | ||
Less adjustments to consolidated EBITDA (as defined by Clear Channels senior secured credit facilities): |
||||
Cost incurred in connection with the closure and/or consolidation of facilities, retention charges, consulting fees, and other permitted activities |
(85.3) | |||
Extraordinary, non-recurring or unusual gains or losses or expenses and severance (as referenced in the definition of consolidated EBITDA in Clear Channels senior secured credit facilities) |
(28.7) | |||
Non-cash charges |
(37.4) | |||
Cash received from nonconsolidated affiliates |
(14.6) | |||
Other items |
(18.5) | |||
Less: Depreciation and amortization, Impairment charges, Other operating income (expense), net, and Share-based compensation expense |
(734.0) | |||
|
|
|||
Operating income |
1,002.3 | |||
Plus: Depreciation and amortization, Impairment charges, Other operating income (expense), net, and Share-based compensation expense |
734.0 | |||
Less: Interest expense |
(1,695.0) | |||
Less: Current income tax benefit |
(68.8) | |||
Plus: Other income (expense), net |
(19.4) | |||
Adjustments to reconcile consolidated net loss to net cash provided by operating activities (including Provision for doubtful accounts, Amortization of deferred financing charges and note discounts, net and Other reconciling items, net) |
155.1 | |||
Change in assets and liabilities, net of assets acquired and liabilities assumed |
99.7 | |||
|
|
|||
Net cash provided by operating activities |
$ | 207.9 | ||
|
|
The maximum ratio under this financial covenant is currently set at 9.00:1 and reduces to 8.75:1 for the four quarters ended December 31, 2014. At March 31, 2014, the ratio was 6.3:1.
In addition, the senior secured credit facilities include negative covenants that, subject to significant exceptions, limit our ability and the ability of our restricted subsidiaries to, among other things:
| incur additional indebtedness; |
| create liens on assets; |
| engage in mergers, consolidations, liquidations and dissolutions; |
| sell assets; |
| pay dividends and distributions or repurchase our capital stock; |
| make investments, loans, or advances; |
| prepay certain junior indebtedness; |
| engage in certain transactions with affiliates; |
| amend material agreements governing certain junior indebtedness; and |
| change lines of business. |
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The senior secured credit facilities include certain customary representations and warranties, affirmative covenants and events of default, including payment defaults, breach of representations and warranties, covenant defaults, cross-defaults to certain indebtedness, certain events of bankruptcy, certain events under ERISA, material judgments, the invalidity of material provisions of the senior secured credit facilities documentation, the failure of collateral under the security documents for the senior secured credit facilities, the failure of the senior secured credit facilities to be senior debt under the subordination provisions of certain of our subordinated debt and a change of control. If an event of default occurs, the lenders under the senior secured credit facilities will be entitled to take various actions, including the acceleration of all amounts due under the senior secured credit facilities and all actions permitted to be taken by a secured creditor.
Receivables Based Credit Facility
As of March 31, 2014, there were no borrowings outstanding under our receivables based credit facility.
The receivables based credit facility provides revolving credit commitments of $535.0 million, subject to a borrowing base. The borrowing base at any time equals 90% of the eligible accounts receivable of ours and certain of our subsidiaries. The receivables based credit facility includes a letter of credit sub-facility and a swingline loan sub-facility.
We and certain subsidiary borrowers are the borrowers under the receivables based credit facility. We have the ability to designate one or more of our restricted subsidiaries as borrowers under the receivables based credit facility. The receivables based credit facility loans and letters of credit are available in a variety of currencies including U.S. dollars, Euros, Pound Sterling, and Canadian dollars.
Interest Rate and Fees
Borrowings under the receivables based credit facility bear interest at a rate per annum equal to an applicable margin plus, at our option, either (i) a base rate determined by reference to the highest of (a) the prime rate of Citibank, N.A. and (b) the Federal Funds rate plus 0.50% or (ii) a Eurocurrency rate determined by reference to the rate (adjusted for statutory reserve requirements for Eurocurrency liabilities) for Eurodollar deposits for the interest period relevant to such borrowing. The applicable margin for borrowings under the receivables based credit facility ranges from 1.50% to 2.00% for Eurocurrency borrowings and from 0.50% to 1.00% for base-rate borrowings, depending on average excess availability under the receivables based credit facility during the prior fiscal quarter.
In addition to paying interest on outstanding principal under the receivables based credit facility, we are required to pay a commitment fee to the lenders under the receivables based credit facility in respect of the unutilized commitments thereunder. The commitment fee rate ranges from 0.25% to 0.375% per annum dependent upon average unused commitments during the prior quarter. We must also pay customary letter of credit fees.
Maturity
Borrowings under the receivables based credit facility will mature, and lending commitments thereunder will terminate, on the fifth anniversary of the effectiveness of the receivables based credit facility (December 24, 2017), provided that, (a) the maturity date will be October 31, 2015 if on October 30, 2015, greater than $500.0 million in aggregate principal amount is owing under certain of our Term Loan credit facilities, (b) the maturity date will be May 3, 2016 if on May 2, 2016 greater than $500.0 million aggregate principal amount of our 10.75% senior cash pay notes due 2016 and 11.00%/11.75% senior toggle notes due 2016 are outstanding and (c) in the case of any debt under clauses (a) and (b) that is amended or refinanced in any manner that extends the maturity date of such debt to a date that is on or before the date that is five years after the effectiveness of the receivables based credit facility, the maturity date will be one day prior to the maturity date of such debt after giving effect to such amendment or refinancing if greater than $500,000,000 in aggregate principal amount of such debt is outstanding.
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Prepayments
If at any time the sum of the outstanding amounts under the receivables based credit facility exceeds the lesser of (i) the borrowing base and (ii) the aggregate commitments under the facility, we will be required to repay outstanding loans and cash collateralize letters of credit in an aggregate amount equal to such excess. We may voluntarily repay outstanding loans under the receivables based credit facility at any time without premium or penalty, other than customary breakage costs with respect to Eurocurrency rate loans. Any voluntary prepayments we make will not reduce our commitments under the receivables based credit facility.
Guarantees and Security
The facility is guaranteed by, subject to certain exceptions, the guarantors of our senior secured credit facilities. All obligations under the receivables based credit facility, and the guarantees of those obligations, are secured by a perfected security interest in all of our and all of the guarantors accounts receivable and related assets and proceeds thereof that is senior to the security interest of our senior secured credit facilities in such accounts receivable and related assets and proceeds thereof, subject to permitted liens, including prior liens permitted by the indenture governing certain of our senior notes (the legacy notes), and certain exceptions.
Certain Covenants and Events of Default
If borrowing availability is less than the greater of (a) $50.0 million and (b) 10% of the aggregate commitments under the receivables based credit facility, in each case, for five consecutive business days (a Liquidity Event), we will be required to comply with a minimum fixed charge coverage ratio of at least 1.00 to 1.00 for fiscal quarters ending on or after the occurrence of the Liquidity Event, and will be continued to comply with this minimum fixed charge coverage ratio until borrowing availability exceeds the greater of (x) $50.0 million and (y) 10% of the aggregate commitments under the receivables based credit facility, in each case, for 30 consecutive calendar days, at which time the Liquidity Event shall no longer be deemed to be occurring. In addition, the receivables based credit facility includes negative covenants that, subject to significant exceptions, limit our ability and the ability of our restricted subsidiaries to, among other things:
| incur additional indebtedness; |
| create liens on assets; |
| engage in mergers, consolidations, liquidations and dissolutions; |
| sell assets; |
| pay dividends and distributions or repurchase capital stock; |
| make investments, loans, or advances; |
| prepay certain junior indebtedness; |
| engage in certain transactions with affiliates; |
| amend material agreements governing certain junior indebtedness; and |
| change lines of business. |
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The receivables based credit facility includes certain customary representations and warranties, affirmative covenants and events of default, including payment defaults, breach of representations and warranties, covenant defaults, cross-defaults to certain indebtedness, certain events of bankruptcy, certain events under ERISA, material judgments and a change of control. If an event of default occurs, the lenders under the receivables based credit facility will be entitled to take various actions, including the acceleration of all amounts due under our receivables based credit facility and all actions permitted to be taken by a secured creditor.
9% Priority Guarantee Notes Due 2019
As of March 31, 2014, we had outstanding $2.0 billion aggregate principal amount of 9.0% priority guarantee notes due 2019 (the Priority Guarantee Notes due 2019).
The Priority Guarantee Notes due 2019 mature on December 15, 2019 and bear interest at a rate of 9.0% per annum, payable semi-annually in arrears on June 15 and December 15 of each year, which began on June 15, 2013. The Priority Guarantee Notes due 2019 are our senior obligations and are fully and unconditionally guaranteed, jointly and severally, on a senior basis by the guarantors named in the indenture. The Priority Guarantee Notes due 2019 and the guarantors obligations under the guarantees are secured by (i) a lien on (a) our capital stock and (b) certain property and related assets that do not constitute principal property (as defined in the indenture governing certain legacy notes of ours), in each case equal in priority to the liens securing the obligations under our senior secured credit facilities and our priority guarantee notes due 2021, subject to certain exceptions, and (ii) a lien on the accounts receivable and related assets securing our receivables based credit facility junior in priority to the lien securing our obligations thereunder, subject to certain exceptions. In addition to the collateral granted to secure the Priority Guarantee Notes due 2019, the collateral agent and the trustee for the Priority Guarantee Notes due 2019 entered into an agreement with the administrative agent for the lenders under the senior secured credit facilities to turn over to the trustee under the Priority Guarantee Notes due 2019, for the benefit of the holders of the Priority Guarantee Notes due 2019, a pro rata share of any recovery received on account of the principal properties, subject to certain terms and conditions.
We may redeem the Priority Guarantee Notes due 2019 at our option, in whole or part, at any time prior to July 15, 2015, at a price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the Priority Guarantee Notes due 2019 redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest to the redemption date and plus an applicable premium. We may redeem the Priority Guarantee Notes due 2019, in whole or in part, on or after July 15, 2015, at the redemption prices set forth in the indenture plus accrued and unpaid interest to the redemption date. Prior to July 15, 2015, we may elect to redeem up to 40% of the aggregate principal amount of the Priority Guarantee Notes due 2019 at a redemption price equal to 109.0% of the principal amount thereof, plus accrued and unpaid interest to the redemption date, with the net proceeds of one or more equity offerings.
The indenture governing the Priority Guarantee Notes due 2019 contains covenants that limit our ability and the ability of our restricted subsidiaries to, among other things: (i) pay dividends, redeem stock or make other distributions or investments; (ii) incur additional debt or issue certain preferred stock; (iii) modify any of our existing senior notes; (iv) transfer or sell assets; (v) engage in certain transactions with affiliates; (vi) create restrictions on dividends or other payments by the restricted subsidiaries; and (vii) merge, consolidate or sell substantially all of our assets. The indenture contains covenants that limit our ability, Clear Channel Capital I, LLCs ability and the ability of our restricted subsidiaries to, among other things: (i) create liens on assets and (ii) materially impair the value of the security interests taken with respect to the collateral for the benefit of the notes collateral agent and the holders of the Priority Guarantee Notes due 2019. The indenture also provides for customary events of default.
9% Priority Guarantee Notes Due 2021
As of March 31, 2014, we had outstanding $1.75 billion aggregate principal amount of 9.0% priority guarantee notes due 2021 (the Priority Guarantee Notes due 2021).
The Priority Guarantee Notes due 2021 mature on March 1, 2021 and bear interest at a rate of 9.0% per annum, payable semi-annually in arrears on March 1 and September 1 of each year, which began on September 1, 2011. The Priority Guarantee Notes due 2021 are our senior obligations and are fully and unconditionally guaranteed, jointly and severally, on a senior basis by the guarantors named in the indenture. The Priority Guarantee
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Notes due 2021 and the guarantors obligations under the guarantees are secured by (i) a lien on (a) our capital stock and (b) certain property and related assets that do not constitute principal property (as defined in the indenture governing certain legacy notes of ours), in each case equal in priority to the liens securing the obligations under our senior secured credit facilities and the Priority Guarantee Notes due 2019, subject to certain exceptions, and (ii) a lien on the accounts receivable and related assets securing our receivables based credit facility junior in priority to the lien securing our obligations thereunder, subject to certain exceptions.
We may redeem the Priority Guarantee Notes due 2021 at our option, in whole or part, at any time prior to March 1, 2016, at a price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the Priority Guarantee Notes due 2021 redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest to the redemption date and plus an applicable premium. We may redeem the Priority Guarantee Notes due 2021, in whole or in part, on or after March 1, 2016, at the redemption prices set forth in the indenture plus accrued and unpaid interest to the redemption date. At any time on or before March 1, 2014, we could have elected to redeem up to 40% of the aggregate principal amount of the Priority Guarantee Notes due 2021 at a redemption price equal to 109.0% of the principal amount thereof, plus accrued and unpaid interest to the redemption date, with the net proceeds of one or more equity offerings.
The indenture governing the Priority Guarantee Notes due 2021 contains covenants that limit our ability and the ability of our restricted subsidiaries to, among other things: (i) pay dividends, redeem stock or make other distributions or investments; (ii) incur additional debt or issue certain preferred stock; (iii) modify any of our existing senior notes; (iv) transfer or sell assets; (v) engage in certain transactions with affiliates; (vi) create restrictions on dividends or other payments by the restricted subsidiaries; and (vii) merge, consolidate or sell substantially all of our assets. The indenture contains covenants that limit our ability, Clear Channel Capital I, LLCs ability and the ability of our restricted subsidiaries to, among other things: (i) create liens on assets and (ii) materially impair the value of the security interests taken with respect to the collateral for the benefit of the notes collateral agent and the holders of the Priority Guarantee Notes due 2021. The indenture also provides for customary events of default.
11.25% Priority Guarantee Notes Due 2021
As of March 31, 2014, we had outstanding $575.0 million aggregate principal amount of 11.25% Priority Guarantee Notes due 2021 (the 11.25% Priority Guarantee Notes).
The 11.25% Priority Guarantee Notes mature on March 1, 2021 and bear interest at a rate of 11.25% per annum, payable semi-annually on March 1 and September 1 of each year, which began on September 1, 2013. The 11.25% Priority Guarantee Notes are our senior obligations and are fully and unconditionally guaranteed, jointly and severally, on a senior basis by the guarantors named in the indenture governing such notes. The 11.25% Priority Guarantee Notes and the guarantors obligations under the guarantees are secured by (i) a lien on (a) our capital stock and (b) certain property and related assets that do not constitute principal property (as defined in the indenture governing the legacy notes of ours), in each case equal in priority to the liens securing the obligations under our senior secured credit facilities, our Priority Guarantee Notes due 2021 and our Priority Guarantee Notes due 2019, subject to certain exceptions, and (ii) a lien on the accounts receivable and related assets securing our receivables based credit facility junior in priority to the lien securing our obligations thereunder, subject to certain exceptions.
We may redeem the 11.25% Priority Guarantee Notes at our option, in whole or part, at any time prior to March 1, 2016, at a price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the 11.25% Priority Guarantee Notes redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest to the redemption date and plus an applicable premium. In addition, until March 1, 2016, we may elect to redeem up to 40% of the aggregate principal amount of the 11.25% Priority Guarantee Notes at a redemption price equal to 111.25% of the principal amount thereof, plus accrued and unpaid interest to the redemption date, with the net proceeds of one or more equity offerings. We may redeem the 11.25% Priority Guarantee Notes, in whole or in part, on or after March 1, 2016, at the redemption prices set forth in the indenture plus accrued and unpaid interest to the redemption date.
The indenture governing the 11.25% Priority Guarantee Notes contains covenants that limit our ability and the ability of our restricted subsidiaries to, among other things: (i) pay dividends, redeem stock or make other distributions or investments; (ii) incur additional debt or issue certain preferred stock; (iii) transfer or sell assets; (iv) engage in certain transactions with affiliates; (v) create restrictions on dividends or other payments by the
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restricted subsidiaries; and (vi) merge, consolidate or sell substantially all of our assets. The indenture contains covenants that limit our ability, Clear Channel Capital I, LLCs ability and the ability of our restricted subsidiaries to, among other things: (i) create liens on assets and (ii) materially impair the value of the security interests taken with respect to the collateral for the benefit of the notes collateral agent and the holders of the 11.25% Priority Guarantee Notes. The indenture also provides for customary events of default.
Subsidiary Senior Revolving Credit Facility Due 2018
During the third quarter of 2013, CCOH entered into a five-year senior secured revolving credit facility with an aggregate principal amount of $75.0 million. The revolving credit facility may be used for working capital, to issue letters of credit and for other general corporate purposes. At March 31, 2014, there were no amounts outstanding under the revolving credit facility, and $62.5 million of letters of credit under the revolving credit facility, which reduce availability under the facility.
Senior Cash Pay Notes and Senior Toggle Notes
As of March 31, 2014, we had outstanding $94.3 million aggregate principal amount of 10.75% senior cash pay notes due 2016 and $127.9 million aggregate principal amount of 11.00%/11.75% senior toggle notes due 2016.
The senior cash pay notes and senior toggle notes are unsecured and are guaranteed by Clear Channel Capital and each of our existing and future material wholly-owned domestic restricted subsidiaries, subject to certain exceptions. The senior cash pay notes and senior toggle notes mature on August 1, 2016 and the senior toggle notes may require a special redemption of up to $30.0 million on August 1, 2015. We may elect on each interest election date to pay all or 50% of such interest on the senior toggle notes in cash or by increasing the principal amount of the senior toggle notes or by issuing new senior toggle notes (such increase or issuance, PIK Interest). Interest on the senior toggle notes payable in cash will accrue at a rate of 11.00% per annum and PIK Interest will accrue at a rate of 11.75% per annum.
Prior to August 1, 2012, we were able to redeem some or all of the senior cash pay notes and senior toggle notes at a price equal to 100% of the principal amount of such notes plus accrued and unpaid interest thereon to the redemption date and an applicable premium, as described in the indenture governing such notes. Since August 1, 2012, we may redeem some or all of the senior cash pay notes and senior toggle notes at any time at the redemption prices set forth in the indenture governing such notes. If we undergo a change of control, sell certain of our assets, or issue certain debt, we may be required to offer to purchase the senior cash pay notes and senior toggle notes from holders.
The senior cash pay notes and senior toggle notes are senior unsecured debt and rank equal in right of payment with all of our existing and future senior debt. Guarantors of obligations under the senior secured credit facilities, the receivables based credit facility, the Priority Guarantee Notes due 2021, the Priority Guarantee Notes due 2019, and the 11.25% Priority Guarantee Notes guarantee the senior cash pay notes and senior toggle notes with unconditional guarantees that are unsecured and equal in right of payment to all existing and future senior debt of such guarantors, except that the guarantees are subordinated in right of payment only to the guarantees of obligations under the senior secured credit facilities, the receivables based credit facility, the Priority Guarantee Notes due 2021, the Priority Guarantee Notes due 2019, and the 11.25% Priority Guarantee Notes to the extent of the value of the assets securing such indebtedness. In addition, the senior cash pay notes and senior toggle notes and the guarantees are structurally senior to our senior notes and existing and future debt to the extent that such debt is not guaranteed by the guarantors of the senior cash pay notes and senior toggle notes. The senior cash pay notes and senior toggle notes and the guarantees are effectively subordinated to our existing and future secured debt and that of the guarantors to the extent of the value of the assets securing such indebtedness and are structurally subordinated to all obligations of subsidiaries that do not guarantee the senior cash pay notes and senior toggle notes.
On July 16, 2010, we made the election to pay interest on the senior toggle notes entirely in cash, effective for the interest period commencing August 1, 2010, and have continued to pay interest in cash for each subsequent interest period.
As discussed under Senior Notes due 2021 below, during 2013, we exchanged a portion of the senior cash pay notes and senior toggle notes for Senior Notes due 2021.
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Senior Notes due 2021
As of March 31, 2014, we had outstanding approximately $1.6 billion of aggregate principal amount of Senior Notes due 2021 (net of $199.1 million principal amount issued to, and held by, CC Finco).
On February 14, 2014, CC Finco, our indirect wholly-owned subsidiary, sold $227.0 million in aggregate principal amount of Senior Notes due 2021 to private purchasers in a transaction exempt from registration under the Securities Act. The purchasers validly tendered the Senior Notes due 2021 into our previously-announced registered exchange offer for the Senior Notes due 2021, which expired on February 20, 2014. Upon completion of the exchange offer, the purchasers of the Senior Notes due 2021, along with all other holders of the Senior Notes due 2021 who validly tendered such notes into the exchange offer, received Senior Notes due 2021 that were registered under the Securities Act. CC Finco contributed the net proceeds from the sale of the Senior Notes due 2021 to us. We intend to use such proceeds to repay, repurchase or otherwise acquire outstanding indebtedness from time to time and retire that indebtedness as it becomes due or upon its earlier repayment, repurchase or acquisition.
During the second quarter of 2013, we completed an exchange offer with certain holders of our senior cash pay notes and senior toggle notes pursuant to which we issued $1.2 billion aggregate principal amount (including $421.0 million principal amount issued to, and held by, a subsidiary of ours) of Senior Notes Due 2021. In the exchange offer, $348.1 million aggregate principal amount of senior cash pay notes was exchanged for $348.0 million aggregate principal amount of the Senior Notes due 2021, and $917.2 million aggregate principal amount of senior toggle notes was exchanged for $853.0 million aggregate principal amount of Senior Notes due 2021 and $64.2 million of cash, plus, in each case, cash in an amount equal to accrued and unpaid interest from the last interest payment date applicable on the senior cash pay notes and senior toggle notes to, but not including, the closing date of the exchange offer. The Senior Notes due 2021 mature on February 1, 2021. Interest on the Senior Notes due 2021 is payable semi-annually on February 1 and August 1 of each year, which began on August 1, 2013. Interest on the Senior Notes due 2021 will be paid at the rate of (i) 12.0% per annum in cash and (ii) 2.0% per annum through the issuance of payment-in-kind notes (the PIK Notes). Any PIK Notes issued in certificated form will be dated as of the applicable interest payment date and will bear interest from and after such date. All PIK Notes issued will mature on February 1, 2021 and have the same rights and benefits as the Senior Notes due 2021. The Senior Notes due 2021 are fully and unconditionally guaranteed on a senior basis by the guarantors named in the indenture governing such notes. The guarantee is structurally subordinated to all existing and future indebtedness and other liabilities of any subsidiary of the applicable subsidiary guarantor that is not also a guarantor of the Senior Notes due 2021. The guarantees are subordinated to the guarantees of our senior secured credit facility and certain other permitted debt, but rank equal to all other senior indebtedness of the guarantors.
During the fourth quarter of 2013, we completed an additional exchange offer with certain remaining holders of the senior cash pay notes and senior toggle notes pursuant to which we issued $622.5 million aggregate principal amount of Senior Notes due 2021. In the exchange offer, $353.8 million aggregate principal amount of senior cash pay notes was exchanged for $389.2 million aggregate principal amount of Senior Notes due 2021 and $14.2 million in cash, and $212.1 million aggregate principal amount of senior toggle notes was exchanged for $233.3 million aggregate principal amount of Senior Notes due 2021 and $8.5 million in cash, plus, in each case, cash in an amount equal to accrued and unpaid interest on the senior cash pay notes and senior toggle notes was netted against cash due for accrued interest on the Senior Notes due 2021 since the previous interest payment date.
We may redeem or purchase the Senior Notes due 2021 at our option, in whole or in part, at any time prior to August 1, 2015, at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount of Senior Notes due 2021 redeemed plus an applicable premium. In addition, until August 1, 2015, we may, at our option, on one or more occasions, redeem up to 60% of the then outstanding aggregate principal amount of Senior Notes due 2021 at a redemption price equal to (x) with respect to the first 30% of the then outstanding aggregate principal amount of the Senior Notes due 2021, 109.0% of the aggregate principal amount thereof and (y) with respect to the next 30% of the then outstanding aggregate principal amount of the Senior Notes due 2021, 112.0% of the aggregate principal amount thereof, in each case plus accrued and unpaid interest thereon to the applicable redemption date. We may redeem the Senior Notes due 2021, in whole or in part, on or after August 1, 2015, at the redemption prices set forth in the indenture plus accrued and unpaid interest to the redemption date.
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The indenture governing the Senior Notes due 2021 contains covenants that limit our ability and the ability of our restricted subsidiaries to, among other things: (i) incur additional indebtedness or issue certain preferred stock; (ii) pay dividends on, or make distributions in respect of, their capital stock or repurchase their capital stock; (iii) make certain investments or other restricted payments; (iv) sell certain assets; (v) create liens or use assets as security in other transactions; (vi) merge, consolidate or transfer or dispose of substantially all of their assets; (vii) engage in transactions with affiliates; and (viii) designate their subsidiaries as unrestricted subsidiaries.
Legacy Notes
As of March 31, 2014, we had outstanding approximately $1.4 billion aggregate principal amount of legacy notes outstanding (net of $303.1 million aggregate principal amount held by a subsidiary of ours), including the 2014 legacy notes and the 2015 legacy notes.
The legacy notes were our obligations prior to the merger by which CCMH acquired us. The legacy notes are senior, unsecured obligations that are effectively subordinated to our secured indebtedness to the extent of the value of our assets securing such indebtedness and are not guaranteed by any of our subsidiaries and, as a result, are structurally subordinated to all indebtedness and other liabilities of our subsidiaries. The legacy notes rank equally in right of payment with all of our existing and future senior indebtedness and senior in right of payment to all existing and future subordinated indebtedness.
CCWH Senior Notes
As of March 31, 2014, CCWH senior notes represented $2.7 billion aggregate principal amount of indebtedness outstanding, which consisted of $735.8 million aggregate principal amount of Series A Senior Notes due 2022 (the Series A CCWH Senior Notes) and $1,989.3 million aggregate principal amount of Series B CCWH Senior Notes due 2022 (the Series B CCWH Senior Notes). The CCWH Senior Notes are guaranteed by CCOH, Clear Channel Outdoor, Inc. (CCOI) and certain of CCOHs direct and indirect subsidiaries. The proceeds from the issuance of the CCWH Senior Notes were used to fund the repurchase of the Existing CCWH Senior Notes.
We capitalized $30.0 million in fees and expenses associated with the CCWH Senior Notes offering and an original issue discount of $7.4 million. We are amortizing the capitalized fees and discount through interest expense over the life of the CCWH Senior Notes.
The CCWH Senior Notes are senior obligations that rank pari passu in right of payment to all unsubordinated indebtedness of CCWH and the guarantees of the CCWH Senior Notes rank pari passu in right of payment to all unsubordinated indebtedness of the guarantors. Interest on the CCWH Senior Notes is payable to the trustee weekly in arrears and to the noteholders on May 15 and November 15 of each year, which began on May 15, 2013.
At any time prior to November 15, 2017, CCWH may redeem the CCWH Senior Notes, in whole or in part, at a price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the CCWH Senior Notes plus a make-whole premium, together with accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to the redemption date. CCWH may redeem the CCWH Senior Notes, in whole or in part, on or after November 15, 2017, at the redemption prices set forth in the applicable indenture governing the CCWH Senior Notes plus accrued and unpaid interest to the redemption date. At any time on or before November 15, 2015, CCWH may elect to redeem up to 40% of the then outstanding aggregate principal amount of the CCWH Senior Notes at a redemption price equal to 106.500% of the principal amount thereof, plus accrued and unpaid interest to the redemption date, with the net proceeds of one or more equity offerings, subject to certain restrictions. Notwithstanding the foregoing, neither CCOH nor any of its subsidiaries is permitted to make any purchase of, or otherwise effectively cancel or retire any Series A CCWH Senior Notes or Series B CCWH Senior Notes if, after giving effect thereto and, if applicable, any concurrent purchase of or other addition with respect to any Series B CCWH Senior Notes or Series A CCWH Senior Notes, as applicable, the ratio of (a) the outstanding aggregate principal amount of the Series A CCWH Senior Notes to (b) the outstanding aggregate principal amount of the Series B CCWH Senior Notes shall be greater than 0.25, subject to certain exceptions.
The indenture governing the Series A CCWH Senior Notes contains covenants that limit CCOH and its restricted subsidiaries ability to, among other things:
| incur or guarantee additional debt to persons other than us and our subsidiaries (other than CCOH) or issue certain preferred stock; |
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| create liens on its restricted subsidiaries assets to secure such debt; |
| create restrictions on the payment of dividends or other amounts to CCOH from its restricted subsidiaries that are not guarantors of the CCWH Senior Notes; |
| enter into certain transactions with affiliates; |
| merge or consolidate with another person, or sell or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of its assets; and |
| sell certain assets, including capital stock of its subsidiaries, to persons other than us and our subsidiaries (other than CCOH). |
In addition, the indenture governing the Series A CCWH Senior Notes provides that if CCWH (i) makes an optional redemption of the Series B CCWH Senior Notes or purchases or makes an offer to purchase the Series B CCWH Senior Notes at or above 100% of the principal amount thereof, then CCWH shall apply a pro rata amount to make an optional redemption or purchase a pro rata amount of the Series A CCWH Senior Notes or (ii) makes an asset sale offer under the indenture governing the Series B CCWH Senior Notes, then CCWH shall apply a pro rata amount to make an offer to purchase a pro rata amount of Series A CCWH Senior Notes.
The indenture governing the Series A CCWH Senior Notes does not include limitations on dividends, distributions, investments or asset sales.
The indenture governing the Series B CCWH Senior Notes contains covenants that limit CCOH and its restricted subsidiaries ability to, among other things:
| incur or guarantee additional debt or issue certain preferred stock; |
| redeem, repurchase or retire CCOHs subordinated debt; |
| make certain investments; |
| create liens on its or its restricted subsidiaries assets to secure debt; |
| create restrictions on the payment of dividends or other amounts to it from its restricted subsidiaries that are not guarantors of the CCWH Senior Notes; |
| enter into certain transactions with affiliates; |
| merge or consolidate with another person, or sell or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of its assets; |
| sell certain assets, including capital stock of its subsidiaries; |
| designate its subsidiaries as unrestricted subsidiaries; and |
| pay dividends, redeem or repurchase capital stock or make other restricted payments. |
The Series A CCWH Senior Notes indenture and Series B CCWH Senior Notes indenture restrict CCOHs ability to incur additional indebtedness but permit CCOH to incur additional indebtedness based on an incurrence test. In order to incur (i) additional indebtedness under this test, CCOHs debt to adjusted EBITDA ratios (as defined by the indentures) must be lower than 7.0:1 and 5.0:1 for total debt and senior debt, respectively, and (ii) additional indebtedness that is subordinated to the CCWH Senior Notes under this test, CCOHs debt to adjusted EBITDA ratios (as defined by the indentures) must not be lower than 7.0:1 for total debt. The indentures contain certain other exceptions that allow CCOH to incur additional indebtedness. The Series B CCWH Senior Notes indenture also permits CCOH to pay dividends from the proceeds of indebtedness or the proceeds from asset sales if its debt to adjusted EBITDA ratios (as defined by the indentures) are lower than 7.0:1 and 5.0:1 for total debt and senior debt,
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respectively. The Series A CCWH Senior Notes indenture does not limit CCOHs ability to pay dividends. The Series B CCWH Senior Notes indenture contains certain exceptions that allow CCOH to pay dividends, including (i) $525.0 million of dividends made pursuant to general restricted payment baskets and (ii) dividends made using proceeds received upon a demand by CCOH of amounts outstanding under the revolving promissory note issued by us to CCOH.
CCWH Senior Subordinated Notes
As of March 31, 2014, CCWH Subordinated Notes represented $2.2 billion of aggregate principal amount of indebtedness outstanding, which consist of $275.0 million aggregate principal amount of 7.625% Series A Senior Subordinated Notes due 2020 (the Series A CCWH Subordinated Notes) and $1,925.0 million aggregate principal amount of 7.625% Series B Senior Subordinated Notes due 2020 (the Series B CCWH Subordinated Notes). Interest on the CCWH Subordinated Notes is payable to the trustee weekly in arrears and to the noteholders on March 15 and September 15 of each year, which began on September 15, 2012.
The CCWH Subordinated Notes are CCWHs senior subordinated obligations and are fully and unconditionally guaranteed, jointly and severally, on a senior subordinated basis by CCOH, CCOI and certain of CCOHs other domestic subsidiaries. The CCWH Subordinated Notes are unsecured senior subordinated obligations that rank junior to all of CCWHs existing and future senior debt, including the CCWH Senior Notes, equally with any of CCWHs existing and future senior subordinated debt and ahead of all of CCWHs existing and future debt that expressly provides that it is subordinated to the CCWH Subordinated Notes. The guarantees of the CCWH Subordinated Notes rank junior to each guarantors existing and future senior debt, including the CCWH Senior Notes, equally with each guarantors existing and future senior subordinated debt and ahead of each guarantors existing and future debt that expressly provides that it is subordinated to the guarantees of the CCWH Subordinated Notes.
At any time prior to March 15, 2015, CCWH may redeem the CCWH Subordinated Notes, in whole or in part, at a price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the CCWH Subordinated Notes plus a make-whole premium, together with accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to the redemption date. CCWH may redeem the CCWH Subordinated Notes, in whole or in part, on or after March 15, 2015, at the redemption prices set forth in the applicable indenture governing the CCWH Subordinated Notes plus accrued and unpaid interest to the redemption date. At any time on or before March 15, 2015, CCWH may elect to redeem up to 40% of the then outstanding aggregate principal amount of the CCWH Subordinated Notes at a redemption price equal to 107.625% of the principal amount thereof, plus accrued and unpaid interest to the redemption date, with the net proceeds of one or more equity offerings, subject to certain restrictions. Notwithstanding the foregoing, neither CCOH nor any of its subsidiaries is permitted to make any purchase of, or otherwise effectively cancel or retire any Series A CCWH Subordinated Notes or Series B CCWH Subordinated Notes if, after giving effect thereto and, if applicable, any concurrent purchase of or other addition with respect to any Series B CCWH Subordinated Notes or Series A CCWH Subordinated Notes, as applicable, the ratio of (a) the outstanding aggregate principal amount of the Series A CCWH Subordinated Notes to (b) the outstanding aggregate principal amount of the Series B CCWH Subordinated Notes shall be greater than 0.25, subject to certain exceptions.
We capitalized $40.0 million in fees and expenses associated with the CCWH Subordinated Notes offering and are amortizing them through interest expense over the life of the CCWH Subordinated Notes.
The indenture governing the Series A CCWH Subordinated Notes contains covenants that limit CCOH and its restricted subsidiaries ability to, among other things:
| incur or guarantee additional debt to persons other than us and our subsidiaries (other than CCOH) or issue certain preferred stock; |
| create restrictions on the payment of dividends or other amounts to CCOH from its restricted subsidiaries that are not guarantors of the notes; |
| enter into certain transactions with affiliates; |
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| merge or consolidate with another person, or sell or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of CCOHs assets; and |
| sell certain assets, including capital stock of CCOHs subsidiaries, to persons other than us and our subsidiaries (other than CCOH). |
In addition, the indenture governing the Series A CCWH Subordinated Notes provides that if CCWH (i) makes an optional redemption of the Series B CCWH Subordinated Notes or purchases or makes an offer to purchase the Series B CCWH Subordinated Notes at or above 100% of the principal amount thereof, then CCWH shall apply a pro rata amount to make an optional redemption or purchase a pro rata amount of the Series A CCWH Subordinated Notes or (ii) makes an asset sale offer under the indenture governing the Series B CCWH Subordinated Notes, then CCWH shall apply a pro rata amount to make an offer to purchase a pro rata amount of Series A CCWH Subordinated Notes.
The indenture governing the Series A CCWH Subordinated Notes does not include limitations on dividends, distributions, investments or asset sales.
The indenture governing the Series B CCWH Subordinated Notes contains covenants that limit CCOH and its restricted subsidiaries ability to, among other things:
| incur or guarantee additional debt or issue certain preferred stock; |
| make certain investments; |
| create restrictions on the payment of dividends or other amounts to CCOH from its restricted subsidiaries that are not guarantors of the notes; |
| enter into certain transactions with affiliates; |
| merge or consolidate with another person, or sell or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of CCOHs assets; |
| sell certain assets, including capital stock of CCOHs subsidiaries; |
| designate CCOHs subsidiaries as unrestricted subsidiaries; and |
| pay dividends, redeem or repurchase capital stock or make other restricted payments. |
The Series A CCWH Subordinated Notes indenture and Series B CCWH Subordinated Notes indenture restrict CCOHs ability to incur additional indebtedness but permit CCOH to incur additional indebtedness based on an incurrence test. In order to incur additional indebtedness under this test, CCOHs debt to adjusted EBITDA ratios (as defined by the indentures) must be lower than 7.0:1. The indentures contain certain other exceptions that allow CCOH to incur additional indebtedness. The Series B CCWH Subordinated Notes indenture also permits CCOH to pay dividends from the proceeds of indebtedness or the proceeds from asset sales if its debt to adjusted EBITDA ratios (as defined by the indentures) is lower than 7.0:1. The Series A CCWH Senior Subordinated Notes indenture does not limit CCOHs ability to pay dividends. The Series B CCWH Subordinated Notes indenture contains certain exceptions that allow CCOH to pay dividends, including (i) $525.0 million of dividends made pursuant to general restricted payment baskets and (ii) dividends made using proceeds received upon a demand by CCOH of amounts outstanding under the revolving promissory note issued by us to CCOH.
With the proceeds of the CCWH Subordinated Notes (net of the initial purchasers discount of $33.0 million), CCWH loaned an aggregate amount equal to $2,167.0 million to CCOI. CCOI paid all other fees and expenses of the offering using cash on hand and, with the proceeds of the loans, made a special cash dividend to CCOH, which in turn made a special cash dividend on March 15, 2012 in an amount equal to $6.0832 per share to its Class A and Class B stockholders of record at the close of business on March 12, 2012, including Clear Channel Holdings, Inc. (CC Holdings) and CC Finco, both wholly-owned subsidiaries of ours. Of the $2,170.4 million special cash dividend paid by CCOH, an aggregate of $1,925.7 million was distributed to CC Holdings and CC Finco, with the remaining $244.7 million distributed to other stockholders. As a result, we recorded a reduction of $244.7 million in Noncontrolling interest on the consolidated balance sheet.
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Refinancing Transactions
2011 Refinancing Transactions
In February 2011, we amended our senior secured credit facilities and our receivables based facility and issued the Initial Priority Guarantee Notes due 2021. In June 2011, we issued the Additional Priority Guarantee Notes due 2021 at an issue price of 93.845% of the principal amount. The Initial Priority Guarantee Notes due 2021 and the Additional Priority Guarantee Notes due 2021 have identical terms and are treated as a single class.
We capitalized $39.5 million in fees and expenses associated with the Initial Priority Guarantee Notes due 2021 offering and are amortizing them through interest expense over the life of the Initial Priority Guarantee Notes due 2021. We capitalized an additional $7.1 million in fees and expenses associated with the offering of the Additional Priority Guarantee Notes due 2021 and are amortizing them through interest expense over the life of the Additional Priority Guarantee Notes due 2021.
We used the proceeds of the Initial Priority Guarantee Notes due 2021 offering to prepay $500.0 million of the indebtedness outstanding under our senior secured credit facilities. The $500.0 million prepayment was allocated on a ratable basis between outstanding Term Loans and revolving credit commitments under our revolving credit facility.
We obtained, concurrent with the offering of the Initial Priority Guarantee Notes due 2021, amendments to our credit agreements with respect to our senior secured credit facilities and our receivables based facility (revolving credit commitments under the receivables based facility were reduced from $783.5 million to $625.0 million), which were required as a condition to complete the offering. The amendments, among other things, permit us to request future extensions of the maturities of our senior secured credit facilities, provide us with greater flexibility in the use of our accordion capacity, provide us with greater flexibility to incur new debt, provided that the proceeds from such new debt are used to pay down senior secured credit facility indebtedness, and provide greater flexibility for CCOH and its subsidiaries to incur new debt, provided that the net proceeds distributed to us from the issuance of such new debt are used to pay down senior secured credit facility indebtedness.
Of the $703.8 million of proceeds from the issuance of the Additional Priority Guarantee Notes due 2021 ($750.0 million aggregate principal amount net of $46.2 million of discount), we used $500.0 million for general corporate purposes (to replenish cash on hand that was previously used to pay senior notes at maturity on March 15, 2011 and May 15, 2011) and used the remaining $203.8 million to repay at maturity a portion of our 5% senior notes that matured in March 2012.
2012 Refinancing Transactions
In March 2012, CCWH issued $275.0 million aggregate principal amount of the Series A CCWH Subordinated Notes and $1,925.0 million aggregate principal amount of the Series B CCWH Subordinated Notes and in connection therewith, CCOH distributed a dividend of $6.0832 per share to its stockholders of record. Using the CCOH dividend proceeds distributed to our wholly-owned subsidiaries, together with cash on hand, we repaid $2,096.2 million of indebtedness under our senior secured credit facilities.
In November 2012, CCWH issued $735.8 million aggregate principal amount of the Series A CCWH Senior Notes, which were issued at an issue price of 99.0% of par, and $1,989.3 million aggregate principal amount of the Series B CCWH Senior Notes, which were issued at par. CCWH used the net proceeds from the offering of the CCWH Senior Notes, together with cash on hand, to fund the tender offer for and redemption of the Existing CCWH Senior Notes.
During December 2012, we exchanged $2.0 billion aggregate principal amount of Term Loans under our senior secured credit facilities for a like principal amount of newly issued Priority Guarantee Notes due 2019. The exchange offer, which was offered to eligible existing lenders under our senior secured credit facilities, was exempt from registration under the Securities Act. We capitalized $11.9 million in fees and expenses associated with the offering and are amortizing them through interest expense over the life of the notes.
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2013 Refinancing Transactions
In February 2013, we issued $575.0 million aggregate principal amount of the outstanding 11.25% Priority Guarantee Notes and used the net proceeds of such notes, together with the proceeds of borrowings under our receivables based credit facility and cash on hand, to prepay all $846.9 million of loans outstanding under our Term Loan A and to pay related fees and expenses.
During June 2013, we amended our senior secured credit facility by extending a portion of Term Loan B and Term Loan C loans due 2016 through the creation of a new $5.0 billion Term Loan D due January 30, 2019. The amendment also permitted us to make applicable high yield discount obligation catch-up payments beginning in May 2018 with respect to the new Term Loan D and any notes issued in connection with our exchange of our outstanding 10.75% senior cash pay notes due 2016 and 11.00%/11.75% senior toggle notes due 2016.
During June 2013, we exchanged $348.1 million aggregate principal amount of senior cash pay notes for $348.0 million aggregate principal amount of the Senior Notes due 2021 and $917.2 million aggregate principal amount of senior toggle notes (including $452.7 million aggregate principal amount held by a subsidiary of ours) for $853.0 million aggregate principal amount of Senior Notes due 2021 (including $421.0 million aggregate principal amount issued to a subsidiary of ours) and $64.2 million of cash (including $31.7 million of cash paid to a subsidiary of ours), pursuant to the exchange offer. In connection with the exchange offer and the senior secured credit facility amendment, both of which were accounted for as modifications of existing debt in accordance with ASC 470-50, we incurred expenses of $17.9 million which are included in Other income (expenses), net.
Further, in December 2013, we exchanged an additional $353.8 million aggregate principal amount of senior cash pay notes for $389.2 million aggregate principal amount of the Senior Notes due 2021 and $14.2 million of cash as well as an additional $212.1 million aggregate principal amount of senior toggle notes for $233.3 million aggregate principal amount of Senior Notes due 2021 and $8.5 million of cash, pursuant to the exchange offer. In connection with the exchange offer, which was accounted for as extinguishment of existing debt in accordance with ASC 470-50, we incurred expenses of $84.0 million, which are included in Loss on extinguishment of debt.
In addition, during December 2013, we amended our senior secured credit facility by extending a portion of Term Loan B and Term Loan C loans due 2016 through the creation of a new $1.3 billion Term Loan E due July 30, 2019. In connection with the senior secured credit facility amendment, which was accounted for as modifications of existing debt, we incurred expenses of $5.5 million which are included in Other income (expenses), net.
Dispositions and Other
Three Months Ended March 31, 2014
We owned a 50% interest in ARN. An impairment charge of $95.4 million was recorded during the fourth quarter of 2013 to write down the investment to its estimated fair value. On February 18, 2014, we sold our 50% interest in ARN recognizing a loss on the sale of $2.4 million and $11.5 million of foreign exchange losses that were reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income at the date of the sale.
2013
During 2013, our Americas outdoor segment divested certain outdoor advertising assets in Times Square for approximately $18.7 million resulting in a gain of $12.2 million. In addition, our CCME segment exercised a put option that sold five radio stations in the Green Bay market for approximately $17.6 million and recorded a gain of $0.5 million. These net gains are included in Other operating income, net.
We sold our shares of Sirius XM Radio, Inc. for $135.5 million and recognized a gain on the sale of securities of $130.9 million. This net gain is included in Gain on sale of marketable securities.
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2012
During 2012, our International outdoor segment sold its international neon business and its outdoor advertising business in Romania, resulting in an aggregate gain of $39.7 million included in Other operating income, net.
2011
During 2011, we divested and exchanged 27 radio stations for approximately $22.7 million and recorded a loss of $0.5 million in Other operating income, net.
Uses of Capital
Debt Repurchases, Maturities and Other
Three Months Ended March 31, 2014
During February 2014, we repaid all principal amounts outstanding under our receivables based credit facility, using cash on hand. This voluntary repayment did not reduce the commitments under this facility and we have the ability to redraw amounts under this facility at any time.
During March 2014, CC Finco repurchased, through open market purchases, a total of $61.9 million aggregate principal amount of notes, comprised of $52.9 million of our outstanding 5.5% Senior Notes due 2014 and $9.0 million of our outstanding 4.9% Senior Notes due 2015, for a total purchase price of $63.1 million, including accrued interest. We cancelled these notes subsequent to the purchase.
2013
During August 2013, we made a $25.3 million scheduled applicable high-yield discount obligation payment to the holders of the senior toggle notes.
During February 2013, using the proceeds from the issuance of the 11.25% Priority Guarantee Notes along with borrowings under the receivables based credit facility of $269.5 million and cash on hand, we prepaid all $846.9 million outstanding under our Term Loan A under our senior secured credit facilities. We recorded a loss of $3.9 million in Loss on extinguishment of debt related to the accelerated expensing of loan fees.
During January 2013, we repaid our 5.75% senior notes at maturity for $312.1 million (net of $187.9 million principal amount repaid to a subsidiary of ours with respect to notes repurchased and held by such entity), plus accrued interest, using cash on hand.
2012
During November 2012, CCWH repurchased $1,724.7 million aggregate principal amount of the Existing CCWH Senior Notes in a tender offer for the Existing CCWH Senior Notes. Simultaneously with the early settlement of the tender offer, CCWH called for redemption all of the remaining $775.3 million aggregate principal amount of Existing CCWH Senior Notes that were not purchased on the early settlement date of the tender offer. In connection with the redemption, CCWH satisfied and discharged its obligations under the Existing CCWH Senior Notes indentures by depositing with the trustee sufficient funds to pay the redemption price, plus accrued and unpaid interest on the remaining outstanding Existing CCWH Senior Notes to, but not including, the December 19, 2012 redemption date.
During October 2012, we consummated a private exchange offer of $2.0 billion aggregate principal amount of Term Loans under our senior secured credit facilities for a like principal amount of newly issued Priority Guarantee Notes due 2019. The exchange offer was available only to eligible lenders under the senior secured credit facilities, and the Priority Guarantee Notes due 2019 were offered only in reliance on exemptions from registration under the Securities Act.
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In connection with the issuance of the CCWH Subordinated Notes, CCOH paid the $2,170.4 million CCOH dividend on March 15, 2012 to its Class A and Class B stockholders, consisting of $1,925.7 million distributed to CC Holdings and CC Finco and $244.7 million distributed to other stockholders. In connection with the Subordinated Notes issuance and CCOH dividend, we repaid indebtedness under our senior secured credit facilities in an amount equal to the aggregate amount of dividend proceeds distributed to CC Holdings and CC Finco, or $1,925.7 million. Of this amount, a prepayment of $1,918.1 million was applied to indebtedness outstanding under our revolving credit facility, thus permanently reducing the revolving credit commitments under our revolving credit facility to $10.0 million. During the fourth quarter of 2012, the revolving credit facility was permanently paid off and terminated using available cash on hand. The remaining $7.6 million prepayment was allocated on a pro rata basis to our Term Loan facilities.
In addition, on March 15, 2012, using cash on hand, we made voluntary prepayments under our senior secured credit facilities in an aggregate amount equal to $170.5 million, as follows: (i) $16.2 million under our Term Loan A due 2014, (ii) $129.8 million under our Term Loan B due 2016, (iii) $10.0 million under our Term Loan C due 2016 and (iv) $14.5 million under our delayed draw Term Loans due 2016. In connection with the prepayments on our senior secured credit facilities, we recorded a loss of $15.2 million in Loss on extinguishment of debt related to the accelerated expensing of loan fees.
During March 2012, we repaid our 5.0% senior notes at maturity for $249.9 million (net of $50.1 million principal amount repaid to a subsidiary of ours with respect to notes repurchased and held by such entity), plus accrued interest, using a portion of the proceeds from the June 2011 offering of the Additional Notes, along with cash on hand.
2011
During 2011, CC Finco repurchased certain of our outstanding senior notes through open market repurchases as shown in the table below. Notes repurchased and held by CC Finco are eliminated in consolidation.
(In thousands) | Year Ended December 31, 2011 |
|||
CC Finco, LLC |
||||
Principal amount of debt repurchased |
$ | 80,000 | ||
Purchase accounting adjustments(1) |
(20,476) | |||
Gain recorded in Loss on extinguishment of debt(2) |
(4,274) | |||
|
|
|||
Cash paid for repurchases of long-term debt |
$ | 55,250 | ||
|
|
(1) | Represents unamortized fair value purchase accounting discounts recorded as a result of the merger. |
(2) | CC Finco repurchased certain of our senior notes at a discount, resulting in a gain on the extinguishment of debt. |
During 2011, we repaid our 6.25% senior notes at maturity for $692.7 million (net of $57.3 million principal amount repaid to a subsidiary of ours with respect to notes repurchased and held by such entity), plus accrued interest, using a portion of the proceeds from the February 2011 offering of the Initial Notes, along with available cash on hand. We also repaid our 4.4% senior notes at maturity for $140.2 million (net of $109.8 million principal amount repaid to a subsidiary of ours with respect to notes repurchased and held by such entity), plus accrued interest, with available cash on hand. Prior to, and in connection with the June 2011 offering, we repaid all amounts outstanding under our receivables based credit facility on June 8, 2011, using cash on hand. This voluntary repayment did not reduce the commitments under this facility and we may reborrow amounts under this facility at any time. In addition, on June 27, 2011, we made a voluntary payment of $500.0 million on our revolving credit facility. Furthermore, CC Finco repurchased $80.0 million aggregate principal amount of our outstanding 5.5% senior notes due 2014 for $57.1 million, including accrued interest, through an open market purchase.
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Capital Expenditures
Capital expenditures for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011 were as follows:
(In millions) | Three Months Ended |
Years Ended December 31,
|
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March 31, 2014 |
2013 | 2012 | 2011 | |||||||||||||
CCME |
$ | 10.3 | $ | 75.8 | $ | 65.8 | $ | 50.2 | ||||||||
Americas outdoor advertising |
12.2 | 89.0 | 117.7 | 122.5 | ||||||||||||
International outdoor advertising |
25.1 | 108.5 | 150.1 | 166.0 | ||||||||||||
Corporate and Other |
19.8 | 51.2 | 56.7 | 25.3 | ||||||||||||
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|||||||||
Total capital expenditures |
$ | 67.4 | $ | 324.5 | $ | 390.3 | $ | 364.0 | ||||||||
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Our capital expenditures are not of significant size individually and primarily relate to the ongoing deployment of digital displays and recurring maintenance in our Americas outdoor segment as well as new billboard and street furniture contracts and renewals of existing contracts in our International outdoor segment, studio and broadcast equipment at CCME and software at Corporate.
Dividends
We have not paid cash dividends on our common stock since the merger in 2008 and our ability to pay dividends is subject to restrictions should we seek to do so in the future. Our debt financing arrangements include restrictions on our ability to pay dividends as described in this Managements Discussion and Analysis.
Acquisitions
During 2012, we completed the acquisition of WOR-AM in New York City for $30.0 million and WFNX in Boston for $14.5 million. These acquisitions resulted in an aggregate increase of $5.3 million to property plant and equipment, $15.2 million to intangible assets and $24.7 million to goodwill, in addition to $0.7 million of assumed liabilities.
During 2011, we completed our traffic acquisition for $24.3 million to add a complementary traffic operation to our existing traffic business. Immediately after closing, the acquired subsidiaries repaid pre-existing, intercompany debt owed in the amount of $95.0 million. During 2011, we also acquired Brouwer & Partners, a street furniture business in Holland, for $12.5 million.
Stock Purchases
On August 9, 2010, we announced that our board of directors approved a stock purchase program under which we or our subsidiaries may purchase up to an aggregate of $100 million of the Class A common stock of CCMH and/or the Class A common stock of CCOH. The stock purchase program does not have a fixed expiration date and may be modified, suspended or terminated at any time at our discretion. During 2011, CC Finco purchased 1,553,971 shares of CCOHs Class A common stock through open market purchases for approximately $16.4 million. During 2012, CC Finco purchased 111,291 shares of CCMHs Class A common stock for $692,887.
Certain Relationships with the Sponsors
We are party to a management agreement with certain affiliates of the Sponsors and certain other parties pursuant to which such affiliates of the Sponsors will provide management and financial advisory services until 2018. These agreements require management fees to be paid to such affiliates of the Sponsors for such services at a rate not greater than $15.0 million per year, plus reimbursable expenses. For the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, we recognized management fees and reimbursable expenses of $4.0 million and $4.1 million, respectively. For the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, we recognized management fees and reimbursable expenses of $15.8 million, $15.9 million and $15.7 million, respectively.
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CCOH Dividend
In connection with the cash management arrangements for CCOH, we maintain an intercompany revolving promissory note payable by us to CCOH (the Note), which consists of the net activities resulting from day-to-day cash management services provided by us to CCOH. As of December 31, 2013, the balance of the Note was $879.1 million, all of which is payable on demand. The Note is eliminated in consolidation in our consolidated financial statements.
The Note was the subject of derivative litigation filed in the Delaware Court of Chancery by stockholders of CCOH, which was settled on September 9, 2013. On October 19, 2013, in accordance with the terms of the settlement, CCOHs board of directors notified us of its intent to make a demand for repayment of $200 million outstanding under the Note on November 8, 2013 and declared a dividend of $200 million, which was conditioned upon us having satisfied such demand. As the indirect parent of CCOH, we received approximately 88% of the proceeds from such dividend through our wholly-owned subsidiaries. The remaining approximately 12% of the proceeds from the dividend, or approximately $24 million, was paid to the public stockholders of CCOH and is accounted for as a Dividend and other payments to noncontrolling interests in our consolidated financial statements. We funded the net payment of this $24 million with cash on hand.
On October 19, 2013, CCOH also established a committee of its board of directors for the specific purpose of monitoring the Note. If notice of a demand for repayment is made pursuant to the terms of the committee charter in the future, CCOH would declare a simultaneous dividend equal to the amount so demanded, and a pro rata portion of that dividend would be paid to the public stockholders of CCOH. Based on our current and anticipated levels of operations and conditions in our markets, we currently expect that we would fund the dividends to be paid to the public stockholders of CCOH if and when demands are made using our existing sources of capital.
Commitments, Contingencies and Guarantees
We are currently involved in certain legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business and, as required, have accrued our estimate of the probable costs for resolution of those claims for which the occurrence of loss is probable and the amount can be reasonably estimated. These estimates have been developed in consultation with counsel and are based upon an analysis of potential results, assuming a combination of litigation and settlement strategies. It is possible, however, that future results of operations for any particular period could be materially affected by changes in our assumptions or the effectiveness of our strategies related to these proceedings. Please refer to Legal Proceedings located in the section titled Business located elsewhere in this prospectus.
Certain agreements relating to acquisitions provide for purchase price adjustments and other future contingent payments based on the financial performance of the acquired companies generally over a one to five-year period. The aggregate of these contingent payments, if performance targets are met, would not significantly impact our financial position or results of operations.
In addition to our scheduled maturities on our debt, we have future cash obligations under various types of contracts. We lease office space, certain broadcast facilities, equipment and the majority of the land occupied by our outdoor advertising structures under long-term operating leases. Some of our lease agreements contain renewal options and annual rental escalation clauses (generally tied to the consumer price index), as well as provisions for our payment of utilities and maintenance.
We have minimum franchise payments associated with non-cancelable contracts that enable us to display advertising on such media as buses, trains, bus shelters and terminals. The majority of these contracts contain rent provisions that are calculated as the greater of a percentage of the relevant advertising revenue or a specified guaranteed minimum annual payment. Also, we have non-cancelable contracts in our radio broadcasting operations related to program rights and music license fees.
In the normal course of business, our broadcasting operations have minimum future payments associated with employee and talent contracts. These contracts typically contain cancellation provisions that allow us to cancel the contract with good cause.
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The scheduled maturities of our senior secured credit facilities, receivables based facility, senior cash pay and senior toggle notes, other long-term debt outstanding, and our future minimum rental commitments under non-cancelable lease agreements, minimum payments under other non-cancelable contracts, payments under employment/talent contracts, capital expenditure commitments, priority guarantee notes and other long-term obligations as of December 31, 2013 are as follows:
(In thousands) | Payments due by Period | |||||||||||||||||||
Contractual Obligations | Total | 2014 | 2015-2016 | 2017-2018 | Thereafter | |||||||||||||||
Long-term Debt: |
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Secured Debt |
$ | 12,818,693 | $ | 22,948 | $ | 1,918,916 | $ | 247,158 | $ | 10,629,671 | ||||||||||
Senior Cash Pay and Senior Toggle Notes |
222,245 | | 222,245 | | | |||||||||||||||
Senior Notes |
1,404,202 | | | | 1,404,202 | |||||||||||||||
Legacy Notes |
1,436,455 | 461,455 | 500,000 | 175,000 | 300,000 | |||||||||||||||
CCWH Senior Subordinated Notes |
2,200,000 | | | | 2,200,000 | |||||||||||||||
CCWH Senior Notes |
2,725,000 | | | | 2,725,000 | |||||||||||||||
Other Long-term Debt |
10 | 10 | | | | |||||||||||||||
Interest payments on long-term debt(1) |
9,683,364 | 1,558,479 | 2,975,083 | 2,827,224 | 2,322,578 | |||||||||||||||
Non-cancelable operating leases |
2,926,122 | 401,390 | 687,220 | 492,785 | 1,344,727 | |||||||||||||||
Non-cancelable contracts |
2,038,255 | 533,454 | 764,079 | 201,398 | 539,324 | |||||||||||||||
Employment/talent contracts |
274,620 | 84,009 | 148,993 | 41,618 | | |||||||||||||||
Capital expenditures |
111,751 | 44,224 | 41,389 | 2,606 | 23,532 | |||||||||||||||
Unrecognized tax benefits(2) |
142,658 | 11,643 | | | 131,015 | |||||||||||||||
Other long-term obligations(3) |
322,534 | 5,107 | 72,893 | 21,428 | 223,106 | |||||||||||||||
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Total |
$ | 36,305,909 | $ | 3,122,719 | $ | 7,330,818 | $ | 4,009,217 | $ | 21,843,155 | ||||||||||
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(1) | Interest payments on the senior secured credit facilities assume the obligations are repaid in accordance with the amortization schedule as discussed elsewhere in this Managements Discussion and Analysis and the interest rate is held constant over the remaining term. |
(2) | The non-current portion of the unrecognized tax benefits is included in the Thereafter column as we cannot reasonably estimate the timing or amounts of additional cash payments, if any, at this time. |
(3) | Other long-term obligations consist of $59.1 million related to asset retirement obligations recorded pursuant to ASC 410-20, which assumes the underlying assets will be removed at some period over the next 50 years. Also included are $48.6 million of contract payments in our syndicated radio and media representation businesses and $214.8 million of various other long-term obligations. |
SEASONALITY
Typically, our CCME, Americas outdoor and International outdoor segments experience their lowest financial performance in the first quarter of the calendar year, with International outdoor historically experiencing a loss from operations in that period. Our International outdoor segment typically experiences its strongest performance in the second and fourth quarters of the calendar year. We expect this trend to continue in the future.
MARKET RISK
We are exposed to market risks arising from changes in market rates and prices, including movements in interest rates, foreign currency exchange rates and inflation.
Interest Rate Risk
A significant amount of our long-term debt bears interest at variable rates. Accordingly, our earnings will be affected by changes in interest rates. At March 31, 2014, approximately 40% of our aggregate principal amount of long-term debt bears interest at floating rates. Assuming the current level of borrowings and assuming a 30% change in LIBOR, it is estimated that our interest expense for the three months ended March 31, 2014 would have changed by $3.8 million.
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In the event of an adverse change in interest rates, management may take actions to mitigate our exposure. However, due to the uncertainty of the actions that would be taken and their possible effects, the preceding interest rate sensitivity analysis assumes no such actions. Further, the analysis does not consider the effects of the change in the level of overall economic activity that could exist in such an environment.
Foreign Currency Exchange Rate Risk
We have operations in countries throughout the world. Foreign operations are measured in their local currencies. As a result, our financial results could be affected by factors such as changes in foreign currency exchange rates or weak economic conditions in the foreign markets in which we have operations. We believe we mitigate a small portion of our exposure to foreign currency fluctuations with a natural hedge through borrowings in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. Our foreign operations reported net loss of $27.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2014. We estimate a 10% increase in the value of the U.S. dollar relative to foreign currencies would have decreased our net loss for the three months ended March 31, 2014 by $2.7 million. A 10% decrease in the value of the U.S. dollar relative to foreign currencies during the three months ended March 31, 2014 would have increased our net loss by a corresponding amount.
This analysis does not consider the implications that such currency fluctuations could have on the overall economic activity that could exist in such an environment in the U.S. or the foreign countries or on the results of operations of these foreign entities.
Inflation
Inflation is a factor in the economies in which we do business and we continue to seek ways to mitigate its effect. Inflation has affected our performance in terms of higher costs for wages, salaries and equipment. Although the exact impact of inflation is indeterminable, we believe we have offset these higher costs by increasing the effective advertising rates of most of our broadcasting stations and outdoor display faces in our CCME, Americas outdoor, and International outdoor operations.
NEW ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS
In July 2013, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2013-10, Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815): Inclusion of the Fed Funds Effective Swap Rate (or Overnight Index Swap Rate) as a Benchmark Interest Rate for Hedge Accounting Purposes. Under the revised guidance, entities are permitted to designate the Fed Funds effective Swap Rate, also referred to as the overnight index swap rate, as a benchmark interest rate. In addition, the ASU removes the restriction on using different benchmark interest rates for similar hedges. The amendments became effective for any qualifying new or designated hedging relationships entered into on or after July 17, 2013. We do not expect the provisions of ASU 2013-10 to have a material effect on our financial position or results of operations.
In February 2013, the FASB issued ASU No. 2013-02, Comprehensive Income (Topic 220): Reporting of Amounts Reclassified Out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income. Under the revised guidance, public and non-public companies are required to present information about reclassification adjustments from accumulated other comprehensive income in their financial statements in a single note or on the face of the financial statements. Public companies are also required to provide this information in their interim statements. The standard is effective prospectively for public entities for fiscal years, and interim periods with those years, beginning after December 15, 2012. The provisions of ASU 2013-02 did not have a material effect on our financial statement disclosures.
In January 2013, the FASB issued ASU No. 2013-01, Balance Sheet (Topic 210): Clarifying the Scope of Disclosures about Offsetting Assets and Liabilities. Under the revised guidance, new balance sheet offsetting disclosures are limited to the following financial instruments, to the extent they are offset in the financial statements or subject to an enforceable master netting arrangement or similar agreement, recognized derivative instruments accounted for under ASC 815, repurchase agreements and reverse purchase agreements, and securities borrowing and securities lending transactions. Entities are required to apply the ASU for annual reporting periods beginning on or after January 1, 2013, and interim periods within those annual periods. The provisions of ASU 2013-01 did not have a material effect on our financial statement disclosures.
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In October 2012, the FASB issued ASU No. 2012-04, Technical Corrections and Improvements. Under the revised guidance, changes were made to clarify the FASB Accounting Standards Codification (the Codification), correct unintended application of guidance, or make minor improvements to the Codification that are not expected to have a significant effect on current accounting practice or create a significant administrative cost to most entities. Additionally, the amendments will make the Codification easier to understand and the fair value measurement guidance easier to apply by eliminating inconsistencies and providing needed clarifications. The guidance is effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2012. The provisions of ASU 2012-04 did not have a material effect on our financial statement disclosures.
CRITICAL ACCOUNTING ESTIMATES
The preparation of our financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates, judgments and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amount of expenses during the reporting period. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates that are based on historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. The result of these evaluations forms the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities and the reported amount of expenses that are not readily apparent from other sources. Because future events and their effects cannot be determined with certainty, actual results could differ from our assumptions and estimates, and such difference could be material. Our significant accounting policies are discussed in the notes to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. Management believes that the following accounting estimates are the most critical to aid in fully understanding and evaluating our reported financial results, and they require managements most difficult, subjective or complex judgments, resulting from the need to make estimates about the effect of matters that are inherently uncertain. The following narrative describes these critical accounting estimates, the judgments and assumptions and the effect if actual results differ from these assumptions.
Allowance for Doubtful Accounts
We evaluate the collectability of our accounts receivable based on a combination of factors. In circumstances where we are aware of a specific customers inability to meet its financial obligations, we record a specific reserve to reduce the amounts recorded to what we believe will be collected. For all other customers, we recognize reserves for bad debt based on historical experience for each business unit, adjusted for relative improvements or deteriorations in the agings and changes in current economic conditions.
If our agings were to improve or deteriorate resulting in a 10% change in our allowance, we estimated that our bad debt expense for the year ended December 31, 2013 would have changed by approximately $4.8 million and our net loss for the same period would have changed by approximately $3.0 million.
Long-lived Assets
Long-lived assets, including structures and other property, plant and equipment and definite-lived intangibles, are reported at historical cost less accumulated depreciation. We estimate the useful lives for various types of advertising structures and other long-lived assets based on our historical experience and our plans regarding how we intend to use those assets. Advertising structures have different lives depending on their nature, with large format bulletins generally having longer depreciable lives and posters and other displays having shorter depreciable lives. Street furniture and transit displays are depreciated over their estimated useful lives or appropriate contractual periods, whichever is shorter. Our experience indicates that the estimated useful lives applied to our portfolio of assets have been reasonable, and we do not expect significant changes to the estimated useful lives of our long-lived assets in the future. When we determine that structures or other long-lived assets will be disposed of prior to the end of their useful lives, we estimate the revised useful lives and depreciate the assets over the revised period. We also review long-lived assets for impairment when events and circumstances indicate that depreciable and amortizable long-lived assets might be impaired and the undiscounted cash flows estimated to be generated by those assets are less than the carrying amounts of those assets. When specific assets are determined to be unrecoverable, the cost basis of the asset is reduced to reflect the current fair market value.
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We use various assumptions in determining the remaining useful lives of assets to be disposed of prior to the end of their useful lives and in determining the current fair market value of long-lived assets that are determined to be unrecoverable. Estimated useful lives and fair values are sensitive to factors including contractual commitments, regulatory requirements, future expected cash flows, industry growth rates and discount rates, as well as future salvage values. Our impairment loss calculations require management to apply judgment in estimating future cash flows, including forecasting useful lives of the assets and selecting the discount rate that reflects the risk inherent in future cash flows.
If actual results are not consistent with our assumptions and judgments used in estimating future cash flows and asset fair values, we may be exposed to future impairment losses that could be material to our results of operations.
Indefinite-lived Intangible Assets
In connection with the Merger Agreement pursuant to which CCMH acquired us, we allocated the purchase price to all of our assets and liabilities at estimated fair values, including our FCC licenses and our billboard permits. Indefinite-lived intangible assets, such as our FCC licenses and our billboard permits, are reviewed annually for possible impairment using the direct valuation method as prescribed in ASC 805-20-S99. Under the direct valuation method, the estimated fair value of the indefinite-lived intangible assets was calculated at the market level as prescribed by ASC 350-30-35. Under the direct valuation method, it is assumed that rather than acquiring indefinite-lived intangible assets as a part of a going concern business, the buyer hypothetically obtains indefinite-lived intangible assets and builds a new operation with similar attributes from scratch. Thus, the buyer incurs start-up costs during the build-up phase which are normally associated with going concern value. Initial capital costs are deducted from the discounted cash flows model which results in value that is directly attributable to the indefinite-lived intangible assets.
Our key assumptions using the direct valuation method are market revenue growth rates, market share, profit margin, duration and profile of the build-up period, estimated start-up capital costs and losses incurred during the build-up period, the risk-adjusted discount rate and terminal values. This data is populated using industry normalized information representing an average asset within a market.
On October 1, 2013, we performed our annual impairment test in accordance with ASC 350-30-35 and recognized aggregate impairment charges of $2.5 million related to permits in certain markets in our Americas outdoor business and $2.0 million related to FCC Licenses in our CCME business.
In determining the fair value of our FCC licenses, the following key assumptions were used:
| Revenue growth, forecast and published by BIA Financial Network, Inc. (BIA) varying by market, was used for the initial four-year period; |
| 2% revenue growth was assumed beyond the initial four-year period; |
| Revenue was grown proportionally over a build-up period, reaching market revenue forecast by year 3; |
| Operating margins of 12.5% in the first year gradually climb to the industry average margin in year 3 of up to 30.8%, depending on market size by year 3; and |
| Assumed discount rates of 9.5% for the 13 largest markets and 10.0% for all other markets. |
In determining the fair value of our billboard permits, the following key assumptions were used:
| Industry revenue growth forecast at 3.6% was used for the initial four-year period; |
| 3% revenue growth was assumed beyond the initial four-year period; |
| Revenue was grown over a build-up period, reaching maturity by year 2; |
| Operating margins gradually climb to the industry average margin of up to 55%, depending on market size, by year 3; and |
| Assumed discount rate of 9.0%. |
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While we believe we have made reasonable estimates and utilized appropriate assumptions to calculate the fair value of our indefinite-lived intangible assets, it is possible a material change could occur. If future results are not consistent with our assumptions and estimates, we may be exposed to impairment charges in the future. The following table shows the change in the fair value of our indefinite-lived intangible assets that would result from a 100 basis point decline in our discrete and terminal period revenue growth rate and profit margin assumptions and a 100 basis point increase in our discount rate assumption:
(In thousands) Description |
Revenue Growth Rate | Profit Margin | Discount Rates | |||||||||
FCC license |
$ | 450,232 | $ | 151,554 | $ | 475,702 | ||||||
Billboard permits |
$ | 720,800 | $ | 140,100 | $ | 724,900 |
The estimated fair value of our FCC licenses and billboard permits at October 1, 2013 was $3.3 billion and $2.3 billion, respectively, while the carrying value was $2.4 billion and $1.1 billion, respectively.
Goodwill
Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price over the fair value of identifiable net assets acquired in business combinations. We test goodwill at interim dates if events or changes in circumstances indicate that goodwill might be impaired. The fair value of our reporting units is used to apply value to the net assets of each reporting unit. To the extent that the carrying amount of net assets would exceed the fair value, an impairment charge may be required to be recorded.
The discounted cash flow approach we use for valuing goodwill as part of the two-step impairment testing approach involves estimating future cash flows expected to be generated from the related assets, discounted to their present value using a risk-adjusted discount rate. Terminal values are also estimated and discounted to their present value.
On October 1, 2013, we performed our annual impairment test in accordance with ASC 350-30-35, resulting in an impairment charge of $10.7 million related to one market in our International outdoor segment. In determining the fair value of our reporting units, we used the following assumptions:
| Expected cash flows underlying our business plans for the periods 2013 through 2017. Our cash flow assumptions are based on detailed, multi-year forecasts performed by each of our operating segments, and reflect the advertising outlook across our businesses. |
| Cash flows beyond 2017 are projected to grow at a perpetual growth rate, which we estimated at 2% for our CCME segment, 3% for our Americas outdoor and International outdoor segments, and approximately 6.6% for our Other segment. |
| In order to risk adjust the cash flow projections in determining fair value, we utilized a discount rate of approximately 9.0% to 12.0% for each of our reporting units. |
Based on our annual assessment using the assumptions described above, a hypothetical 25% reduction in the estimated fair value in each of our reporting units would not result in a material impairment condition.
While we believe we have made reasonable estimates and utilized appropriate assumptions to calculate the estimated fair value of our reporting units, it is possible a material change could occur. If future results are not consistent with our assumptions and estimates, we may be exposed to impairment charges in the future. The following table shows the decline in the fair value of each of our reportable segments that would result from a 100 basis point decline in our discrete and terminal period revenue growth rate and profit margin assumptions and a 100 basis point increase in our discount rate assumption:
(In millions) | ||||||||||||
Description |
Revenue Growth Rate |
Profit Margin | Discount Rates | |||||||||
CCME |
$ | 1,360,000 | $ | 320,000 | $ | 1,290,000 | ||||||
Americas Outdoor |
$ | 610,000 | $ | 150,000 | $ | 580,000 | ||||||
International Outdoor |
$ | 350,000 | $ | 200,000 | $ | 330,000 |
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Tax Accruals
Our estimates of income taxes and the significant items giving rise to the deferred tax assets and liabilities are shown in the notes to our consolidated financial statements and reflect our assessment of actual future taxes to be paid on items reflected in the financial statements, giving consideration to both timing and probability of these estimates. Actual income taxes could vary from these estimates due to future changes in income tax law or results from the final review of our tax returns by Federal, state or foreign tax authorities.
We use our judgment to determine whether it is more likely than not that we will sustain positions that we have taken on tax returns and, if so, the amount of benefit to initially recognize within our financial statements. We regularly review our uncertain tax positions and adjust our unrecognized tax benefits (UTBs) in light of changes in facts and circumstances, such as changes in tax law, interactions with taxing authorities and developments in case law. These adjustments to our UTBs may affect our income tax expense. Settlement of uncertain tax positions may require use of our cash.
Litigation Accruals
We are currently involved in certain legal proceedings. Based on current assumptions, we have accrued an estimate of the probable costs for the resolution of those claims for which the occurrence of loss is probable and the amount can be reasonably estimated. Future results of operations could be materially affected by changes in these assumptions or the effectiveness of our strategies related to these proceedings.
Managements estimates used have been developed in consultation with counsel and are based upon an analysis of potential results, assuming a combination of litigation and settlement strategies.
Insurance Accruals
We are currently self-insured beyond certain retention amounts for various insurance coverages, including general liability and property and casualty. Accruals are recorded based on estimates of actual claims filed, historical payouts, existing insurance coverage and projected future development of costs related to existing claims. Our self-insured liabilities contain uncertainties because management must make assumptions and apply judgment to estimate the ultimate cost to settle reported claims and claims incurred but not reported as of December 31, 2013.
If actual results are not consistent with our assumptions and judgments, we may be exposed to gains or losses that could be material. A 10% change in our self-insurance liabilities at December 31, 2013 would have affected our net loss by approximately $2.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2013.
Asset Retirement Obligations
ASC 410-20 requires us to estimate our obligation upon the termination or nonrenewal of a lease, to dismantle and remove our billboard structures from the leased land and to reclaim the site to its original condition.
Due to the high rate of lease renewals over a long period of time, our calculation assumes all related assets will be removed at some period over the next 50 years. An estimate of third-party cost information is used with respect to the dismantling of the structures and the reclamation of the site. The interest rate used to calculate the present value of such costs over the retirement period is based on an estimated risk-adjusted credit rate for the same period. If our assumption of the risk-adjusted credit rate used to discount current year additions to the asset retirement obligation decreased approximately 1%, our liability as of December 31, 2013 would not be materially impacted. Similarly, if our assumption of the risk-adjusted credit rate increased approximately 1%, our liability would not be materially impacted.
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Share-Based Compensation
Under the fair value recognition provisions of ASC 718-10, share-based compensation cost is measured at the grant date based on the fair value of the award. Determining the fair value of share-based awards at the grant date requires assumptions and judgments about expected volatility and forfeiture rates, among other factors. If actual results differ significantly from these estimates, our results of operations could be materially impacted.
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Overview
We are a diversified media and entertainment company with leading market positions in each of our operating segments: CCME, Americas Outdoor Advertising and International Outdoor Advertising.
| CCME. Our CCME operations include radio broadcasting, online and mobile services and products, program syndication, entertainment, traffic data distribution and music research services. As of December 31, 2013, we owned 835 domestic radio stations servicing more than 150 U.S. markets, including 45 of the top 50 markets and 85 of the top 100 markets. CCME includes radio stations for which we are the licensee and one station for which we provide programming and sell air time under an LMA. We are also the beneficiary of Aloha Station Trust, LLC, which owns and operates 19 radio stations which we were required to divest in order to comply with FCC media ownership rules, and which are being marketed for sale. Our portfolio of stations offers a broad assortment of programming formats, including adult contemporary, country, contemporary hit radio, rock, news/talk, sports, urban, oldies and others. In addition to our local radio programming, we operate Premiere, a national radio network that produces, distributes or represents approximately 90 syndicated radio programs and networks and serves more than 5,000 radio station affiliates, reaching over 190 million listeners weekly. We also deliver real-time traffic information via navigation systems, radio and television broadcast media and wireless and Internet-based services through our traffic business, Total Traffic & Weather Network. For the year ended December 31, 2013 and the three months ended March 31, 2014, our CCME segment represented approximately 50% of our revenue and 68% and 86%, respectively, of our operating income without the effect of corporate and other reconciling items. |
| Americas Outdoor Advertising. We are the largest outdoor advertising company in North America (based on revenue), which includes the United States and Canada. Approximately 95% of our revenue for the year ended December 31, 2013 in our Americas Outdoor Advertising segment was derived from the United States. As of December 31, 2013, we owned or operate approximately 105,000 display structures in our Americas outdoor segment with operations in 47 of the 50 largest markets in the United States, including all of the 20 largest markets. Our Americas outdoor assets consist of traditional and digital billboards, street furniture and transit displays, airport displays, mall displays, and wallscapes and other spectaculars, which we own or operate under lease management agreements. Our Americas outdoor advertising business is focused on metropolitan areas with dense populations. For the year ended December 31, 2013 and the three months ended March 31, 2014, our Americas Outdoor Advertising segment represented approximately 21% and 20%, respectively, of our revenue and 23% of our operating income without the effect of corporate and other reconciling items. |
| International Outdoor Advertising. Our International Outdoor Advertising business segment includes our operations in Asia, Australia, Europe and Latin America, with approximately 33% of our revenue for the year ended December 31, 2013 in this segment derived from France and the United Kingdom. As of December 31, 2013, we owned or operated approximately 570,000 displays across 28 countries. Our International outdoor assets consist of street furniture and transit displays, billboards, mall displays, Smartbike programs, wallscapes and other spectaculars, which we own or operate under lease agreements. Our International business is focused on metropolitan areas with dense populations. For the year ended December 31, 2013 and the three months ended March 31, 2014, our International Outdoor Advertising segment represented approximately 27%, of our revenue and 8% and (9%), respectively, of our operating income without the effect of corporate and other reconciling items. |
| Other. Our Other category includes our 100%-owned full-service media representation firm, Katz Media, as well as other general support services and initiatives, which are ancillary to our other businesses. Katz Media, a leading media representation firm in the U.S. for radio and television stations, sells national spot advertising time for clients in the radio and television industries throughout the United States. As of December 31, 2013, Katz Media represented more than 4,000 radio stations, approximately one-fifth of which were owned by us. Katz Media also represents approximately 800 television and digital multicast stations. Katz Media generates revenue primarily through contractual commissions realized from the sale of national spot and online advertising. National spot advertising is |
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commercial airtime sold to advertisers on behalf of radio and television stations. Katz Media represents its media clients pursuant to media representation contracts, which typically have terms of up to ten years in length. For the year ended December 31, 2013 and the three months ended March 31, 2014, our Other category represented approximately 2% and 3%, respectively, of our revenue and 1% and 0%, respectively, of our operating income without the effect of corporate and other reconciling items. |
For the year ended December 31, 2013 and the three months ended March 31, 2014, we generated consolidated revenues of $6,243 million and $1,343 million, respectively, operating income of $1,001 million and $83 million, respectively, and consolidated net loss of $584 million and $432 million, respectively.
Our Strengths
Leading Positions in the U.S. Media and Entertainment and Global Outdoor Market. We are a leading global media and entertainment company.
| We own the number one or number two ranked radio station clusters in eight of the top 10 and in 20 of the top 25 markets in the United States as of December 2013. With a total weekly listening base of almost 139 million individuals based on NielsenAudio figures for the Fall 2013 ratings period, our portfolio of 835 stations generated twice the revenue as our next largest radio broadcasting competitor in 2013. |
| In the United States outdoor market, we believe we hold the number one market share in eight of the top 10 markets and are either number one or number two in 16 of the top 20 markets. Internationally, we believe we hold one of the leading positions in France, the United Kingdom, Australia, Finland, Ireland, Switzerland, Sweden, Belgium, Italy and Norway. In addition, we hold positions in several countries where we have experienced strong growth, including Latin America, China, Singapore and Turkey. |
Global Scale in Media and Entertainment and Outdoor Advertising. As of December 31, 2013, we owned 835 domestic radio stations servicing more than 150 U.S. markets, including 45 of the top 50 markets and 85 of the top 100 markets. We also operated more than 675,000 outdoor advertising displays worldwide in metropolitan and densely populated locations, providing advertisers with both a global and a local reach. We believe that our scale provides us with the flexibility and resources to introduce new products and solutions in a cost effective manner.
| Our scale has enabled cost-effective investment in new technologies, such as digital billboards and streaming technology, which we believe will continue to support future growth. Digital billboards, for example, enable us to transition from selling space on a display to a single advertiser to selling time on that display to multiple advertisers, creating new revenue opportunities from both new and existing clients. |
| Our large distribution platform in our CCME segment allows us to attract top talent and more effectively utilize programming, sharing the best and most compelling talent and programming across many stations throughout the United States. |
| We have more than 4,800 sales people in local markets across the globe. Our scale has facilitated cost-effective investment in systems that allow us to maximize yield management and systems that improve the ability of our local salespeople to increase revenue. Additionally, our scale has allowed us to implement initiatives that we believe differentiate us from the rest of the media industry and position us to outperform our competitors across our markets. |
Diversification Across Business Lines, Geographies, Markets and Format. Approximately half of our revenue is generated by our CCME segment, with the remaining half generated by our Americas Outdoor Advertising and International Outdoor Advertising segments, as well as other support services and initiatives. We offer advertisers a diverse platform of media assets across geographies, outdoor products and programming formats. Due to our multiple business units, we are not dependent upon any single source of revenue.
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Strong Collection of Unique Assets. Through acquisitions and organic growth, we have aggregated a unique portfolio of assets. We believe the combination of our assets cannot be replicated.
| Ownership and operation of radio broadcast stations is governed by the FCC licensing process, which limits the number of radio licenses available in any market. Any party seeking to acquire or transfer radio licenses must go through a detailed review process with the FCC. Over several decades, we have aggregated multiple licenses in local market clusters across the United States. A cluster of multiple radio stations in a market allows us to provide listeners with more diverse programming and advertisers with a more efficient means to reach those listeners. In addition, we are able to increase our efficiency by operating in clusters, which allows us to eliminate duplicative operating expenses and realize economies of scale. |
| The domestic outdoor industry is regulated by the federal government as well as state and municipal governments. Statutes and regulations govern the construction, repair, maintenance, lighting, height, size, spacing and placement and permitting of outdoor advertising structures. Due to these regulations, it has become increasingly difficult to develop new outdoor advertising locations. Further, for many of our existing billboards, a competitor or landlord could not obtain a permit for replacement under existing laws and regulations due to their non-conforming status. |
Attractive Businesses with High Margins and Low Capital Expenditure Requirements. Our global scale has enabled us to make productive and cost effective investments across our portfolio. As a result of our strong margins and low capital expenditure requirements, we have been able to convert a significant portion of our operating income into cash flow that can be utilized for debt service.
| We have strong operating margins (defined as operating income divided by revenues), driven by our significant scale and leading market share in both radio broadcasting and outdoor advertising. For the year ended December 31, 2013 and the three months ended March 31, 2014, our consolidated operating margin was 16% and 6%, respectively, with strong operating margins in our CCME segment of 29% and 21%, respectively, and Americas Outdoor Advertising segment of 24% and 14%, respectively. |
| In addition, both our media and entertainment and our outdoor businesses are low capital intensity businesses. For the year ended December 31, 2013 and the three months ended March 31, 2014, our total capital expenditures were 5% of total revenue. |
Highly Effective Advertising Medium. We believe both our media and entertainment and our outdoor advertising businesses offer compelling value propositions to advertisers and valuable access to consumers when they are out of the home and therefore closer to purchase decisions. We also believe both industries are well positioned to benefit from the fragmentation of audiences of other media as they are able to reach mass audiences on a local market basis.
| Radio broadcasting and outdoor media offer compelling value propositions to advertisers by providing cost effective media advertising outlets. |
| Our media and entertainment and our outdoor businesses reach potential consumers outside of the home, a valuable position as it is closer to the purchase decision. Today, consumers spend a significant portion of their day out-of-home, while out-of-home media (radio and outdoor) currently garner a disproportionately smaller share of media spending than in-home media. We believe this discrepancy represents an opportunity for growth. |
| Additionally, radio programming reaches 92% of all consumers in the United States in a given week, with the average consumer listening for approximately 14 hours per week. On a weekly basis, this represents approximately 244 million unique listeners. |
| According to NielsenAudio, consumers in the United States listen to a significant amount of radio per day. In 2013, broadcast radio captured 119 minutes of user consumption per day as compared to the Internet at 143 minutes according to comScore, Inc. and newspapers at 18 minutes according to eMarketer Inc. |
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| According to Scarborough, in 2013, 92% of U.S. residents traveled in a car each month, with an average of 174 miles traveled per week. The captive in-car audience is protected from media fragmentation and is subject to increasing out-of-home advertiser exposure as time and distance of commutes increase. |
| According to single-source advertising ROI study in the radio sector conducted by NielsenAudio and Nielsen Catalina Solutions in 2014, radio delivered a sales lift of more than $6 per dollar spent on radio, an ROI which Advertising Age reported doubled that of even the best results of recent studies of digital or TV media, with one retail brand recording a sales lift of more than $23 per dollar invested in radio. |
Significant Operating Leverage with Flexibility to Manage Cost Base As Necessary. We benefit from significant operating leverage, which leads to operating margin increases in a growth environment. Conversely, we have demonstrated our flexibility to effectively manage our cost base in a low growth or recessionary environment.
Our Strategy
Our goal is to strengthen our position as a leading global media and entertainment company specializing in radio, digital, out-of-home, mobile and on-demand entertainment and information services for national audiences and local communities and providing premiere opportunities for advertisers. We plan to achieve this objective by capitalizing on our competitive strengths and pursuing the following strategies.
CCME
Our CCME strategy centers on delivering entertaining and informative content across multiple platforms, including broadcast, mobile and digital as well as promotional events. We strive to serve our listeners by providing the content they desire on the platform they prefer, while supporting advertisers, strategic partners, music labels and artists with a diverse platform of creative marketing opportunities designed to effectively reach and engage target audiences. Our CCME strategy also focuses on continuing to improve the operations of our stations by providing valuable programming and promotions, as well as sharing best practices across our stations in marketing, distribution, sales and cost management.
Promote Broadcast Radio Media Spending. Given the attractive reach and metrics of both the broadcast radio industry in general and CCME in particular, as well as our depth and breadth of relationships with both media agencies and national and local advertisers, we believe we can drive broadcast radios share of total media spending by using our dedicated national sales team to highlight the value of broadcast radio relative to other media. We have made and continue to make significant investments in research to enable our clients to better understand how our assets can successfully reach their target audiences and promote their advertising campaigns; broadened our national sales teams and initiatives to better develop, create and promote their advertising campaigns; invested in technology to enhance our platform and capabilities; and continue to seek opportunities to deploy our iHeartRadio digital radio service across both existing and emerging devices and platforms. We are also working closely with advertisers, marketers and agencies to meet their needs through new products, events and services developed through optimization of our current portfolio of assets, as well as to develop tools to determine how effective broadcast radio is in reaching their desired audiences.
Promote Local and National Advertising. We intend to grow our CCME businesses by continuing to develop effective programming, creating new solutions for our advertisers and agencies, fostering key relationships with advertisers and improving our local and national sales team. We intend to leverage our diverse collection of assets, our programming and creative strengths, and our consumer relationships to create special events, such as one-of-a-kind local and national promotions for our listeners, and develop new, innovative technologies and products to promote our advertisers. We seek to maximize revenue by closely managing our advertising opportunities and pricing to compete effectively in local markets. We operate price and yield information systems, which provide detailed inventory information. These systems enable our station managers and sales directors to adjust commercial inventory and pricing based on local market demand, as well as to manage and monitor different commercial durations (60 second, 30 second, 15 second and five second) in order to provide more effective advertising for our customers at what we believe are optimal prices given market conditions.
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Continue to Enhance the Listener Experience. We intend to continue enhancing the listener experience by offering a wide variety of compelling content and methods of delivery. We will continue to provide the content our listeners desire on their preferred platforms. Our investments have created a collection of leading on-air talent. For example, Premiere offers more than 90 syndicated radio programs and networks and services for more than 5,000 radio station affiliates across the United States, including popular programs such as Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, Ryan Seacrest, Steve Harvey, Elvis Duran, Bobby Bones and Delilah. Our distribution capabilities allow us to attract top talent and more effectively utilize programming, sharing our best and most compelling content across many stations.
Deliver Content via Multiple Distribution Technologies. We continue to expand the choices for our listeners. We deliver music, news, talk, sports, traffic and other content using an array of distribution technologies, including broadcast radio and HD radio channels, satellite radio digitally via iHeartRadio.com and our stations websites, and through our iHeartRadio mobile application on smart phones and tablets, on gaming consoles, via in-home entertainment in enhanced automotive platforms, as well as in-vehicle entertainment and navigation systems. Some examples of our recent initiatives are as follows:
| Streaming. We provide streaming content via the Internet, mobile and other digital platforms. We rank among the top streaming networks in the U.S. with regards to AAS, SS and ATSL. AAS and SS measure the level of activity while ATSL measures the ability to keep the audience engaged. |
| Websites and Mobile Applications. We have developed mobile and Internet applications such as the iHeartRadio smart phone application and website. These mobile and Internet applications allow listeners to use their smart phones, tablets or other digital devices to interact directly with stations, find titles/artists, request songs and create custom stations while providing an additional method for advertisers to reach consumers. As of December 31, 2013, our iHeartRadio mobile application has been downloaded more than 300 million times. iHeartRadio provides a unique digital music experience by offering access to more than 1,500 live broadcast and digital-only radio stations, plus user-created custom stations with broad social media integration and our on demand content from our premium talk partnerships and user generated talk shows. Through our digital platforms, we estimate that we had more than 76 million unique digital visitors for the month of December 2013. In addition, through December 2013, iHeartRadio streamed, on average, 143 million total listening hours monthly via our website and mobile application. |
Outdoor
We seek to capitalize on our Americas outdoor network and diversified product mix to maximize revenue. In addition, by sharing best practices among our business segments, we believe we can quickly and effectively replicate our successes in our other markets. Our outdoor strategy focuses on leveraging our diversified product mix and long-standing presence in many of our existing markets, which provides us with the ability to launch new products and test new initiatives in a reliable and cost-effective manner.
Promote Overall Outdoor Media Spending. Given the attractive industry fundamentals of outdoor media and our depth and breadth of relationships with both local and national advertisers, we believe we can drive outdoor advertisings share of total media spending by using our dedicated national sales team to highlight the value of outdoor advertising relative to other media. Outdoor advertising only represented 4% of total dollars spent on advertising in the United States in 2012. We have made and continue to make significant investments in research tools that enable our clients to better understand how our displays can successfully reach their target audiences and promote their advertising campaigns. Also, we are working closely with clients, advertising agencies and other diversified media companies to develop more sophisticated systems that will provide improved audience metrics for outdoor advertising. For example, we have implemented the TAB Out of Home Ratings audience measurement system which: (1) separately reports audiences for billboards, posters, junior posters, transit shelters and phone kiosks, (2) reports for geographically sensitive reach and frequency, (3) provides granular detail, reporting individual out of home units in over 200 designated market areas, (4) provides detailed demographic data comparable to other media, and (5) provides true commercial ratings based on people who see the advertising.
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Continue to Deploy Digital Displays. Digital outdoor advertising provides significant advantages over traditional outdoor media. Our electronic displays are linked through centralized computer systems to instantaneously and simultaneously change advertising copy on a large number of displays, allowing us to sell more advertising opportunities to advertisers. The ability to change copy by time of day and quickly change messaging based on advertisers needs creates additional flexibility for our customers. Although digital displays require more capital to construct compared to traditional bulletins, the advantages of digital allow us to penetrate new accounts and categories of advertisers, as well as serve a broader set of needs for existing advertisers. Digital displays allow for high-frequency, 24-hour advertising changes in high-traffic locations and allow us to offer our clients optimal flexibility, distribution, circulation and visibility. We expect this trend to continue as we increase our quantity of digital inventory. As of December 31, 2013, we had deployed more than 1,000 digital billboards in 37 markets in the United States and more than 3,700 digital displays in 14 countries across Europe, Asia and Latin America.
Capitalize on Product and Geographic Opportunities. We are also focused on growing our business internationally by working closely with our advertising customers and agencies in meeting their needs, and through new product offerings, optimization of our current display portfolio and selective investments targeting promising growth markets. We have continued to innovate and introduce new products in international markets based on local demands. Our core business is our street furniture business and that is where we plan to focus much of our investment. We plan to continue to evaluate municipal contracts that may come up for bid and will make prudent investments where we believe we can receive attractive returns. We will also continue to invest in markets such as China and Latin America where we believe there is high growth potential.
CCME
Sources of Revenue
Our CCME segment generated 50%, 49%, and 48% of our revenue for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively, and 50% of our revenue for the three months ended March 31, 2014. The primary source of revenue in our CCME segment is the sale of commercials on our radio stations for local and national advertising. Our iHeartRadio mobile application and website, our station websites and Total Traffic & Weather Network also provide additional means for our advertisers to reach consumers.
Our advertisers cover a wide range of categories, including consumer services, retailers, entertainment, health and beauty products, telecommunications, automotive, media and political. Our contracts with our advertisers generally provide for a term that extends for less than a one-year period. We also generate revenues from network compensation, our online services, our traffic business, special events and other miscellaneous transactions. These other sources of revenue supplement our traditional advertising revenue without increasing on-air-commercial time.
Each radio stations local sales staff solicits advertising directly from local advertisers or indirectly through advertising agencies. Our ability to produce commercials that respond to the specific needs of our advertisers helps to build local direct advertising relationships. To generate national advertising sales, we leverage national sales teams and engage our Katz Media unit, which specializes in soliciting radio advertising sales on a national level for us and other radio and television companies. National sales representatives such as Katz Media obtain advertising principally from advertising agencies located outside the stations market and receive commissions based on advertising sold.
Advertising rates are principally based on the length of the spot and how many people in a targeted audience listen to our stations, as measured by independent ratings services. A stations format can be important in determining the size and characteristics of its listening audience, and advertising rates are influenced by the stations ability to attract and target audiences that advertisers aim to reach. The size of the market influences rates as well, with larger markets typically receiving higher rates than smaller markets. Rates are generally highest during morning and evening commuting periods.
Radio Stations
As of December 31, 2013, we owned 835 radio stations, including 239 AM and 596 FM domestic radio stations, of which 151 stations were in the top 25 markets. Therefore, no one property is material to our overall operations. We believe that our properties are in good condition and suitable for our operations.
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Radio broadcasting is subject to the jurisdiction of the FCC under the Communications Act of 1934, as amended (the Communications Act). As described in Regulation of Our Media and Entertainment Business below, the FCC grants us licenses in order to operate our radio stations. The following table provides the number of owned radio stations in the top 25 Arbitron-ranked markets within our CCME segment.
Arbitron |
Market |
Number of Stations | ||
1 | New York, NY | 6 | ||
2 | Los Angeles, CA | 8 | ||
3 | Chicago, IL | 7 | ||
4 | San Francisco, CA | 7 | ||
5 | Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX | 6 | ||
6 | Houston-Galveston, TX | 6 | ||
7 | Washington, DC | 5 | ||
8 | Philadelphia, PA | 6 | ||
9 | Atlanta, GA | 7 | ||
10 | Boston, MA | 5 | ||
11 | Miami-Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood, FL | 7 | ||
12 | Detroit, MI | 7 | ||
13 | Seattle-Tacoma, WA | 7 | ||
14 | Phoenix, AZ | 8 | ||
15 | Puerto Rico | - | ||
16 | Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN | 6 | ||
17 | San Diego, CA | 7 | ||
18 | Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | 8 | ||
19 | Denver-Boulder, CO | 8 | ||
20 | Nassau-Suffolk (Long Island), NY | 2 | ||
21 | Baltimore, MD | 4 | ||
22 | St. Louis, MO | 6 | ||
23 | Portland, OR | 7 | ||
24 | Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, NC-SC | 5 | ||
25 | Pittsburgh, PA | 6 | ||
| ||||
Total Top 25 Markets(2) | 151 |
(1) | Source: Fall 2013 Arbitron Radio Market Rankings. |
(2) | Included in the total are stations that were placed in a trust in order to bring the merger into compliance with the FCCs media ownership rules. We have divested certain of these stations in the past and will continue to divest these stations as required. |
Premiere Networks
We operate Premiere, a national radio network that produces, distributes or represents more than 90 syndicated radio programs and networks and services for more than 5,000 radio station affiliates reaching over 190 million listeners weekly. Our broad distribution capabilities enable us to attract and retain top programming talent. Some of our more popular syndicated programs include Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, Ryan Seacrest, Steve Harvey, Elvis Duran, Bobby Bones and Delilah. We believe recruiting and retaining top talent is an important component of the success of our radio networks.
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Total Traffic & Weather Network
Total Traffic & Weather Network delivers real-time local traffic flow and incident information along with weather updates to more than 2,000 radio and approximately 150 television affiliates, as well as through Internet and mobile partnerships reaching nearly 200 million consumers each month. Total Traffic & Weather Network services more than 200 markets in the United States, Canada and Mexico. It operates the largest broadcast traffic navigation network in North America and has expanded its offerings to include news, weather and sports content.
Competition
Our broadcast radio stations, as well as our mobile and digital applications and our traffic business, compete for listeners and advertising revenues directly with other radio stations within their respective markets, as well as with other advertising media, including broadcast and cable television, online, print media, outdoor advertising, satellite radio, direct mail and other forms of advertisement. In addition, the radio broadcasting industry is subject to competition from services that use media technologies such as Internet-based media, mobile applications and satellite-based digital radio services. Such services reach national and local audiences with multi-channel, multi-format, digital radio services.
Our broadcast radio stations compete for listeners primarily on the basis of program content that appeals to a particular demographic group. Our targeted listener base of specific demographic groups in each of our markets allows us to attract advertisers seeking to reach those listeners.
Americas Outdoor Advertising
Sources of Revenue
Americas outdoor generated 21%, 20% and 20% of our revenue in 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively, and 20% of our revenue for the three months ended March 31, 2014. Americas outdoor revenue is derived from the sale of advertising copy placed on our traditional and digital displays. Our display inventory consists primarily of billboards, street furniture displays and transit displays. The margins on our billboard contracts, including those related to digital billboards, tend to be higher than those on contracts for other displays, due to their greater size, impact and location along major roadways that are highly trafficked. Billboards comprise approximately two-thirds of our display revenues. The following table shows the approximate percentage of revenue derived from each category for our Americas outdoor inventory:
Three Months Ended March 31, 2014 |
Years Ended December 31, | |||||||||||||||
2013 | 2012 | 2011 | ||||||||||||||
Billboards |
||||||||||||||||
Bulletins |
58% | 57% | 56% | 53% | ||||||||||||
Posters |
12% | 13% | 13% | 13% | ||||||||||||
Street furniture displays |
4% | 4% | 4% | 4% | ||||||||||||
Transit displays |
18% | 17% |