| Basis of presentation, merger agreement and accounting policies |
Basis of presentation, merger agreement and accounting policies Basis of presentation: Our accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) for interim financial reporting, the instructions for Form 10-Q and Article 10 of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all information and footnotes which are normally included in the Form 10-K and annual report to shareholders. In our opinion, the condensed consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments of a normal recurring nature necessary for a fair statement of the results for the interim periods presented. The condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with our (or TEGNA’s) audited consolidated financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022.
The preparation of these condensed consolidated financial statements requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the condensed consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. We use the best information available in developing significant estimates inherent in our financial statements. Actual results could differ from these estimates, and these differences resulting from changes in facts and circumstances could be material. Significant estimates include, but are not limited to, evaluation of goodwill and other intangible assets for impairment, fair value measurements, post-retirement benefit plans, income taxes including deferred taxes, and contingencies. The condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of subsidiaries we control. We eliminate all intercompany balances, transactions, and profits in consolidation. Investments in entities over which we have significant influence, but do not have control, are accounted for under the equity method. Our share of net earnings and losses from these ventures is included in “Equity loss in unconsolidated investments, net” in the Consolidated Statements of Income.
We operate one operating and reportable segment, which primarily consists of our 64 television stations and two radio stations operating in 51 markets, providing high-quality television programming and digital content. Our reportable segment determination is based on our management and internal reporting structure, the nature of products and services we offer, and the financial information that is evaluated regularly by our chief operating decision maker.
Merger Agreement: On February 22, 2022, we entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (as amended, the Merger Agreement), with Teton Parent Corp., a newly formed Delaware corporation (Parent), Teton Merger Corp., a newly formed Delaware corporation and an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Parent (Merger Sub), and solely for purposes of certain provisions specified therein, other subsidiaries of Parent, certain affiliates of Standard General L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (Standard General) and CMG Media Corporation, a Delaware corporation (CMG), and certain of its subsidiaries. Parent, Merger Sub, the other subsidiaries of Parent, those affiliates of Standard General, CMG and those subsidiaries of CMG, are collectively, referred to as the “Parent Restructuring Entities.”
The Merger Agreement provides, among other things and subject to the terms and conditions set forth therein, that Merger Sub will be merged with and into TEGNA (the Merger), with TEGNA continuing as the surviving corporation and as an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Parent. The Merger Agreement provides that each share of common stock, par value $1.00 per share, of TEGNA (the Common Stock) outstanding immediately prior to the effective time of the Merger (the Effective Time), other than certain excluded shares, will at the Effective Time automatically be converted into the right to receive (i) $24.00 per share of Common Stock in cash, without interest, plus (ii) additional amounts in cash, without interest, if the Merger does not close within a certain period of time after the date of the Merger Agreement. TEGNA shareholders will receive additional cash consideration in the form of a “ticking fee” of (a) if the Closing Date occurs after November 22, 2022 and before February 22, 2023, an amount in cash equal to (i) $0.00166667 multiplied by (ii) the number of calendar days elapsed after November 22, 2022 to and including the Closing Date, (b) if the Closing Date occurs on or after February 22, 2023 and before March 22, 2023, an amount in cash equal to (i) $0.15333333 plus (ii)(A) $0.0025 multiplied by (B) the number of calendar days elapsed after February 22, 2023 to and including the Closing Date, (c) if the Closing Date occurs on or after March 22, 2023 and before April 22, 2023, an amount in cash equal to (i) $0.22333333 plus (ii)(A) $0.00333333 multiplied by (B) the number of calendar days elapsed after March 22, 2023 to and including the Closing Date and (d) if the Closing Date occurs on or after April 22, 2023 and before May 22, 2023, an amount in cash equal to (i) $0.3266667 plus (ii)(A) $0.00416667 multiplied by (B) the number of calendar days elapsed after April 22, 2023 to and including the Closing Date.
The Merger Agreement contains certain termination rights and provides that, upon termination of the Merger Agreement under certain specified circumstances, Parent will be required to pay TEGNA a termination fee of either $136.0 million or $272.0 million.
TEGNA has made customary representations, warranties and covenants in the Merger Agreement. If the Merger is consummated, the Common Stock will be delisted from the New York Stock Exchange and deregistered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. On March 10, 2022, TEGNA, Parent, Merger Sub, and, solely for purposes of certain provisions specified therein, the other Parent Restructuring Entities, entered into an amendment to the Merger Agreement (the Amendment). The Amendment provides, among other things and subject to the terms and conditions set forth therein, that certain regulatory efforts covenants will apply with respect to certain station transfers from Parent or an affiliate of Parent to CMG or an affiliate of CMG that are contemplated to be consummated as of immediately following the Effective Time.
On May 17, 2022 the stockholders of TEGNA voted to adopt the Merger Agreement. On February 21, 2023, TEGNA elected, pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement, to extend the Outside Date (as defined in the Merger Agreement) from 5:00 p.m. Eastern time on February 22, 2023 to 5:00 p.m. Eastern time on May 22, 2023. All waiting periods under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended, applicable to the Merger and related transactions have expired. The closing of the Merger remains subject to the approval of the Federal Communications Commission (the “FCC”) and customary closing conditions. On February 24, 2023, the FCC issued a hearing designation order (the “HDO”) with respect to the transaction. On March 27, 2023, certain of the parties to the Merger Agreement filed a notice of appeal of the HDO and a petition for a writ of mandamus with the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (the “D.C. Court of Appeals”). On April 3, 2023, the D.C. Court of Appeals dismissed the appeal of the HDO. On April 21, 2023, the D.C. Court of Appeals denied the petition for a writ mandamus. TEGNA is currently evaluating its options.
Accounting guidance adopted in 2023: We did not adopt any new accounting guidance in 2023 that had a material impact on our consolidated financial statements or disclosures.
New accounting guidance not yet adopted: There is currently no pending accounting guidance that we expect to have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements or disclosures.
Trade receivables and allowances for doubtful accounts: Trade receivables are recorded at invoiced amounts and generally do not bear interest. The allowance for doubtful accounts reflects our estimate of credit exposure, determined principally on the basis of our collection experience, aging of our receivables and any specific reserves needed for certain customers based on their credit risk. Our allowance also takes into account expected future trends which may impact our customers’ ability to pay, such as economic growth (or declines), unemployment and demand for our products and services. We monitor the credit quality of our customers and their ability to pay through the use of analytics and communication with individual customers. As of March 31, 2023, our allowance for doubtful accounts was $4.0 million as compared to $3.7 million as of December 31, 2022.
Redeemable Noncontrolling interest: Our Premion business operates an advertising network for over-the-top (OTT) streaming and connected television platforms. In March 2020, we sold a minority interest in Premion to an affiliate of Gray Television (Gray) and entered into a commercial reselling agreement with the affiliate. During the first quarter of 2023, we entered into a multi-year extension of the reselling agreement with Gray. Gray’s investment allows it to sell its interest to Premion if there is a change in control of TEGNA or if the commercial agreement terminates. Since redemption of the minority ownership interest is outside our control, Gray’s equity interest is presented outside of the Equity section on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet in the caption “Redeemable noncontrolling interest.”
Treasury Stock: We account for treasury stock under the cost method. When treasury stock is re-issued at a price higher than its cost, the difference is recorded as a component of additional paid-in-capital (APIC) in our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. When treasury stock is re-issued at a price lower than its cost, the difference is recorded as a component of APIC to the extent that there are previously recorded gains to offset the losses. If there are no treasury stock gains in APIC, the losses upon re-issuance of treasury stock are recorded as a reduction of retained earnings in our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets.
Revenue recognition: Revenue is recognized upon the transfer of control of promised services to our customers in an amount that reflects the consideration we expect to receive in exchange for those services. Revenue is recognized net of any taxes collected from customers, which are subsequently remitted to governmental authorities. Amounts received from customers in advance of providing services to our customers are recorded as deferred revenue.
The primary sources of our revenues are: 1) subscription revenues, reflecting fees paid by satellite, cable, OTT (companies that deliver video content to consumers over the Internet) and telecommunications providers to carry our television signals on their systems; 2) advertising & marketing services revenues, which include local and national non-political television advertising, digital marketing services (including Premion), advertising on the stations’ websites, tablet and mobile products, and OTT apps; 3) political advertising revenues, which are driven by even-year election cycles at the local and national level (e.g. 2024, 2022, etc.) and particularly in the second half of those years; and 4) other services, such as production of programming, tower rentals and distribution of our local news content. Revenue earned by these sources in the first quarter of 2023 and 2022 are shown below (amounts in thousands): | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Quarter ended Mar. 31, | | | | 2023 | | 2022 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Subscription | $ | 414,280 | | | $ | 391,654 | | | | | | | Advertising & Marketing Services | 307,845 | | | 354,467 | | | | | | | Political | 5,291 | | | 17,965 | | | | | | | Other | 12,911 | | | 10,037 | | | | | | | Total revenues | $ | 740,327 | | | $ | 774,123 | | | | | |
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