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Description of Business, Interim Financial Data and Basis of Presentation (Policies)
 9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2012
Description of Business, Interim Financial Data and Basis of Presentation [Abstract]  
Nature of Business

Nature of Business

Cumulus Media believes it is the largest pure-play radio broadcaster in the United States based on number of stations. At September 30, 2012, Cumulus Media owned or operated more than 525 radio stations (including under local marketing agreements, or “LMAs”) in 110 United States media markets and a nationwide radio network serving over 4,000 stations.

Interim Financial Data

Interim Financial Data

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements of the Company and the notes related thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011. The accompanying unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements include the condensed consolidated accounts of Cumulus and its wholly-owned subsidiaries, with all significant intercompany balances and transactions eliminated in consolidation. These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and notes required by GAAP for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting only of normal, recurring adjustments) necessary for a fair presentation of results of operations for, and financial condition as of the end of, the interim periods have been made. The results of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2012, the cash flows for the nine months ended September 30, 2012 and the Company’s financial condition as of September 30, 2012, are not necessarily indicative of the results of operations or cash flows that can be expected for, or the Company’s financial condition as of, any other interim period or for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2012.

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, and related disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities. On an on-going basis, the Company evaluates its estimates, including those related to bad debts, intangible assets, derivative financial instruments, income taxes, stock-based compensation, contingencies, litigation and purchase price allocations. The Company bases its estimates on historical experience and on various assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual amounts and results may differ materially from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

Reclassifications

Reclassifications

Certain reclassifications have been made to prior year amounts to conform to the current year presentation. Certain assets were sold on July 31, 2012 (see Note 2, “Acquisitions and Dispositions”). The results of operations associated with these assets were separately reported, net of the related tax impact, for all periods presented in the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations because the operations and cash flows generated by these assets have been eliminated from the Company’s consolidated results of operations as a result of the sale and the Company no longer has continuing involvement in the operations of the stations after their disposal (see Note 3, “Discontinued Operations”).

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

ASU 2011-04. In May 2011, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2011-04, which amends Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures, to achieve common fair value measurement and disclosure requirements under GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”). This standard gives clarification for the highest and best use valuation concepts. The ASU also provides guidance on fair value measurements relating to instruments classified in stockholders’ equity and instruments managed within a portfolio. Further, ASU 2011-04 clarifies disclosures for financial instruments categorized within level 3 of the fair value hierarchy that require companies to provide quantitative information about unobservable inputs used, the sensitivity of the measurement to changes in those inputs, and the valuation processes used by the reporting entity. The Company adopted the prescribed disclosures which became effective January 1, 2012, for its condensed consolidated financial statements as of such date. See Note 8, “Fair Value Measurements.”

 

ASU 2011-05. In June 2011, the FASB issued ASU 2011-05, which amends the guidance in ASC Topic 220, “Comprehensive Income,” by eliminating the option to present components of other comprehensive income (“OCI”) in the statement of stockholders’ equity. This ASU requires entities to present all non-owner changes in stockholders’ equity either as a single continuous statement of comprehensive income or as two separate but consecutive statements of income and comprehensive income. The components of OCI have not changed nor has the guidance on when OCI items are reclassified to net income. Similarly, ASU 2011-05 does not change the guidance to disclose OCI components gross or net of the effect of income taxes, provided that the tax effects are presented on the face of the statement in which OCI is presented, or disclosed in the notes to the financial statements. The Company adopted this guidance effective January 1, 2012. Since the Company has no transactions classified as OCI, the adoption of this guidance did not have an impact on the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements.

ASU 2011-08. In September 2011, the FASB issued ASU 2011-8, which amends ASC Topic 350, Intangibles-Goodwill and Other. The amendments in this ASU give companies the option to first perform a qualitative assessment to determine whether it is more likely than not (a likelihood of more than 50.0%) that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount. If a company concludes that this is the case, it must perform the two-step goodwill impairment test. Otherwise, a company is not required to perform this two-step test. Under the amendments in this ASU, an entity has the option to bypass the qualitative assessment for any reporting unit in any period and proceed directly to performing the first step of the two-step goodwill impairment test. The Company adopted this guidance effective January 1, 2012. The adoption of this guidance did not have an impact on the Company’s unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

ASU 2011-11. In December 2011, the FASB issued ASU 2011-11. The amendments in this ASU require companies to disclose information about offsetting and related arrangements to enable users of its financial statements to understand the effect of those arrangements on its financial position. The ASU is required to be applied retrospectively for all prior periods presented and is effective for annual periods for fiscal years beginning on or after January 1, 2013, and interim periods within those annual fiscal years. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have an impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

ASU 2012-02. In July 2012, the FASB issued ASU 2012-02. The amendments in this ASU give companies the option to perform a qualitative assessment to determine whether it is more likely than not that an indefinite-lived intangible asset is impaired rather than calculating the fair value of the indefinite-lived intangible asset. It is effective prospectively for annual and interim impairment tests performed for fiscal years beginning after September 15, 2012, with early adoption permitted. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have an impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

Acquisitions and Dispositions

2012 Acquisitions

On July 31, 2012, the Company completed its sale of 55 stations in eleven non-strategic markets to Townsquare Media, LLC (“Townsquare Asset Exchange”) in exchange for ten of Townsquare’s radio stations in Bloomington, IL and Peoria, IL, plus approximately $114.9 million in cash. The transaction was part of the Company’s ongoing efforts to focus on radio stations in larger markets and geographically strategic regional clusters. The stations sold by the Company operated in the following markets: Augusta, ME; Bangor, ME; Binghamton, NY; Bismarck, ND; Grand Junction, CO; Killeen-Temple, TX; New Bedford, MA; Odessa-Midland, TX; Presque Isle, ME; Sioux Falls, SD and Tuscaloosa, AL. Additional information regarding discontinued operations is provided in Note 3, “Discontinued Operations” in the accompanying consolidated financial statements.

2011 Acquisitions

Ann Arbor, Battle Creek and Canton Asset Exchange

On February 18, 2011, the Company completed an asset exchange with Clear Channel Communications, Inc. (“Clear Channel”). As part of this asset exchange, Cumulus acquired eight of Clear Channel’s radio stations located in Ann Arbor and Battle Creek, Michigan in exchange for its radio station in Canton, Ohio. The Company disposed of two of the Battle Creek stations simultaneously with the closing of the transaction to comply with Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) broadcast ownership limits. This asset exchange was accounted for as a business combination in accordance with FASB’s guidance. The fair value of the assets acquired in this asset exchange was $17.4 million. The Company incurred approximately $0.3 million in acquisition costs related to this transaction and expensed them as incurred through earnings within corporate, general and administrative expenses. The $4.3 million allocated to goodwill is deductible for tax purposes. The results of operations for the Ann Arbor and Battle Creek stations acquired, which were not material, have been included in our statements of operations since 2007 when the Company entered into a LMA with Clear Channel to manage these stations. Prior to this asset exchange, the Company did not have any relationship with Clear Channel with regard to the Canton, Ohio market.

CMP Acquisition

On August 1, 2011, the Company completed its previously announced acquisition of the remaining 75.0% of the equity interests of Cumulus Media Partners LLC (“CMP”) that it did not already own (the “CMP Acquisition”). The Company had owned 25.0% of CMP’s equity interests since it, together with Bain Capital Partners, LLC (“Bain”), The Blackstone Group L.P. (“Blackstone”) and Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P. (“THL,” and together with Bain and Blackstone, the “CMP Sellers”), formed CMP in 2005. Pursuant to a management agreement, the Company had been operating CMP’s business since 2006. This management agreement was terminated in connection with the completion of the CMP Acquisition. In connection with the CMP Acquisition, the Company issued 9.9 million shares of its common stock to affiliates of the CMP Sellers. Blackstone received 3.3 million shares of the Company’s Class A common stock and, in accordance with FCC broadcast ownership rules, Bain and THL each received 3.3 million shares of a newly authorized Class D non-voting common stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Class D common stock”). This Class D common stock was subsequently converted into an equivalent number of shares of the Company’s Class B common stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Class B common stock”), with substantially identical terms, pursuant to the terms of the Company’s third amended and restated certificate of incorporation (the “Third Amended and Restated Charter”) which became effective upon the effectiveness of the Citadel Acquisition (defined below). Also in connection with the CMP Acquisition, outstanding warrants to purchase 3.7 million shares of common stock of CMP Susquehanna Radio Holdings Corp., an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of CMP (“Radio Holdings”), were amended to instead become exercisable for up to 8.3 million shares of the Company’s common stock. CMP’s operating results have been included in Cumulus’ consolidated financial statements since the date of the completion of the CMP Acquisition.

 

As a component of the CMP Acquisition, the Company acquired an interest in the San Francisco Baseball Associates L.P., the owner of the San Francisco Giants Major League Baseball Franchise. The fair value of this interest as of the date of the CMP Acquisition was $9.8 million. This interest is included in other long-term assets on the Company’s accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet and is carried under the cost method.

Under the acquisition method of accounting for business combinations, the purchase price paid in the CMP Acquisition has been allocated among the tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed based on their fair values as of the acquisition date. Goodwill as of the acquisition date was measured as the excess of the consideration paid over the net acquisition date fair values of the assets acquired and the liabilities assumed. The Company fair valued its historical 25.0% equity interest in CMP and recorded a gain of $11.6 million, the difference between the fair value at the date of completion of the CMP Acquisition and the carrying value, which was zero, given CMP’s historical losses. With respect to certain outstanding preferred stock of CMP, the Company recorded $0.5 million in dividends for the period from August 1, 2011, the acquisition date, to September 16, 2011. This preferred stock was redeemed on September 16, 2011 for approximately $41.6 million.

Citadel Acquisition

The Company completed the Citadel Acquisition on September 16, 2011 for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $2.3 billion, consisting of approximately $1.4 billion in cash, the issuance of 23.6 million shares of the Company’s Class A common stock, including 0.9 million restricted shares, warrants to purchase 47.6 million shares of Class A common stock, 2.4 million warrants held in reserve for potential future issuance related to the pending final settlement of certain outstanding unsecured claims arising from Citadel’s emergence from bankruptcy, and the consideration to repay the outstanding debt of Citadel. As a result of the Citadel Acquisition, Citadel became an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of the Company. Citadel’s operating results have been included in Cumulus’ consolidated financial statements since the date of the completion of the Citadel Acquisition.

Pending Acquisition

On September 25, 2012, the Company, through its subsidiaries entered into an asset purchase agreement (the “ARB Asset Purchase”) with AR Broadcasting, LLC, AR Licensing, LLC, CMP KC Corp. and CMP Houston-KC, LLC to acquire certain radio stations operated in the Kansas City Market for an aggregate purchase price of $16.8 million. The pending acquisition is subject to customary regulatory and other closings conditions. The Company currently anticipates the ARB Asset Purchase will be completed prior to the end of 2012.

Completed Dispositions

For dispositions completed during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2012, see “2012 Acquisitions” above. The Company did not complete any material dispositions during the three or nine months ended September 30, 2011.

Fair Value Measurement

The three levels of the fair value hierarchy to be applied to financial instruments when determining fair value are described below:

Level 1 — Valuations based on quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that the entity has the ability to access;

Level 2 — Valuations based on quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities, quoted prices in markets that are not active, or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities; and

Level 3 — Valuations based on inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant to the fair value of the assets or liabilities.

A financial instrument’s level within the fair value hierarchy is based on the lowest level of any input that is significant to the fair value measurement. The Company’s financial assets and liabilities are measured at fair value on a recurring basis.

Schedule of income tax policy

The Company accounts for income taxes in accordance with authoritative accounting guidance which establishes financial accounting and reporting standards for the effect of income taxes. The objectives of accounting for income taxes are to recognize the amount of taxes payable or refundable for the current year and deferred tax liabilities and assets for the future tax consequences of events that have been recognized in the Company’s financial statements or tax returns.

The provision for income taxes reflects the Company’s estimate of the effective tax rate expected to be applicable for the full current year. To the extent that actual pre-tax results for the year differ from the forecasted estimates applied at the end of the most recent interim period, the actual tax rate recognized during 2012 could be different from the forecasted rate.