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ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE AND RELATED ALLOWANCE FOR DOUBTFUL ACCOUNTS AND SALES RESERVES
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2019
Receivables [Abstract]  
ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE AND RELATED ALLOWANCE FOR DOUBTFUL ACCOUNTS AND SALES RESERVES ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE AND RELATED ALLOWANCE FOR DOUBTFUL ACCOUNTS AND SALES RESERVES
Accounts receivable are primarily attributable to advertising which has been provided and for which payment has not been received from the advertiser. Accounts receivable are net of agency commissions and an estimated allowance for doubtful accounts and sales reserves. Estimates of the allowance for doubtful accounts and sales reserves are recorded based on management’s judgment of the collectability of the accounts receivable based on historical information, relative improvements or deterioration in the age of the accounts receivable and changes in current economic conditions.
The accounts receivable balances, and the allowance for doubtful accounts and sales reserves, are presented in the following table:
Net Accounts Receivable
December 31,
20192018
(amounts in thousands)
Accounts receivable
$396,427  $359,456  
Allowance for doubtful accounts and sales reserve
(17,515) (16,690) 
Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts and sales reserves
$378,912  $342,766  
See the table in Note 9, Other Current Liabilities, for accounts receivable credits outstanding as of the periods indicated.
The following table presents the changes in the allowance for doubtful accounts:
Changes In Allowance For Doubtful Accounts
Year Ended
Balance At
Beginning
Of Year
Additions
Charged To
Costs And
Expenses
Deductions
From
Reserves
Balance At
End Of
Year
(amounts in thousands)
December 31, 2019$9,419  $4,549  $(5,703) $8,265  
December 31, 20183,885  8,909  (3,375) 9,419  
December 31, 20172,137  3,715  (1,967) 3,885  
In the course of arriving at practical business solutions to various claims arising from the sale to advertisers of various services and products, the Company estimates sales allowances. The Company records a provision against revenue for estimated sales adjustments in the same period the related revenues are recorded or when current information indicates additional allowances are required. These estimates are based on the Company’s historical experience, specific customer information and current economic conditions. If the historical data utilized does not reflect management’s expected future performance, a change in the allowance is recorded in the period such determination is made. The balance of sales reserves is reflected in the accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts line item on the Consolidated Balance Sheets.
The following table presents the changes in the sales reserves:
Changes in Allowance for Sales Reserves
Year Ended
Balance At
Beginning
Of Year
Additions
Charged To
Revenues
Deductions
From
Reserves
Balance At
End Of
Year
(amounts in thousands)
December 31, 2019$7,271  $11,394  $(9,415) $9,250  
December 31, 2018$390  $14,254  $(7,373) $7,271  
December 31, 2017$—  $390  $—  $390