Goodwill and other intangible assets

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2013

Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]

The following table displays goodwill, indefinite-lived intangible assets, and amortizable intangible assets at March 31, 2013 and December 30, 2012:



In thousands of dollars	Mar. 31, 2013				Dec. 30, 2012
	Gross		Accumulated Amortization		Gross		Accumulated Amortization
Goodwill	$	2,841,171	$	—	$	2,846,869	$	—
Indefinite-lived intangibles:
Mastheads and trade names	94,733		—		95,308		—
Television station FCC licenses	255,304		—		255,304		—
Amortizable intangible assets:
Customer relationships	312,422		203,144		313,567		197,300
Other	56,680		25,244		56,965		23,931

Customer relationships, which include subscriber lists and advertiser relationships, are amortized on a straight-line basis over three to 25 years. Other intangibles primarily include internally developed technology, patents and amortizable trade names. These assets were assigned lives of between three and 21 years and are amortized on a straight-line basis.

The following table summarizes the changes in the Company’s net goodwill balance through March 31, 2013.



In thousands of dollars	Publishing			Digital			Broadcasting			Total
Balance at Dec. 30, 2012
Goodwill	$	7,754,959		$	722,781		$	1,618,602		$	10,096,342
Accumulated impairment losses	(7,132,817		)	(116,656		)	—			(7,249,473		)
Net balance at Dec. 30, 2012	622,142			606,125			1,618,602			2,846,869
Activity during the period
Acquisitions and adjustments	383			9,043			—			9,426
Foreign currency exchange rate changes	(11,518		)	(3,536		)	(70		)	(15,124		)
Total	(11,135		)	5,507			(70		)	(5,698		)
Balance at Mar. 31, 2013
Goodwill	7,607,236			728,288			1,618,532			9,954,056
Accumulated impairment losses	(6,996,229		)	(116,656		)	—			(7,112,885		)
Net balance at Mar. 31, 2013	$	611,007		$	611,632		$	1,618,532		$	2,841,171

- Definition

The entire disclosure for the aggregate amount of goodwill and a description of intangible assets, which may include (a) for amortizable intangible assets (also referred to as finite-lived intangible assets), the carrying amount, the amount of any significant residual value, and the weighted-average amortization period, (b) for intangible assets not subject to amortization (also referred to as indefinite-lived intangible assets), the carrying amount, and (c) the amount of research and development assets acquired and written off in the period, including the line item in the income statement in which the amounts written off are aggregated, if not readily apparent from the income statement. Also discloses (a) for amortizable intangibles assets in total and by major class, the gross carrying amount and accumulated amortization, the total amortization expense for the period, and the estimated aggregate amortization expense for each of the five succeeding fiscal years, (b) for intangible assets not subject to amortization the carrying amount in total and by major class, and (c) for goodwill, in total and for each reportable segment, the changes in the carrying amount of goodwill during the period (including the aggregate amount of goodwill acquired, the aggregate amount of impairment losses recognized, and the amount of goodwill included in the gain (loss) on disposal of a reporting unit). If any part of goodwill has not been allocated to a reportable segment, discloses the unallocated amount and the reasons for not allocating. For each impairment loss recognized related to an intangible asset (excluding goodwill), discloses: (a) a description of the impaired intangible asset and the facts and circumstances leading to the impairment, (b) the amount of the impairment loss and the method for determining fair value, (c) the caption in the income statement or the statement of activities in which the impairment loss is aggregated, and (d) the segment in which the impaired intangible asset is reported. For each goodwill impairment loss recognized, discloses: (a) a description of the facts and circumstances leading to the impairment, (b) the amount of the impairment loss and the method of determining the fair value of the associated reporting unit, and (c) if a recognized impairment loss is an estimate not finalized and the reasons why the estimate is not final. May also disclose the nature and amount of any significant adjustments made to a previous estimate of an impairment loss.

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