10 3/4% Series B Cumulative Exchangeable Redeemable Preferred Stock	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2019
Equity [Abstract]
10 3/4% Series B Cumulative Exchangeable Redeemable Preferred Stock	11. 10³/4% Series B Cumulative Exchangeable Redeemable Preferred Stock Voting Rights Triggering Event On October 30, 2003, we partially financed the purchase of a radio station with proceeds from the sale, through a private placement, of 75,000 shares of our 10 3/4% Series A cumulative exchangeable redeemable preferred stock, par value $0.01 per share, with a liquidation preference of $1,000 per share (the “Series A preferred stock”), without a specified maturity date. The gross proceeds from the issuance of the Series A preferred stock amounted to $75.0 million. On February 18, 2004, we commenced an offer to exchange registered shares of our 10 3/4% Series B cumulative exchangeable redeemable preferred stock, par value $0.01 per share and liquidation preference of $1,000 per share for any and all shares of our outstanding unregistered Series A preferred stock. On April 5, 2004, we completed the exchange offer and exchanged 76,702 shares of our Series B preferred stock for all of our then outstanding shares of Series A preferred stock. Holders of the Series B preferred stock have customary protective provisions. The Certificate of Designations governing the Series B preferred stock (the “Certificate of Designations”) contains covenants that, among other things, limit our ability to: (i) pay dividends, purchase junior securities and make restricted investments or other restricted payments; (ii) incur indebtedness, including refinancing indebtedness; (iii) merge or consolidate with other companies or transfer all or substantially all of our assets; and (iv) engage in transactions with affiliates. Upon a change of control, we will be required to make an offer to purchase these shares at a price of 101% of the aggregate liquidation preference of these shares plus accumulated and unpaid dividends to, but excluding the purchase date. We had the option to redeem all or some of the registered Series B preferred stock for cash on or after October 15, 2009 at 103.583%, October 15, 2010 at 101.792% and October 15, 2011 and thereafter at 100%, plus accumulated and unpaid dividends to the redemption date. On October 15, 2013, each holder of Series B preferred stock had the right to request that we repurchase (subject to the legal availability of funds under Delaware General Corporate Law) all or a portion of such holder’s shares of Series B preferred stock at a purchase price equal to 100% of the liquidation preference of such shares, plus all accumulated and unpaid dividends (as described in more detail below) on those shares to the date of repurchase. Under the terms of our Series B preferred stock, we are required to pay dividends at a rate of 10 3/4% per year of the $1,000 liquidation preference per share of Series B preferred stock. From October 30, 2003 to October 15, 2008, we had the option to pay these dividends in either cash or additional shares of Series B preferred stock. During October 15, 2003 to October 30, 2008, we increased the carrying amount of the Series B preferred stock by approximately $17.3 million for stock dividends, which were accreted using the effective interest method. Since October 15, 2008, we have been required to pay the dividends on our Series B preferred stock in cash. On October 15, 2013, holders of shares of our Series B preferred stock requested that we repurchase 92,223 shares of Series B preferred stock for an aggregate repurchase price of $126.9 million, which included accumulated and unpaid dividends on these shares as of October 15, 2013. We did not have sufficient funds legally available to repurchase all of the Series B preferred stock for which we received requests and instead used the limited funds legally available to us to repurchase 1,800 shares for a purchase price of approximately $2.5 million, which included accrued and unpaid dividends. Consequently, a “Voting Rights Triggering Event” occurred (the “Voting Rights Triggering Event”). During the continuation of a Voting Rights Triggering Event, certain of the covenants summarized above become more restrictive by their terms including (i) a prohibition on our ability to incur additional indebtedness, (ii) restrictions on our ability to make restricted payments and (iii) restrictions on our ability to merge or consolidate with other companies or transfer all or substantially all of our assets. In addition, the holders of the Series B preferred stock have the right to elect two members to our Board of Directors. At our Annual Meeting of Stockholders in 2014, the holders of the Series B preferred stock nominated and elected Alan Miller and Gary Stone to serve as the Series B preferred stock directors who remained on the Board of Directors until their resignation on August 17, 2017. The holders of the Series B Preferred Stock have the right to elect two new directors to the Board of Directors to fill the seats vacated by Messrs. Miller and Stone for their unexpired terms at a special meeting of the holders of the Series B preferred stock. As of the date of these financial statements, the holders of the Series B preferred stock have not elected any new directors to fill the vacated seats. The two vacancies on the Board of Directors will remain unfilled until such time as the holders of the Series B preferred stock appoint two new directors. The Voting Rights Triggering Event shall continue until (i) all dividends in arrears shall have been paid in full and (ii) all other failures, breaches or defaults giving rise to such Voting Rights Triggering Event are remedied or waived by the holders of at least a majority of the shares of the then outstanding Series B preferred stock. We do not currently have sufficient funds legally available to be able to satisfy the conditions for terminating the Voting Rights Triggering Event. The terms of our Series B preferred stock require us, in the event of a change of control, to offer to repurchase all or a portion of a holder’s shares at an offer price in cash equal to 101% of the liquidation preference of the shares, plus an amount in cash equal to all accumulated and unpaid dividends on those shares up to but excluding the date of repurchase. We do not currently have sufficient funds legally available to be able to satisfy the conditions for terminating the Voting Rights Triggering Event or for repurchasing the shares in the event of a change of control. During the continuation of the Voting Rights Triggering Event, the Indenture governing our Notes prohibits us from paying dividends or from repurchasing the Series B preferred stock. We are currently in litigation with persons claiming to own 94.16% of our Series B preferred stock as described above in Note 8, Commitments and Contingencies. Given the information that was disclosed to us in the Preferred Holder Complaint regarding the purported ownership of a majority of the Series B preferred stock by foreign entities, we were required to take immediate remedial action in order to ensure that any violations of the Communications Act and our Charter resulting from that ownership did not adversely affect our FCC broadcast licenses and ability to continue our business operations. Accordingly, on November 28, 2017, consistent with our obligations and authority provided to us under the Communications Act and by Article X of our Charter, we notified holders of our Series B preferred stock that we were suspending all rights, effective immediately, of the holders of the Series B preferred stock, other than their right to transfer their shares to a citizen of the United States. Such suspension of rights was meant from the outset to be a temporary and reasonable measure, intended to elicit the information necessary to determine which Series B preferred stock sales were proper under the Charter. The Company pledged to restore the suspended rights to each shareholder that demonstrated it was neither an alien nor a representative of an alien or upon a showing that its ownership of Series B preferred stock (including stakes held by any non-U.S. entities) complies with Section 310(b) of the Communications Act and the Charter. Additionally, on November 13, 2017, the Company filed a notification with the FCC to apprise the FCC of the possible non-compliance with the Communications Act’s limits on foreign ownership. On December 4, 2017, the Company also filed a petition with the FCC for declaratory ruling (the “Petition”) with respect to the potential excess foreign ownership. The Company filed the Petition not because it had concluded that an affirmative FCC public interest ruling regarding recognized foreign ownership was required, but at the suggestion of FCC staff to ensure the Company had prophylactically availed itself of the “safe harbor” protections of Section 1.5004(f)(4) of the FCC’s Rules, in the event such a declaratory ruling ultimately proved necessary. This suggestion came after the Company had previously notified the FCC of a possible Section 310(b) foreign ownership issue triggered by the filing of the Preferred Holder Complaint. The FCC responded to the Petition by sending a letter to the Company detailing the information the FCC would need regarding the identities and nature of the purported foreign ownership of the Series B preferred stock to make a determination regarding the Petition and establishing a deadline for the disclosure of that information. The purported Series B preferred stockholders were therefore required to provide to the Company sufficient information about the extent and nature of their foreign ownership to enable the Company to supplement the Petition with this additional information. On March 23, 2018, counsel for the purported holders of most of the Series B preferred stock filed a letter with the FCC supplying a significant portion of the information requested. The Company reviewed this information in order to determine whether it was complete, true and correct, as required by the FCC’s rules, and requested some additional information from the Series B preferred stockholders. The purported Series B preferred stockholders did not provide any additional information regarding the timing of their alleged purchases of Series B preferred stock until December 5, 2018. On that date, such stockholders filed responses to the Company’s interrogatories in the Series B Preferred Stock Litigation. These responses contained a significant portion of the pending information that was originally solicited on November 2017 and January 2018, respectively. The new information mainly consisted of the trading information in the Series B preferred stock, including dates of acquisition, the number of shares purportedly acquired in each transaction and, to the extent available, seller information. On December 6, 2018, the Company received a letter from the Enforcement Bureau of the Investigations and Hearings Division (the “Bureau”) of the FCC advising the Company that it was under investigation for potential violations of Section 310(b) of the Communications Act related to excess foreign ownership of broadcast stations. As part of its investigation, the Bureau requested of the Company detailed information and supporting documentation about the identities of the Series B preferred stockholders, the potential for a foreign ownership violation, the dates that the Company became aware of the situation, and the steps it took to address the situation. The Company timely filed its response to the Bureau’s letter of inquiry on February 8, 2019. As of the date of this filing, we have not received a response or any additional inquiries from the Bureau regarding this investigation. Previously, on April 27, 2018, the Company had announced publicly that the purported foreign ownership excess did not exist. On this date, the Company issued Notices of Ineffective Purported Purchase of Series B Preferred Stock (the “Notices”) to each of West Face Long Term Opportunities Global Master L.P., Stornoway Recovery Fund LP, Stonehill Master Fund Ltd. and Ravensource Fund notifying these investors that their claimed purchases of Series B preferred stock would be treated as void and non-existent because these investors attempted to acquire these shares in transactions that, if given effect, would have violated the Charter. In the Notices, the Company invited these investors to demonstrate facts to the contrary supported by relevant documentation. As of the date of these financial statements, these investors have not provided the Company with any facts or provided any documentation that would support a different legal conclusion. As stated above, the Company takes the position that certain of the purported non-U.S. preferred stockholders do not currently hold valid equity interests in the Company, with the result that there is no foreign ownership excess. For this reason, the Company did not claim in its Petition or any supplement thereto that it would be in the public interest for the relevant entities to hold aggregate interests exceeding the 25 percent foreign ownership benchmark. As stated in the original Petition, the Company then recognized that its showing “is not yet complete with respect to the FCC’s ability to render a decision regarding the … public interest inquiry.” Because the share transfers that gave rise to some or all of the Series B preferred stock ownership claims of several purported non-U.S. preferred stockholders are invalid, there would be no need for such a showing unless a court first determines that the suspect transactions must be honored. Accordingly, both the Company and the purported Series B preferred stockholders have suggested that the FCC should consider simply holding the Petition in abeyance until the Series B Preferred Stock Litigation is resolved. As of the date of these financial statements, the Company believes that there remain genuine questions regarding valid ownership, or good title, to the Series B preferred stock by these foreign investors. As a result, we intend to remain vigilant regarding compliance with the Communications Act and our Charter and will continue to evaluate information provided to us by the purported holders of the Series B preferred stock. Because we have not yet received all of the requisite information from the purported holders, we have been unable to effectively determine whether to withdraw the suspension of their rights as owners of such preferred stock or the extent of any additional remedial action by the Company that may be necessary. Quarterly Dividends Under the terms of our Series B preferred stock, the holders of the outstanding shares of the Series B preferred stock are entitled to receive, when, as and if declared by the Board of Directors out of funds of the Company legally available therefor, dividends on the Series B preferred stock at a rate of 10 ¾% per year, of the $1,000 liquidation preference per share. All dividends are cumulative, whether or not earned or declared, and are payable quarterly in arrears on specified dividend payment dates. While the Voting Rights Triggering Event continues, we cannot pay dividends on the Series B preferred stock without causing a breach of covenants under the Indenture governing our Notes. As of March 31, 2019, the aggregate cumulative unpaid dividends on the outstanding shares of the Series B preferred stock was approximately $87.2 million, which is accrued on our condensed consolidated balance sheet as 10 ¾% Series B cumulative exchangeable redeemable preferred stock. Accounting Treatment of the Preferred Stock The Series B preferred stock will be measured at subsequent reporting dates at the amount of cash that would be paid under the conditions specified in the contract, as if the settlement occurred at the reporting date, recognizing the resulting change in that amount from the previous reporting date as interest expense. Therefore, the 10 ¾% accruing quarterly dividends will be recorded as interest expense (i.e. “Dividends on Series B preferred stock classified as interest expense”) as required by ASC 480. For the three-months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, we recorded $2.4 million as dividends on Series B preferred stock classified as interest expense.

10 3/4% Series B Cumulative Exchangeable Redeemable Preferred Stock

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

10 3/4% Series B Cumulative Exchangeable Redeemable Preferred Stock

11. 10³/4% Series B Cumulative Exchangeable Redeemable Preferred Stock

Voting Rights Triggering Event

On October 30, 2003, we partially financed the purchase of a radio station with proceeds from the sale, through a private placement, of 75,000 shares of our 10 3/4% Series A cumulative exchangeable redeemable preferred stock, par value $0.01 per share, with a liquidation preference of $1,000 per share (the “Series A preferred stock”), without a specified maturity date. The gross proceeds from the issuance of the Series A preferred stock amounted to $75.0 million.

On February 18, 2004, we commenced an offer to exchange registered shares of our 10 3/4% Series B cumulative exchangeable redeemable preferred stock, par value $0.01 per share and liquidation preference of $1,000 per share for any and all shares of our outstanding unregistered Series A preferred stock. On April 5, 2004, we completed the exchange offer and exchanged 76,702 shares of our Series B preferred stock for all of our then outstanding shares of Series A preferred stock.

Holders of the Series B preferred stock have customary protective provisions. The Certificate of Designations governing the Series B preferred stock (the “Certificate of Designations”) contains covenants that, among other things, limit our ability to: (i) pay dividends, purchase junior securities and make restricted investments or other restricted payments; (ii) incur indebtedness, including refinancing indebtedness; (iii) merge or consolidate with other companies or transfer all or substantially all of our assets; and (iv) engage in transactions with affiliates. Upon a change of control, we will be required to make an offer to purchase these shares at a price of 101% of the aggregate liquidation preference of these shares plus accumulated and unpaid dividends to, but excluding the purchase date.

We had the option to redeem all or some of the registered Series B preferred stock for cash on or after October 15, 2009 at 103.583%, October 15, 2010 at 101.792% and October 15, 2011 and thereafter at 100%, plus accumulated and unpaid dividends to the redemption date. On October 15, 2013, each holder of Series B preferred stock had the right to request that we repurchase (subject to the legal availability of funds under Delaware General Corporate Law) all or a portion of such holder’s shares of Series B preferred stock at a purchase price equal to 100% of the liquidation preference of such shares, plus all accumulated and unpaid dividends (as described in more detail below) on those shares to the date of repurchase. Under the terms of our Series B preferred stock, we are required to pay dividends at a rate of 10 3/4% per year of the $1,000 liquidation preference per share of Series B preferred stock. From October 30, 2003 to October 15, 2008, we had the option to pay these dividends in either cash or additional shares of Series B preferred stock. During October 15, 2003 to October 30, 2008, we increased the carrying amount of the Series B preferred stock by approximately $17.3 million for stock dividends, which were accreted using the effective interest method. Since October 15, 2008, we have been required to pay the dividends on our Series B preferred stock in cash.

On October 15, 2013, holders of shares of our Series B preferred stock requested that we repurchase 92,223 shares of Series B preferred stock for an aggregate repurchase price of $126.9 million, which included accumulated and unpaid dividends on these shares as of October 15, 2013. We did not have sufficient funds legally available to repurchase all of the Series B preferred stock for which we received requests and instead used the limited funds legally available to us to repurchase 1,800 shares for a purchase price of approximately $2.5 million, which included accrued and unpaid dividends. Consequently, a “Voting Rights Triggering Event” occurred (the “Voting Rights Triggering Event”).

During the continuation of a Voting Rights Triggering Event, certain of the covenants summarized above become more restrictive by their terms including (i) a prohibition on our ability to incur additional indebtedness, (ii) restrictions on our ability to make restricted payments and (iii) restrictions on our ability to merge or consolidate with other companies or transfer all or substantially all of our assets. In addition, the holders of the Series B preferred stock have the right to elect two members to our Board of Directors. At our Annual Meeting of Stockholders in 2014, the holders of the Series B preferred stock nominated and elected Alan Miller and Gary Stone to serve as the Series B preferred stock directors who remained on the Board of Directors until their resignation on August 17, 2017. The holders of the Series B Preferred Stock have the right to elect two new directors to the Board of Directors to fill the seats vacated by Messrs. Miller and Stone for their unexpired terms at a special meeting of the holders of the Series B preferred stock. As of the date of these financial statements, the holders of the Series B preferred stock have not elected any new directors to fill the vacated seats. The two vacancies on the Board of Directors will remain unfilled until such time as the holders of the Series B preferred stock appoint two new directors.

The Voting Rights Triggering Event shall continue until (i) all dividends in arrears shall have been paid in full and (ii) all other failures, breaches or defaults giving rise to such Voting Rights Triggering Event are remedied or waived by the holders of at least a majority of the shares of the then outstanding Series B preferred stock. We do not currently have sufficient funds legally available to be able to satisfy the conditions for terminating the Voting Rights Triggering Event. The terms of our Series B preferred stock require us, in the event of a change of control, to offer to repurchase all or a portion of a holder’s shares at an offer price in cash equal to 101% of the liquidation preference of the shares, plus an amount in cash equal to all accumulated and unpaid dividends on those shares up to but excluding the date of repurchase. We do not currently have sufficient funds legally available to be able to satisfy the conditions for terminating the Voting Rights Triggering Event or for repurchasing the shares in the event of a change of control. During the continuation of the Voting Rights Triggering Event, the Indenture governing our Notes prohibits us from paying dividends or from repurchasing the Series B preferred stock.

We are currently in litigation with persons claiming to own 94.16% of our Series B preferred stock as described above in Note 8, Commitments and Contingencies.

Given the information that was disclosed to us in the Preferred Holder Complaint regarding the purported ownership of a majority of the Series B preferred stock by foreign entities, we were required to take immediate remedial action in order to ensure that any violations of the Communications Act and our Charter resulting from that ownership did not adversely affect our FCC broadcast licenses and ability to continue our business operations. Accordingly, on November 28, 2017, consistent with our obligations and authority provided to us under the Communications Act and by Article X of our Charter, we notified holders of our Series B preferred stock that we were suspending all rights, effective immediately, of the holders of the Series B preferred stock, other than their right to transfer their shares to a citizen of the United States. Such suspension of rights was meant from the outset to be a temporary and reasonable measure, intended to elicit the information necessary to determine which Series B preferred stock sales were proper under the Charter. The Company pledged to restore the suspended rights to each shareholder that demonstrated it was neither an alien nor a representative of an alien or upon a showing that its ownership of Series B preferred stock (including stakes held by any non-U.S. entities) complies with Section 310(b) of the Communications Act and the Charter.

Additionally, on November 13, 2017, the Company filed a notification with the FCC to apprise the FCC of the possible non-compliance with the Communications Act’s limits on foreign ownership. On December 4, 2017, the Company also filed a petition with the FCC for declaratory ruling (the “Petition”) with respect to the potential excess foreign ownership. The Company filed the Petition not because it had concluded that an affirmative FCC public interest ruling regarding recognized foreign ownership was required, but at the suggestion of FCC staff to ensure the Company had prophylactically availed itself of the “safe harbor” protections of Section 1.5004(f)(4) of the FCC’s Rules, in the event such a declaratory ruling ultimately proved necessary. This suggestion came after the Company had previously notified the FCC of a possible Section 310(b) foreign ownership issue triggered by the filing of the Preferred Holder Complaint. The FCC responded to the Petition by sending a letter to the Company detailing the information the FCC would need regarding the identities and nature of the purported foreign ownership of the Series B preferred stock to make a determination regarding the Petition and establishing a deadline for the disclosure of that information. The purported Series B preferred stockholders were therefore required to provide to the Company sufficient information about the extent and nature of their foreign ownership to enable the Company to supplement the Petition with this additional information. On March 23, 2018, counsel for the purported holders of most of the Series B preferred stock filed a letter with the FCC supplying a significant portion of the information requested. The Company reviewed this information in order to determine whether it was complete, true and correct, as required by the FCC’s rules, and requested some additional information from the Series B preferred stockholders. The purported Series B preferred stockholders did not provide any additional information regarding the timing of their alleged purchases of Series B preferred stock until December 5, 2018. On that date, such stockholders filed responses to the Company’s interrogatories in the Series B Preferred Stock Litigation. These responses contained a significant portion of the pending information that was originally solicited on November 2017 and January 2018, respectively. The new information mainly consisted of the trading information in the Series B preferred stock, including dates of acquisition, the number of shares purportedly acquired in each transaction and, to the extent available, seller information. On December 6, 2018, the Company received a letter from the Enforcement Bureau of the Investigations and Hearings Division (the “Bureau”) of the FCC advising the Company that it was under investigation for potential violations of Section 310(b) of the Communications Act related to excess foreign ownership of broadcast stations. As part of its investigation, the Bureau requested of the Company detailed information and supporting documentation about the identities of the Series B preferred stockholders, the potential for a foreign ownership violation, the dates that the Company became aware of the situation, and the steps it took to address the situation. The Company timely filed its response to the Bureau’s letter of inquiry on February 8, 2019. As of the date of this filing, we have not received a response or any additional inquiries from the Bureau regarding this investigation.

Previously, on April 27, 2018, the Company had announced publicly that the purported foreign ownership excess did not exist. On this date, the Company issued Notices of Ineffective Purported Purchase of Series B Preferred Stock (the “Notices”) to each of West Face Long Term Opportunities Global Master L.P., Stornoway Recovery Fund LP, Stonehill Master Fund Ltd. and Ravensource Fund notifying these investors that their claimed purchases of Series B preferred stock would be treated as void and non-existent because these investors attempted to acquire these shares in transactions that, if given effect, would have violated the Charter. In the Notices, the Company invited these investors to demonstrate facts to the contrary supported by relevant documentation. As of the date of these financial statements, these investors have not provided the Company with any facts or provided any documentation that would support a different legal conclusion.

As stated above, the Company takes the position that certain of the purported non-U.S. preferred stockholders do not currently hold valid equity interests in the Company, with the result that there is no foreign ownership excess. For this reason, the Company did not claim in its Petition or any supplement thereto that it would be in the public interest for the relevant entities to hold aggregate interests exceeding the 25 percent foreign ownership benchmark. As stated in the original Petition, the Company then recognized that its showing “is not yet complete with respect to the FCC’s ability to render a decision regarding the … public interest inquiry.” Because the share transfers that gave rise to some or all of the Series B preferred stock ownership claims of several purported non-U.S. preferred stockholders are invalid, there would be no need for such a showing unless a court first determines that the suspect transactions must be honored. Accordingly, both the Company and the purported Series B preferred stockholders have suggested that the FCC should consider simply holding the Petition in abeyance until the Series B Preferred Stock Litigation is resolved.

As of the date of these financial statements, the Company believes that there remain genuine questions regarding valid ownership, or good title, to the Series B preferred stock by these foreign investors. As a result, we intend to remain vigilant regarding compliance with the Communications Act and our Charter and will continue to evaluate information provided to us by the purported holders of the Series B preferred stock. Because we have not yet received all of the requisite information from the purported holders, we have been unable to effectively determine whether to withdraw the suspension of their rights as owners of such preferred stock or the extent of any additional remedial action by the Company that may be necessary.

Quarterly Dividends

Under the terms of our Series B preferred stock, the holders of the outstanding shares of the Series B preferred stock are entitled to receive, when, as and if declared by the Board of Directors out of funds of the Company legally available therefor, dividends on the Series B preferred stock at a rate of 10 ¾% per year, of the $1,000 liquidation preference per share. All dividends are cumulative, whether or not earned or declared, and are payable quarterly in arrears on specified dividend payment dates. While the Voting Rights Triggering Event continues, we cannot pay dividends on the Series B preferred stock without causing a breach of covenants under the Indenture governing our Notes.

As of March 31, 2019, the aggregate cumulative unpaid dividends on the outstanding shares of the Series B preferred stock was approximately $87.2 million, which is accrued on our condensed consolidated balance sheet as 10 ¾% Series B cumulative exchangeable redeemable preferred stock.

Accounting Treatment of the Preferred Stock

The Series B preferred stock will be measured at subsequent reporting dates at the amount of cash that would be paid under the conditions specified in the contract, as if the settlement occurred at the reporting date, recognizing the resulting change in that amount from the previous reporting date as interest expense. Therefore, the 10 ¾% accruing quarterly dividends will be recorded as interest expense (i.e. “Dividends on Series B preferred stock classified as interest expense”) as required by ASC 480. For the three-months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, we recorded $2.4 million as dividends on Series B preferred stock classified as interest expense.