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COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2022
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES  
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

8.    COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES:

Royalty Agreements

Musical works rights holders, generally songwriters and music publishers, have been traditionally represented by performing rights organizations, such as the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (“ASCAP”), Broadcast Music, Inc. (“BMI”) and SESAC, Inc. (“SESAC”). The market for rights relating to musical works is changing rapidly. Songwriters and music publishers have withdrawn from the traditional performing rights organizations, particularly ASCAP and BMI, and new entities, such as Global Music Rights, Inc. (“GMR”), have been formed to represent rights holders. These organizations negotiate fees with copyright users, collect royalties, and distribute them to the rights holders. We currently have arrangements with ASCAP, SESAC and GMR. On April 22, 2020, the Radio Music License Committee (“RMLC”), an industry group which the Company is a part of, and BMI reached agreement on the terms of a new license agreement that covers the period January 1, 2017, through December 31, 2021. Upon approval of the court of the BMI/RMLC agreement, the Company automatically became a party to the agreement and a license through December 31, 2021. On April 12, 2022, the RMLC announced that it had reached an interim licensing agreement with BMI. The radio industry’s previous agreement with BMI covering calendar years 2017 to 2021 expired December 31, 2021 (the “2017 Licensing Terms”), but the interim arrangement will keep the 2017 Licensing Terms in place until a new arrangement is agreed upon. The Company is party to the interim arrangement and, therefore, will continue to operate under the 2017 Licensing Terms. On February 7, 2022, the RMLC and GMR reached a settlement and achieved certain conditions which effectuate a four-year license to which the Company is a party for the period April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2026.  The license includes an optional three-year extended term that the Company may effectuate prior to the end of the initial term.

Other Contingencies

The Company has been named as a defendant in several legal actions arising in the ordinary course of business. It is management’s opinion, after consultation with its legal counsel, that the outcome of these claims will not have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial position or results of operations.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

The Company currently is under a letter of credit reimbursement and security agreement with capacity of up to $1.2 million which expires on October 8, 2024. As of June 30, 2022, the Company had letters of credit totaling $871,000 under the agreement for certain operating leases and certain insurance policies. Letters of credit are issued under the agreement are required to be collateralized with cash. In addition, the Current 2021 ABL Facility provides for letter of credit capacity of up to $5 million subject to certain limitations on availability.  

Noncontrolling Interest Shareholders’ Put Rights

Beginning on January 1, 2018, the noncontrolling interest shareholders of Reach Media have had an annual right to require Reach Media to purchase all or a portion of their shares at the then current fair market value for such shares (the “Put Right”). This annual right is exercisable for a 30-day period beginning January 1 of each year. The purchase price for such shares may be paid in cash and/or registered Class D common stock of Urban One, at the discretion of Urban One. The noncontrolling interest shareholders of Reach Media did not exercise their Put Right for the 30-day period ending January 31, 2022. Management, at this time, cannot reasonably determine the period when and if the put right will be exercised by the noncontrolling interest shareholders.