BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SIGNIFICANT POLICIES

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2022

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SIGNIFICANT POLICIES

BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SIGNIFICANT POLICIES

Audacy, Inc. (formerly Entercom Communications Corp.) was formed as a Pennsylvania corporation in 1968. On April 9, 2021, the Company changed its name to Audacy, Inc. and changed its New York Stock Exchange ticker symbol from "ETM" to "AUD".

The interim unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements included herein have been prepared by Audacy, Inc. and its subsidiaries (collectively, the “Company”) in accordance with: (i) generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”) for interim financial information; and (ii) the instructions of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) for Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by U.S. GAAP for annual financial statements. In the opinion of management, the condensed consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments considered necessary for a fair statement of the results of operations and financial position for the interim periods presented. All such adjustments are of a normal and recurring nature. The Company’s results are subject to seasonal fluctuations and, therefore, the results shown on an interim basis are not necessarily indicative of results for a full year.

This Form 10-Q should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and related notes included in the Company’s audited consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2021, and filed with the SEC on March 1, 2022, as part of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K (the "2021 Annual Report"). Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP have been condensed or omitted pursuant to such rules and regulations.

There have been no material changes from Note 2, Significant Accounting Policies, as described in the notes to the Company’s consolidated financial statements contained in the 2021 Annual Report.

COVID-19

In December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus ("COVID-19") surfaced which resulted in an outbreak of infections throughout the world, which has affected operations and global supply chains. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. While the full impact of this pandemic is not yet known, the Company took proactive actions in an effort to mitigate its effects and is continually assessing its effects on the Company's business, including how it has and will continue to impact advertisers, professional sports and live events.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had, and is expected to continue to have, a material impact on the Company's business operations, financial position, cash flows, liquidity, and capital resources and results of operations. The full extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic impacts the Company's business, results of operations, and financial condition will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be accurately estimated at this time.

Consolidated VIE - AR Facility

On July 15, 2021, the Company and certain of its subsidiaries entered into a $75.0 million accounts receivable securitization facility (the "Receivables Facility") to provide additional liquidity, to reduce the Company's cost of funds and to repay outstanding indebtedness under the Company's Credit Facility (as defined in Note 8, Long-Term Debt, below).

The documentation for the Receivables Facility includes (i) a Receivables Purchase Agreement (the “Receivables Purchase Agreement”) entered into by and among Audacy Operations, Inc., a Delaware corporation and wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company (“Audacy Operations”), Audacy Receivables, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, as seller (“Audacy Receivables”), the investors party thereto (the “Investors”), and DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral-Genossenschaftsbank, Frankfurt AM Main, as agent (“DZ BANK”); (ii) a Sale and Contribution Agreement (the “Sale and Contribution Agreement”), by and among Audacy Operations, Audacy New York, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company (“Audacy NY”), and Audacy Receivables; and (iii) a Purchase and Sale Agreement (the “Purchase and Sale Agreement,” and together with the Receivables Purchase Agreement and the Sale and Contribution Agreement, the “Agreements”) by and among certain wholly-owned subsidiaries of the Company (together with Audacy NY, the “Originators”), Audacy Operations and Audacy NY.

Audacy Receivables is considered a special purpose vehicle ("SPV") as it is an entity that has a special, limited purpose and it was created to sell accounts receivable, together with customary related security and interests in the proceeds thereof, to the Investors in exchange for cash investments.

The SPV is a bankruptcy remote, limited liability company wholly owned by Audacy NY and its assets are not available to creditors of the Company, Audacy Operations or Audacy NY. Pursuant to the Receivables Facility, Audacy NY sells certain of its receivables and certain related rights to payment and obligations of Audacy NY with respect to such receivables, and certain other related rights to Audacy Receivables, LLC, which, in turn, obtains loans secured by the receivables from financial institutions (the “Lenders”). Amounts received from the Lenders, the pledged receivables and the corresponding debt are included in Accounts receivable and Long-term debt, respectively, on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. The aggregate principal amount of the loans made by the Lenders cannot exceed $75.0 million outstanding at any time. The Receivables Facility will expire on July 15, 2024, unless earlier terminated or subsequently extended.

The SPV is considered a Variable Interest Entity ("VIE") because its equity capitalization is insufficient to support its operations. The most significant activities that impact the economic performance of the SPV are decisions made to manage receivables. Audacy NY is considered the primary beneficiary and consolidates the SPV as it makes these decisions. No additional financial support was provided to the SPV during the three months ended March 31, 2022 or is expected to be provided in the future that was not previously contractually required. As of March 31, 2022, the SPV has $191.8 million of net accounts receivable and has outstanding borrowings of $75.0 million under the Receivables Facility.

Consolidated VIE - Qualified Intermediary

Periodically, the Company enters into like-kind exchange agreements upon the disposition or acquisition of certain properties. Pursuant to the terms of these agreements, the proceeds from the sales are placed into an escrow account administered by a third party qualified intermediary ("QI") and are unavailable for the Company's use until released. The proceeds are recorded as restricted cash on the condensed consolidated balance sheets and released: (i) if they are utilized as part of a like-kind exchange agreement, (ii) if the Company does not identify a suitable replacement property within 45 days after the agreement date, or (iii) when a like-kind exchange agreement is not completed within the remaining allowable time period.

During 2022, the Company entered into an agreement with a third party QI, under which the Company entered into an exchange of real property held for productive use or investment. This agreement relates to the sale of real property and identification and acquisition of replacement property.

The QI is considered a VIE because its equity capitalization is insufficient to support its operations. The most significant activity that impacts the economic performance of the QI is its holding of proceeds from the sale of real property in an interest bearing account. The Company is considered the primary beneficiary as it has the right to direct the activities that were most significant to the VIE and the Company has the obligation to absorb losses or the right to receive returns that would be significant to the VIE during the period of the agreement.

The use of a QI in a like-kind exchange will enable the Company to reduce its current tax liability in connection with certain asset dispositions. Under Section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”), the property to be exchanged in the like-kind exchange is required to be received by the Company within 180 days.

Total results of operations of the VIE for the three months ended March 31, 2022 were not significant. The consolidated VIE had cash as of March 31, 2022, which was reflected as restricted cash on the condensed consolidated balance sheet. The VIE had no other assets or liabilities as of March 31, 2022. The assets of the Company’s consolidated VIE could only be used to settle the obligations of the VIE. There was a lack of recourse by the creditors of the VIE against the Company’s general creditors. Refer to Note 15, Contingencies And Commitments, for additional information.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

All new accounting pronouncements that are in effect that may impact the Company’s financial statements have been implemented. The Company does not believe that there are any other new accounting pronouncements that have been issued (other than those included in the notes to the Company’s consolidated financial statements contained in its 2021 Annual Report) that might have a material impact on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows.