INTANGIBLE ASSETS, NET

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2012

INTANGIBLE ASSETS, NET

INTANGIBLE ASSETS, NET

6. INTANGIBLE ASSETS, NET

        Intangible assets as of December 31, 2011 and September 30, 2012 comprise the following:

	December 31, 2011					September 30, 2012
	Cost		Accumulated amortization			Cost		Accumulated amortization
Broadcasting licenses	$	158,178	$	—		$	—	$	—
Trade names		5,213		—		$	5,493		—
Intangible assets not subject to amortization	$	163,391	$	—		$	5,493	$	—
Broadcasting licenses	$	—	$	—		$	84,566	$	—
Cable network connections		46,131		(17,983	)		50,325		(24,418	)
Network affiliation agreements		15,722		(13,602	)		16,143		(15,618	)
Other intangible assets		6,538		(3,341	)		7,351		(4,439	)
Intangible assets subject to amortization	$	68,391	$	(34,926	)	$	158,385	$	(44,475	)
Total	$	231,782	$	(34,926	)	$	163,878	$	(44,475	)

        Until September 30, 2012, the Company's broadcasting licenses were determined to have indefinite lives and were subject to annual impairment reviews. As of September 30, 2012, as result of developments in transition to digital broadcasting the Company changed its estimate of the useful lives of its broadcasting licenses from indefinite to finite and recorded non-cash impairment losses totaling $82,503 related to these broadcasting licenses (see Note 8). The Company will amortize the remaining balances on a straight-line basis over each broadcasting license's estimated remaining useful life from October 1, 2012. The estimated effect of this change would result in additional amortization expense of approximately $4,579 for the remaining of 2012, and $18,317, $18,317, $17,425, $12,092,$9,569 and $4,267 in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018, respectively.