Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2024

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Investment, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Investments in Broadcasting, Production and Technology Companies. We have investments in several television, production and technology companies. We account for all material investments in which we have significant influence over the investee under the equity method of accounting. Upon initial investment, we record equity method investments at cost. The amounts initially recognized are subsequently adjusted for our appropriate share of the net earnings or losses of the investee. We record any investee losses up to the carrying amount of the investment plus advances and loans made to the investee, and any financial guarantees made on behalf of the investee. We recognize our share in earnings and losses of the investee as miscellaneous income (expense), net in our consolidated statements of operations. Investments are also increased by contributions made to and decreased by the distributions from the investee. The Company evaluates equity method investments for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amounts of such investments may be impaired.

Investments in non-public businesses that do not have readily determinable pricing, and for which the Company does not have control or does not exert significant influence, are carried at cost less impairments, if any, plus or minus changes in observable prices for those investments. Gains or losses resulting from changes in the carrying value of these investments are included as miscellaneous income (expense), net in our consolidated statements of operations. These investments are reported together as a non-current asset on our consolidated balance sheets.

BMI Investment Proceeds. On February 8, 2024, we received $110 million from the sale of our investment in Broadcast Music, Inc. (“BMI”). These proceeds are included in miscellaneous income (expense), net, in our condensed consolidated statement of operations.

Use of Estimates, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Use of Estimates. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and accompanying notes. Our actual results could differ materially from these estimated amounts. Our most significant estimates are our allowance for credit losses in receivables, valuation of goodwill and intangible assets, amortization of program rights and intangible assets, pension costs, income taxes, employee medical insurance claims, useful lives of property and equipment and contingencies.

Earnings Per Share, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Earnings Per Share. We compute basic earnings per share by dividing net income available to common stockholders by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the relevant period. The weighted-average number of common shares outstanding does not include restricted shares. These shares, although classified as issued and outstanding, are considered contingently returnable until the restrictions lapse and, in accordance with GAAP, are not included in the basic earnings per share calculation until the shares vest. Diluted earnings per share is computed by including all potentially dilutive common shares, including restricted shares, in the diluted weighted-average shares outstanding calculation, unless their inclusion would be antidilutive.

The following table reconciles basic weighted-average common shares outstanding to diluted weighted-average common shares outstanding for the three-months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively (in millions):

	Three Months Ended
	March 31,
	2024		2023
Weighted-average common shares outstanding-basic		94		92
Common stock equivalents for stock options and restricted stock		1		-
Weighted-average common shares outstanding-diluted		95		92

Comprehensive Income, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss. Our accumulated other comprehensive loss balances as of March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, consist of adjustments to our pension liability and changes in the fair value of our interest rate cap, each net of tax. Our comprehensive income (loss) for the three-months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023 consisted of our net income (loss) and recognition of the initial fair value adjustment related to our interest rate cap, and the related income tax benefit. As of March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023 the balances were as follows (in millions):

	March 31,			December 31,
	2024			2023
Items included in accumulated other comprehensive loss:
Adjustment to pension liability	$	(7	)	$	(7	)
Adjustment to fair value of interest rate caps		(23	)		(23	)
Income tax benefit		(7	)		(7	)
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	$	(23	)	$	(23	)

Property, Plant and Equipment, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Property and Equipment. Property and equipment are carried at cost, or in the case of acquired businesses, at fair value. Depreciation is computed principally by the straight-line method. The following table lists the components of property and equipment by major category (dollars in millions):

							Estimated
	March 31,			December 31,			Useful Lives
	2024			2023			(in years)
Property and equipment:
Land	$	366		$	368
Buildings and improvements		873			868		7	to	40
Equipment		1,087			1,082		3	to	20
Construction in progress		94			81
		2,420			2,399
Accumulated depreciation		(830	)		(798	)
Total property and equipment, net	$	1,590		$	1,601

Maintenance, repairs and minor replacements are charged to operations as incurred; major replacements and betterments are capitalized. The cost of any assets divested, sold or retired and the related accumulated depreciation are removed from the accounts at the time of disposition, and any resulting gain or loss is reflected in income or expense for the period.

We incurred costs to build public infrastructure within the Assembly Atlanta project. Pursuant to our Purchase and Sale Agreement with the Doraville Community Improvement District (the “CID”), we receive cash reimbursements for the transfer of specific infrastructure projects to the CID and for other construction costs previously incurred. During the first quarter of 2024 and 2023, we received a total of $5 million and $26 million, respectively, in cash proceeds from the CID. The following table lists the type of proceeds received (dollars in millions):

	Three Months Ended
	March 31,
	2024		2023
Proceeds from asset sold	$	5	$	6
Proceeds received in advance of asset sale		-		9
Total proceeds received for asset transfer to CID		5		15
Proceeds for reimbursement of development costs		-		11
Total proceeds received from CID	$	5	$	26

The following tables provide additional information related to loss on disposal of assets, net included in our condensed consolidated statements of operations and purchases of property and equipment included in our condensed consolidated statements of cash flows (in millions):

	Three Months Ended
	March 31,
	2024			2023
Loss on disposal of assets, net:
Proceeds from disposal of assets	$	(7	)	$	(8	)
Net book value of assets disposed		7			9
Discount - Securitization Facility		-			9
Total	$	-		$	10
Purchase of property and equipment:
Recurring purchases - operations	$	19		$	19
Assembly Atlanta development		15			91
Total	$	34		$	110

Credit Loss, Financial Instrument [Policy Text Block]

Accounts Receivable and Allowance for Credit Losses. We record accounts receivable from sales and service transactions in our condensed consolidated balance sheets at amortized cost adjusted for any write-offs and net of allowance for credit losses. We are exposed to credit risk primarily through sales of broadcast and digital advertising with a variety of direct and agency-based advertising customers, retransmission consent agreements with multichannel video program distributors and program production sales and services.

Our allowance for credit losses is an estimate of expected losses over the remaining contractual life of our receivables based on an ongoing analysis of collectability, historical collection experience, current economic and industry conditions and reasonable and supportable forecasts. The allowance is calculated using a historical loss rate applied to the current aging analysis. We may also apply additional allowance when warranted by specific facts and circumstances. We generally write off account receivable balances when the customer files for bankruptcy or when all commonly used methods of collection have been exhausted.

On February 23, 2023, we, certain of our subsidiaries and a wholly-owned special purpose subsidiary (the “SPV”), entered into a three-year $300 million revolving accounts receivable securitization facility (the “Securitization Facility”) with Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., as administrative agent, and certain third-party financial institutions (the “Purchasers”). The Securitization Facility permits the SPV to draw up to a total of $300 million, subject to the outstanding amount of the receivables pool and other factors. The Securitization Facility matures on February 23, 2026, and is subject to customary termination events related to transactions of this type. The sale of receivables from the SPV is accounted for in the Company’s financial statements as a "true-sale" under Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") Topic 860.

Under the Securitization Facility, the SPV sells to the Purchasers certain receivables, including all rights, title, and interest in the related receivables (“Sold Receivables”). The parties intend that the conveyance of accounts receivables to the Purchasers, for the ratable benefit of the Purchasers will constitute a purchase and sale of receivables and not a pledge for security. The SPV has guaranteed to each Purchaser the prompt payment of Sold Receivables, and to secure the prompt payment and performance of such guaranteed obligations, the SPV has granted a security interest to the Purchasers in all assets of the SPV. In our capacity as servicer under the Securitization Facility, we are responsible for administering and collecting receivables and have made customary representations, warranties, covenants and indemnities. We do not record a servicing asset or liability since the estimated fair value of the servicing of the receivables approximates the servicing income. We also provided a performance guarantee for the benefit of the Purchasers.

The Securitization Facility is subject to interest charges, at the adjusted one-month Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) plus a margin (100 basis points) on the amount of the outstanding facility. The SPV was required to pay an upfront fee and a commitment fee in connection with the Securitization Facility. Servicing fee income recognized during the three-months ended March 31, 2023, was not material. The SPV is a separate legal entity with its own separate creditors who will be entitled to access the SPV’s assets before the assets become available to us. As a result, the SPV’s assets are not available to pay our creditors or any of our subsidiaries, although collections from the receivables in excess of amounts required to repay the Purchasers under the Securitization Facility and other creditors of the SPV may be remitted to us.

The proceeds of the Securitization Facility are classified as operating activities in our Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows. Cash received from collections of Sold Receivables is used by the SPV to fund additional purchases of receivables on a revolving basis or to return all or any portion of outstanding capital of the Purchasers. Subsequent collections on the pledged receivables, which have not been sold, will be classified as operating cash flows at the time of collection.

The amount sold to the Purchasers was $300 million at each of March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, which was derecognized from the Consolidated Balance Sheets. As collateral against sold receivables, the SPV maintains a certain level of unsold receivables, which was $307 million and $296 million at March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively. Total receivables sold under the Securitization Facility were $607 million and $597 million in the three-months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Pursuant to the Securitization Facility, we recognized a charge of $9 million in the three-months ended March 31, 2023, and the charge recognized in the three-months ended March 31, 2024 was not material. These charges represented the discount on the accounts receivable balance transferred to the SPV. This discount is included in our loss on disposal of assets in our Consolidated Statements of Operations.

The following table provides a roll-forward of the allowance for credit losses. The allowance is deducted from the amortized cost basis of accounts receivable in our condensed consolidated balance sheets (in millions):

	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2024			2023
Beginning balance	$	17		$	16
Provision for credit losses		-			15
Amounts written off		(1	)		-
Ending balance	$	16		$	31

New Accounting Pronouncements, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Recent Accounting Pronouncements. In November 2023, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2023-07, Segment Reporting (Topic 280), Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures. The purpose of this amendment was to improve disclosures related to reportable segments. The amendments in this ASU are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024. Currently we do not expect that the implementation of these changes will have a material effect on our financial statements.

In December 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-09, Income Taxes (Topic 740), Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures. The purpose of this amendment was to enhance the transparency and decision usefulness of income tax disclosures. The amendments in this ASU are effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2024. Currently we do not expect that the implementation of these changes will have a material effect on our financial statements.

In addition to the accounting standards described above, certain amounts in the condensed consolidated balance sheets and condensed consolidated statements of cash flows have also been reclassified to conform to the current presentation.