NOTE 1: BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Presentation—All references to Tribune Media Company or Tribune Company in the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements encompass the historical operations of Tribune Media Company and its subsidiaries (collectively, the “Company”).

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements of the Company have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) for interim financial reporting. The year-end condensed balance sheet data was derived from audited financial statements, but does not include all disclosures required by U.S. GAAP. These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the Company’s audited consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015 included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K.

In the opinion of management, the financial statements contain all adjustments necessary to state fairly the financial position of the Company as of September 30, 2016 and the results of operations and cash flows for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016 and September 30, 2015. All adjustments reflected in the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements, which management believes necessary to state fairly the financial position, results of operations and cash flows, have been reflected and are of a normal recurring nature. Results of operations for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full year.

On April 16, 2015, the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) approved the change of the Company’s fiscal year end from the last Sunday in December of each year to December 31 of each year and to change the Company’s fiscal quarter end to the last calendar day of each quarter. This change in fiscal year end was effective with the Company’s second fiscal quarter of 2015, which ended on June 30, 2015.

Change in Accounting Principles—In November 2015, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2015-17, “Balance Sheet Classification of Deferred Taxes.” The Company elected to early adopt ASU 2015-17 prospectively in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2015 and present all deferred tax assets and liabilities, along with any related valuation allowances as of December 31, 2015, as noncurrent on the Company’s audited Consolidated Balance Sheets.

In April 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-03, “Interest — Imputation of Interest (Subtopic 835-30): Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs” and in August 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-15, “Interest - Imputation of Interest (Subtopic 835-30): Presentation and Subsequent Measurement of Debt Issuance Costs Associated with Line-of-Credit Arrangements—Amendments to SEC Paragraphs Pursuant to Staff Announcement at June 18, 2015 EITF Meeting (SEC Update).” The Company adopted ASU 2015-03 and ASU 2015-15 retrospectively in the first quarter of fiscal 2016 and presented debt issuance costs as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of an associated debt liability, with the exception of debt issuance costs related to the Company’s Revolving Credit Facility which continue to be presented as an asset and amortized over the appropriate term. As a result of this reclassification, the carrying value of the Company’s debt as of December 31, 2015 decreased by $50 million (see Note 7 for additional information).

Broadcast Rights—The Company amortizes its broadcast rights costs over the period in which an economic benefit is expected to be derived based on the timing of the usage and benefit from such programming. Newer licensed/acquired programming and original produced programming are generally amortized on an accelerated basis as the episodes are aired. For certain categories of licensed programming and feature films that have been exploited through previous cycles, amortization expense is recorded on a straight-line basis. The Company also has commitments for network and sports programming that are expensed on a straight-line basis as the programs are available to air. Management’s judgment is required in determining the timing of the expensing of these costs, and includes analyses of historical and estimated future revenue and ratings patterns for similar programming. The Company regularly reviews, and revises when necessary, its revenue estimates, which may result in a change in the rate of amortization. Amortization of broadcast rights are expensed to programming in the Company’s unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations.

The Company carries its broadcast rights at the lower of unamortized cost or estimated net realizable value. The Company evaluates the net realizable value of broadcast rights on a daypart, series, or title-by-title basis, as appropriate. Changes in management’s intended usage of a specific daypart, series, or program would result in a reassessment of the net realizable value, which could result in an impairment. The Company determines the net realizable value and estimated fair value, as appropriate, based on a projection of the estimated advertising revenues and carriage/retransmission revenues, less certain direct costs of delivery, expected to be generated by the program material, all of which are classified in Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy. If the Company’s estimates of future revenues decline, amortization expense could be accelerated or impairment adjustments may be required. The Company assesses future seasons of syndicated programs that the Company is committed to acquire for impairment as they become available to the Company for airing. Any impairments of programming rights are expensed to programming in the Company’s unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations. As a result of the evaluation of the recoverability of the unamortized costs associated with broadcast rights, the Company recognized an impairment charge of $37 million for the syndicated program Elementary at WGN America in the third quarter of 2016.

As a result of an updated analysis completed in the first quarter of 2016, the Company updated its amortization model for certain categories of programming effective January 1, 2016. Program amortization for these programs is now calculated on either an accelerated or straight-line basis based upon the greater amortization resulting from either the number of episodes aired or the portion of the license period consumed.

No other significant accounting policies and estimates have changed from those detailed in Note 1 to the Company’s audited consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015.

Use of Estimates—The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from these estimates.

Dreamcatcher—Dreamcatcher Broadcasting LLC (“Dreamcatcher”) was formed in 2013 specifically to comply with the cross-ownership rules of the Federal Communications Commission (the “FCC”) related to the Company’s acquisition of Local TV, LLC on December 27, 2013 (the “Local TV Acquisition”). See Note 5 to the Company’s audited consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015 for additional information. The Company’s unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements as of and for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016 and September 30, 2015 include the results of operations and the financial position of Dreamcatcher, a fully-consolidated variable interest entity (“VIE”). Net revenues of the Dreamcatcher stations (WTKR-TV, Norfolk, VA, WGNT-TV, Portsmouth, VA and WNEP-TV, Scranton, PA) included in the Company’s unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations for each of the three months ended September 30, 2016 and September 30, 2015 were $17 million and $16 million, respectively, and for the nine months ended September 30, 2016 and September 30, 2015, were $52 million and $48 million, respectively. Operating profits of the Dreamcatcher stations included in the Company’s unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations for the three months ended September 30, 2016 and September 30, 2015 were $3 million and $2 million, respectively, and for the nine months ended September 30, 2016 and September 30, 2015, were $10 million and $9 million, respectively.

The Company’s unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as of September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015 include the following assets and liabilities of the Dreamcatcher stations (in thousands):



	September 30, 2016		December 31, 2015 (1)
Property, plant and equipment, net	$	161	$	371
Broadcast rights	3,573		2,748
Other intangible assets, net	85,074		92,970
Other assets	187		111
Total Assets	$	88,995	$	96,200

Debt due within one year	$	3,999	$	3,989
Contracts payable for broadcast rights	3,675		3,016
Long-term debt	11,769		14,736
Other liabilities	104		55
Total Liabilities	$	19,547	$	21,796

(1) December 31, 2015 balances have been reclassified to present debt issuance costs as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of an associated debt liability in accordance with ASU 2015-03.

New Accounting Standards—In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-15, “Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230).” The standard addresses several specific cash flow issues with the objective of reducing the existing diversity in practice in how certain cash activities are presented and classified in the statement of cash flows. The cash flow issues addressed include debt prepayment or extinguishment costs, settlement of debt instruments with coupon rates that are insignificant in relation to the effective interest rate of the borrowing, contingent consideration payments made after a business combination, distributions received from equity method investees and cash receipts and payments that may have aspects of more than one class of cash flows. The standard is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted but all of the guidance must be adopted in the same period. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting ASU 2016-15 on its consolidated financial statements.

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, “Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326).” The standard requires entities to estimate loss of financial assets measured at amortized cost, including trade receivables, debt securities and loans, using an expected credit loss model. The expected credit loss differs from the previous incurred losses model primarily in that the loss recognition threshold of “probably” has been eliminated and that expected loss should consider reasonable and supportable forecasts in addition to the previously considered past events and current conditions. Additionally, the guidance requires additional disclosures related to the further disaggregation of information related to the credit quality of financial assets by year of the asset’s origination for as many as five years. Entities must apply the standard provision as a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings as of the beginning of the first reporting period in which the guidance is effective. The standard is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting ASU 2016-13 on its consolidated financial statements.

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-09, “Compensation - Stock Compensation (Topic 718).” The new guidance requires companies to record all excess tax benefits and tax deficiencies as income tax expense or benefit in the income statement, which will eliminate additional paid-in capital pools. Companies are to apply this amendment prospectively. The guidance also requires companies to present excess tax benefits as an operating activity on the statement of cash flows, which can be applied retrospectively or prospectively. The guidance in ASU 2016-09 will allow an employer to repurchase more of an employees’ shares than it can today for tax withholding purposes without triggering liability accounting. Additionally, the guidance requires companies to make a policy election to account for forfeitures of share-based payments by either recognizing forfeitures of awards as they occur or estimating the number of awards expected to be forfeited and adjusting the estimate when it is likely to change. The election must be adopted using a modified retrospective transition method, with a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings. The standard is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted but all of the guidance must be adopted in the same period. The Company is currently evaluating the timing and the impact of adopting ASU 2016-09 on its consolidated financial statements.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, “Leases (Subtopic 842).” The new guidance requires lessees to recognize assets and liabilities arising from leases as well as extensive quantitative and qualitative disclosures. A lessee will need to recognize on its balance sheet a right-of-use asset and a lease liability for the majority of its leases (other than leases that meet the definition of a short-term lease). The lease liabilities will be equal to the present value of lease payments. The right-of-use asset will be measured at the lease liability amount, adjusted for lease prepayment, lease incentives received and the lessee’s initial direct costs. The standard is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted. ASU 2016-02 is required to be applied using the modified retrospective approach for all leases existing as of the effective date and provides for certain practical expedients. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting ASU 2016-02 on its consolidated financial statements.

In January 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-01, “Financial Instruments - Overall (Subtopic 825-10).” The new guidance requires entities to measure equity investments (except those accounted for under the equity method of accounting or those that result in consolidation of the investee) at fair value, with changes in fair value recognized in net income and requires entities to use the exit price notion when measuring the fair value of financial instruments for disclosure purposes. Further, entities will no longer be able to recognize unrealized holding gains and losses on equity securities classified today as available for sale in other comprehensive income and they will no longer be able to use the cost method of accounting for equity securities that do not have readily determinable fair values. The guidance has additional amendments to presentation and disclosure requirements of financial instruments. The amendments in this ASU are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting ASU 2016-01 on its consolidated financial statements.

In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606).” The amendments in ASU 2014-09 create Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, and supersede the revenue recognition requirements in Topic 605, Revenue Recognition, including most industry-specific revenue recognition guidance. The core principle of Topic 606 is that an entity recognizes revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. The amendments in ASU 2014-09 are effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim periods within that reporting period. However, in August 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-14, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) - Deferral of the Effective Date,” which deferred the effective date of ASU 2014-09 by one year for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017, while allowing early adoption as of the original public entity date. In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-08, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) - Principal versus Agent Considerations (Reporting Revenue Gross versus Net),” which clarifies the implementation guidance on principal versus agent considerations. In April 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-10, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) - Identifying Performance Obligations and Licensing,” which amends the revenue recognition guidance on accounting for licenses of intellectual property and identifying performance obligations as well as clarifies when a promised good or service is separately identifiable. In May 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-12, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) - Narrow-Scope Improvements and Practical Expedients,” which provides clarifying guidance in certain narrow areas such as an assessment of collectibility, presentation of sales taxes, noncash consideration, and completed contracts and contract modifications at transition as well as adds some practical expedients. The amendments in ASU 2014-09, ASU 2016-08, ASU 2016-10 and ASU 2016-12 may be applied either retrospectively to each prior period presented or retrospectively with the cumulative effect of initially applying ASU 2014-09, ASU 2016-08, ASU 2016-10 and ASU 2016-12 at the date of initial application. The Company is currently evaluating adoption methods and the impact of adopting ASU 2014-09, ASU 2016-08, ASU 2016-10 and ASU 2016-12 on its consolidated financial statements. Currently, the Company expects that the new revenue recognition standard will have an impact on revenue recognition under certain contracts in both the Television and Entertainment and Digital and Data segments.