Fair Value Measurements

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2016

NOTE 10: FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

The Company measures and records in its consolidated financial statements certain assets and liabilities at fair value. ASC Topic 820 establishes a fair value hierarchy for instruments measured at fair value that distinguishes between assumptions based on market data (observable inputs) and the Company’s own assumptions (unobservable inputs). This hierarchy consists of the following three levels:


•	Level 1 – Assets and liabilities whose values are based on unadjusted quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in an active market.


•	Level 2 – Assets and liabilities whose values are based on inputs other than those included in Level 1, including quoted market prices in markets that are not active; quoted prices of assets or liabilities with similar attributes in active markets; or valuation models whose inputs are observable or unobservable but corroborated by market data.


•	Level 3 – Assets and liabilities whose values are based on valuation models or pricing techniques that utilize unobservable inputs that are significant to the overall fair value measurement.

As of December 31, 2016, the Company held certain marketable equity securities which are traded on national stock exchanges. These securities are recorded at fair value and are categorized as Level 1 within the fair value hierarchy. These investments are measured at fair value on a recurring basis. As of December 31, 2016 the fair value and cost basis of the Company’s investment in tronc was $5 million and $0, respectively. As of December 31, 2015 the fair value and cost basis was $4 million and $0, respectively. The fair value and the cost basis of other marketable equity securities held by the Company as of December 31, 2016 was not material.

Certain assets are measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis; that is, the instruments are not measured at fair value on an ongoing basis, but are subject to fair value adjustments in certain circumstances (for example, when there is evidence of impairment).

The carrying values of cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash and cash equivalents, trade accounts receivable and trade accounts payable approximate fair value due to their short term to maturity. Certain of the Company’s cash equivalents are held in money market funds which are valued using net asset value (“NAV”) per share, which would be considered Level 1 in the fair value hierarchy.

Estimated fair values and carrying amounts of the Company’s financial instruments that are not measured at fair value on a recurring basis were as follows (in thousands):



	December 31, 2016				December 31, 2015
	Fair Value		Carrying Amount		Fair Value		Carrying Amount (1)
Cost method investments	$	26,748	$	26,748	$	20,868	$	20,868
Term Loan Facility	$	2,359,571	$	2,312,218	$	2,328,038	$	2,328,092
5.875% Senior Notes due 2022	$	1,120,482	$	1,084,563	$	1,108,250	$	1,082,534
Dreamcatcher Credit Facility	$	14,952	$	14,770	$	18,587	$	18,725

(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. See Note 1 for further information.

The following methods and assumptions were used to estimate the fair value of each category of financial instruments.

Cost Method Investments—Cost method investments in private companies are recorded at cost, net of write-downs resulting from periodic evaluations of the carrying value of the investments. No events or changes in circumstances occurred during 2016 or 2015 that suggested a significant adverse effect on the fair value of the Company’s investments. The carrying value of the cost method investments at both December 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015 approximated fair value. The cost method investments would be classified in Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy.

Term Loan Facility—The fair value of the outstanding principal balance of the term loans under the Company’s Term Loan Facility at both December 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015 is based on pricing from observable market information in a non-active market and would be classified in Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy.

5.875% Senior Notes due 2022—The fair value of the outstanding principal balance of the Company’s 5.875% Senior Notes due 2022 at December 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015 is based on pricing from observable market information in a non-active market and would be classified in Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy.

Dreamcatcher Credit Facility—The fair value of the outstanding principal balance of the Company’s Dreamcatcher Credit Facility at both December 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015 is based on pricing from observable market information for similar instruments in a non-active market and would be classified in Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for the fair value of financial instruments (as defined), including financial assets and financial liabilities (collectively, as defined), and the measurements of those instruments as well as disclosures related to the fair value of non-financial assets and liabilities. Such disclosures about the financial instruments, assets, and liabilities would include: (1) the fair value of the required items together with their carrying amounts (as appropriate); (2) for items for which it is not practicable to estimate fair value, disclosure would include: (a) information pertinent to estimating fair value (including, carrying amount, effective interest rate, and maturity, and (b) the reasons why it is not practicable to estimate fair value; (3) significant concentrations of credit risk including: (a) information about the activity, region, or economic characteristics identifying a concentration, (b) the maximum amount of loss the entity is exposed to based on the gross fair value of the related item, (c) policy for requiring collateral or other security and information as to accessing such collateral or security, and (d) the nature and brief description of such collateral or security; (4) quantitative information about market risks and how such risks are managed; (5) for items measured on both a recurring and nonrecurring basis information regarding the inputs used to develop the fair value measurement; and (6) for items presented in the financial statement for which fair value measurement is elected: (a) information necessary to understand the reasons for the election, (b) discussion of the effect of fair value changes on earnings, (c) a description of [similar groups] items for which the election is made and the relation thereof to the balance sheet, the aggregate carrying value of items included in the balance sheet that are not eligible for the election; (7) all other required (as defined) and desired information.

+ References + Details