Segment Information

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Segment Reporting [Abstract]

Segment Information

Segment Information

We determine our business segments based upon our management and internal reporting structure. Our reportable segments are strategic businesses that offer different products and services.

Television includes ten ABC affiliates, three NBC affiliates, one independent station and five Azteca affiliates. Our television stations reach approximately 13% of the nation’s television households. Television stations earn revenue primarily from the sale of advertising time to local and national advertisers.

Our newspaper business segment includes daily and community newspapers in 13 markets in the U.S. Newspapers earn revenue primarily from the sale of advertising space to local and national advertisers and from the sale of newspapers to readers.

Syndication and other primarily include certain digital operations outside our newspaper and television markets and syndication of news features and comics and other features for the newspaper industry.

We allocate a portion of certain corporate costs and expenses, including information technology, certain employee benefits, digital operations services and other shared services, to our business segments. The allocations are generally amounts agreed upon by management, which may differ from an arms-length amount. Corporate assets are primarily cash, cash equivalents and other short-term investments, property and equipment primarily used for corporate purposes, and deferred income taxes.

Our chief operating decision maker evaluates the operating performance of our business segments and makes decisions about the allocation of resources to our business segments using a measure called segment profit. Segment profit excludes interest, defined benefit plan pension expense (other than current service cost), income taxes, depreciation and amortization, divested operating units, restructuring activities, investment results and certain other items that are included in net income (loss) determined in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Effective January 1, 2012, we changed our defined benefit plan pension expense allocation policy to charge business segments only for the current service costs of defined benefit plans. We have recast the prior periods for this change.

Information regarding our business segments is as follows:

	For the years ended December 31,
(in thousands)	2012			2011			2010
Segment operating revenues:
Television	$	493,896		$	300,598		$	321,148
Newspapers	399,091			414,289			434,988
Syndication and other	10,471			13,773			20,754
Total operating revenues	$	903,458		$	728,660		$	776,890
Segment profit (loss):
Television	$	159,917		$	51,989		$	76,558
Newspapers	27,595			26,417			56,140
Syndication and other	(3,395		)	(1,343		)	(2,140		)
Corporate and shared services	(36,630		)	(30,634		)	(33,325		)
Depreciation and amortization of intangibles	(49,332		)	(40,069		)	(44,894		)
Impairment of long-lived assets	—			(9,000		)	—
Gains (losses), net on disposal of property, plant and equipment	(474		)	124			(1,218		)
Interest expense	(12,246		)	(1,640		)	(3,666		)
Pension expense	(8,620		)	(8,135		)	(6,865		)
Acquisition and related integration costs	(5,826		)	(2,787		)	—
Separation and restructuring costs	(9,335		)	(9,935		)	(12,678		)
Miscellaneous, net	(4,747		)	(675		)	1,798
Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes	$	56,907		$	(25,688	)	$	29,710
Depreciation:
Television	$	23,022		$	16,579		$	17,195
Newspapers	18,186			20,914			25,261
Syndication and other	55			138			458
Corporate and shared services	995			1,191			603
Total depreciation	$	42,258		$	38,822		$	43,517
Amortization of intangibles:
Television	$	6,413		$	318		$	378
Newspapers	661			929			999
Total amortization of intangibles	$	7,074		$	1,247		$	1,377

	For the years ended December 31,
(in thousands)	2012		2011		2010
Additions to property, plant and equipment:
Television	$	19,947	$	10,215	$	14,165
Newspapers	2,771		1,793		2,346
JOA and newspaper partnerships	—		—		—
Syndication and other	780		362		207
Corporate and shared services	6,712		273		526
Total additions to property, plant and equipment	$	30,210	$	12,643	$	17,244

	As of December 31,
(in thousands)	2012		2011		2010
Assets:
Television	$	415,174	$	432,584	$	213,776
Newspapers	278,110		296,414		321,518
JOA and newspaper partnerships	—		—		4,822
Syndication and other	3,837		1,783		7,789
Investments	15,171		16,776		10,295
Corporate and shared services	318,476		222,971		269,342
Total assets	$	1,030,768	$	970,528	$	827,542

No single customer provides more than 10% of our revenue.