GOODWILL, BROADCAST LICENCES AND OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2015

Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]

GOODWILL, BROADCAST LICENSES AND OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS

GOODWILL, BROADCAST LICENSES AND OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS:

Goodwill, which arises from the purchase price exceeding the assigned value of the net assets of an acquired business, represents the value attributable to unidentifiable intangible elements being acquired. Goodwill totaled $1,951.4 million and $1,964.6 million at September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively. The change in the carrying amount of goodwill related to continuing operations was as follows (in thousands):



	Broadcast			Other Operating Divisions		Consolidated
Balance at December 31, 2014
Goodwill	$	2,377,613		$	513	$	2,378,126
Accumulated impairment losses	(413,573		)	—		(413,573		)
	1,964,040			513		1,964,553
Acquisition of television stations	1,514			—		1,514
Measurement period adjustments related to 2014 acquisitions	(17,614		)	—		(17,614		)
Change in assets held for sale (a)	—			2,975		2,975
Balance at September 30, 2015
Goodwill	2,361,513			3,488		2,365,001
Accumulated impairment losses	(413,573		)	—		(413,573		)
	$	1,947,940		$	3,488	$	1,951,428

(a) During the nine months ended September 30, 2015, we concluded that the assets of Triangle were no longer classified as assets held for sale. See Note 3. Disposition of Assets for further discussion.

As of September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014, the carrying amount of our broadcast licenses was as follows (in thousands):



	September 30, 2015
Balance at December 31, 2014	$	135,075
Acquisition of television stations	1,684
Sale of broadcast assets	(75		)
Measurement period adjustments related to 2014 acquisitions	(3,510		)
Balance at September 30, 2015	$	133,174

The following table shows the gross carrying amount and accumulated amortization of definite-lived intangibles (in thousands):



	As of September 30, 2015
	Gross Carrying Value		Accumulated Amortization			Net
Amortized intangible assets:
Network affiliation (a)	$	1,400,316	$	(325,111	)	$	1,075,205
Customer relationships (a)	759,818		(212,292		)	547,526
Other (b)	218,680		(77,718		)	140,962
Total	$	2,378,814	$	(615,121	)	$	1,763,693



	As of December 31, 2014
	Gross Carrying Value		Accumulated Amortization			Net
Amortized intangible assets:
Network affiliation (a)	$	1,396,792	$	(257,526	)	$	1,139,266
Customer relationships (a)	749,292		(177,453		)	571,839
Other (b)	174,442		(67,284		)	107,158
Total	$	2,320,526	$	(502,263	)	$	1,818,263

(a) Changes between the gross carrying value from December 31, 2014 to September 30, 2015, relate to the acquisition of stations in 2015 and measurement period adjustments related to 2014 acquisitions as discussed in Note 2. Acquisitions.

(b) The increase in other intangible assets includes $31.3 million in additions from other operating divisions in 2015, and measurement period adjustments as discussed in Note 2. Acquisitions.

We did not have any indicators of impairment for goodwill, broadcast licenses, definite-lived intangibles, or other long-lived assets in any interim period during the nine months ended September 30, 2015.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for the aggregate amount of goodwill and a description of intangible assets, which may include (a) for amortizable intangible assets (also referred to as finite-lived intangible assets), the carrying amount, the amount of any significant residual value, and the weighted-average amortization period, (b) for intangible assets not subject to amortization (also referred to as indefinite-lived intangible assets), the carrying amount, and (c) the amount of research and development assets acquired and written off in the period, including the line item in the income statement in which the amounts written off are aggregated, if not readily apparent from the income statement. Also discloses (a) for amortizable intangibles assets in total and by major class, the gross carrying amount and accumulated amortization, the total amortization expense for the period, and the estimated aggregate amortization expense for each of the five succeeding fiscal years, (b) for intangible assets not subject to amortization the carrying amount in total and by major class, and (c) for goodwill, in total and for each reportable segment, the changes in the carrying amount of goodwill during the period (including the aggregate amount of goodwill acquired, the aggregate amount of impairment losses recognized, and the amount of goodwill included in the gain (loss) on disposal of a reporting unit). If any part of goodwill has not been allocated to a reportable segment, discloses the unallocated amount and the reasons for not allocating. For each impairment loss recognized related to an intangible asset (excluding goodwill), discloses: (a) a description of the impaired intangible asset and the facts and circumstances leading to the impairment, (b) the amount of the impairment loss and the method for determining fair value, (c) the caption in the income statement or the statement of activities in which the impairment loss is aggregated, and (d) the segment in which the impaired intangible asset is reported. For each goodwill impairment loss recognized, discloses: (a) a description of the facts and circumstances leading to the impairment, (b) the amount of the impairment loss and the method of determining the fair value of the associated reporting unit, and (c) if a recognized impairment loss is an estimate not finalized and the reasons why the estimate is not final. May also disclose the nature and amount of any significant adjustments made to a previous estimate of an impairment loss.

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