Retirement Plans

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2017

Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]

Our principal defined benefit pension plan is the TEGNA Retirement Plan (TRP). The disclosure table below includes the pension expenses of the TRP and the TEGNA Supplemental Retirement Plan (SERP). The total net pension obligations, both current and non-current liabilities, as of March 31, 2017, were $214.7 million.

Our pension costs, which include costs for the qualified TRP plan and the nonqualified SERP plan, are presented in the following table (in thousands):



	Three months ended Mar. 31,
	2017			2016

Service cost-benefits earned during the period	$	125		$	250
Interest cost on benefit obligation	5,925			6,350
Expected return on plan assets	(6,650		)	(6,750		)
Amortization of prior service cost	150			150
Amortization of actuarial loss	1,975			1,700
Expense for company-sponsored retirement plans	$	1,525		$	1,700

The service cost component of our pension expense is recorded within the Cost of revenue and Selling, general, and administrative expense line items, both operating expenses, within the Consolidated Statements of Income. All other components of the pension expense are included within the Other non-operating items line item of the Consolidated Statements of Income.

Based on our actuarial projections we anticipate making contributions of $22.3 million to the TRP in 2017, which will be made during the remainder of 2017. During the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, we made $2.9 million and $2.4 million of benefit payments, respectively, to participants of the SERP.