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COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES | 6 Months Ended
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Jun. 30, 2020
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] |
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES | COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES The Company and its subsidiaries are involved in certain legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business and, as required, have accrued an estimate of the probable costs for the resolution of those claims for which the occurrence of loss is probable and the amount can be reasonably estimated. These estimates have been developed in consultation with counsel and are based upon an analysis of potential results, assuming a combination of litigation and settlement strategies. It is possible, however, that future results of operations for any particular period could be materially affected by changes in the Company’s assumptions or the effectiveness of its strategies related to these proceedings. Additionally, due to the inherent uncertainty of litigation, there can be no assurance that the resolution of any particular claim or proceeding would not have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial condition or results of operations. Although the Company is involved in a variety of legal proceedings in the ordinary course of business, a large portion of the Company’s litigation arises in the following contexts: commercial disputes; defamation matters; employment and benefits related claims; governmental fines; intellectual property claims; and tax disputes. Alien Ownership Restrictions and FCC Petition for Declaratory Ruling The Communications Act and FCC regulation prohibit foreign entities and individuals from having direct or indirect ownership or voting rights of more than 25 percent in a corporation controlling the licensee of a radio broadcast station unless the FCC finds greater foreign ownership is in the public interest (the “Foreign Ownership Rule”). Under the Plan of Reorganization, the Company committed to file a Petition for Declaratory Ruling ("PDR") requesting the FCC to permit up to 100% of the Company's voting and equity to be owned by non-U.S. individuals and entities, but the FCC’s granting the PDR was not a condition to the Company's emergence. The equity allocation mechanism (“Equity Allocation Mechanism”) set forth in the Plan of Reorganization was intended to enable the Company to comply with the Foreign Ownership Rule and other FCC ownership restrictions in connection with emergence. The Equity Allocation Mechanism imposed an obligation on each of the Company's former claimholders in connection with the Chapter 11 Cases (the "Claimholders") to provide written certification sufficient for the Company to determine whether issuance of common stock to such Claimholders would cause the Company to violate the Foreign Ownership Rule, and restricted the Company from issuing common stock to Claimholders such that it would cause the Company to exceed an aggregate alien ownership or voting percentage of 22.5 percent (the “22.5 Percent Threshold”). After emerging from bankruptcy, the Company discovered that a group of Claimholders that had certified to having no foreign ownership or voting control in connection with the Equity Allocation Mechanism had subsequently undergone a separate merger transaction without our knowledge or control. As a result of this merger, these Claimholders’ interests in iHeartMedia (amounting to approximately nine percent of the Company's issued and outstanding Class A common stock) can be voted by a U.S. subsidiary of a foreign parent. The Company notified the FCC of this development in writing promptly after discovering and confirming it. The FCC responded to the Company's notification on July 9, 2019, indicating that (1) the FCC has not determined that this development is contrary to the public interest, and (2) the FCC has deemed the Company to be in compliance with the FCC’s foreign ownership reporting rules, pending its decision on the Company's PDR. On July 25, 2019 the Company filed the PDR. The FCC requested public comment on the PDR, which comment period closed on March 26, 2020. The FCC subsequently referred the PDR to Team Telecom - the interagency federal government group that analyzes requests for national security, law enforcement, and public safety issues. On June 29, 2020, Team Telecom indicated its consent to the grant by the FCC of the PDR. The Company cannot predict whether the FCC will issue a ruling granting the PDR, the amount of foreign equity and voting rights any such a ruling will allow us to have, or how long it will take to obtain such a ruling.

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