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COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES | 9 Months Ended
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Sep. 30, 2021
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] |
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES | COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIESThe 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/contract disputes; defamation matters; employment and benefits related claims; intellectual property claims; real estate matters; governmental investigations; and tax disputes. Alien Ownership Restrictions and FCC Petitions 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 to be in the public interest. Under the Plan of Reorganization, the Company committed to file a petition for declaratory ruling (the “PDR”) requesting the FCC to permit the Company to be up to 100% foreign-owned. On November 5, 2020, the FCC issued a declaratory ruling granting the relief requested by the PDR (the “Declaratory Ruling”), subject to certain conditions, as described further in Note 8, Stockholder's Equity below. On November 9, 2020, the Company notified the holders of Special Warrants of the commencement of an exchange process (the “Exchange Notice”). On January 8, 2021, the Company exchanged a portion of the outstanding Special Warrants into Class A common stock or Class B common stock, in compliance with the Declaratory Ruling, the Communications Act and FCC rules (the “Exchange”). Following the Exchange, the Company’s remaining Special Warrants continue to be exercisable for shares of Class A common stock or Class B common stock. See “Item 1. Business – Regulation of Our Business, Alien Ownership Restrictions” of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 and "Part II, Item 1A. Risk Factors - Regulatory, Legislative and Litigation Risks, Regulations imposed by the Communications Act and the FCC limit the amount of foreign individuals or entities that may invest in our capital stock without FCC approval" in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for additional information. On March 8, 2021, the Company filed a remedial petition for declaratory ruling (the “Remedial PDR”) with the FCC. The Remedial PDR relates to the acquisition by Global Media & Entertainment Investments Ltd (f/k/a Honeycomb Investments Limited) (“Global Investments”) of the Company’s Class A Common Stock. Specifically, on February 5, 2021, Global Investments, The Global Media & Entertainment Investments Trust (the “GMEI Trust”), James Hill (as trustee of the GMEI Trust), Simon Groom (as trustee of the GMEI Trust) and Michael Tabor (as beneficiary of the GMEI Trust) (together with Global Investments and any affiliates or third parties to whom they may assign or transfer any of their rights or interests, the “GMEI Investors”) filed a Schedule 13D with the SEC, in which the GMEI Investors disclosed beneficial ownership of 9,631,329 shares of the Company’s Class A Common Stock, which at that time represented approximately 8.7% of the Company’s outstanding Class A Common Stock. This ownership interest is inconsistent with the FCC’s foreign ownership rules and the Declaratory Ruling issued by the FCC relating to the Company’s foreign ownership on November 5, 2020, both of which limit a foreign investor in the GMEI Investors’ position to holding no more than 5% of the Company’s voting equity or total equity without prior FCC approval. The Remedial PDR, which was filed pursuant to the rules and regulations of the FCC, seeks (a) specific approval for the more than 5% equity and voting interests in the Company presently held by the GMEI Investors and (b) as amended, advance approval for the GMEI Investors to increase their equity and voting interest in the Company up to any non-controlling amount not to exceed 14.99%. The Remedial PDR remains pending before the FCC. On March 26, 2021, the FCC conditioned the approval of applications by the Company to acquire certain radio stations, which were pending prior to the GMEI Investors’ Schedule 13D filing, on the Company taking certain actions with respect to the GMEI Investors' rights as stockholders of the Company. On that same date, and in order to implement the conditions required by the FCC, the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) resolved to take certain actions to limit the rights of the GMEI Investors, including, but not limited to, suspending all voting rights of GEMI Investors until and unless the FCC releases a declaratory ruling granting specific approval for each of the GMEI Investors to hold more than 5 percent of the equity and/or voting interests of the Company. Tax Matters Agreement On the Effective Date, the Company emerged from Chapter 11 and effectuated a series of transactions through which Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings, Inc. ("CCOH"), its parent Clear Channel Holdings, Inc. (“CCH”) and its subsidiaries (collectively with CCOH and CCH, the “Outdoor Group”) were separated from, and ceased to be controlled by, the Company and its subsidiaries (the “Separation”). In connection with the Separation, the Company entered into the Tax Matters Agreement by and among iHeartMedia, iHeartCommunications, iHeart Operations, Inc., CCH, CCOH and Clear Channel Outdoor, Inc., to allocate the responsibility of iHeartMedia and its subsidiaries, on the one hand, and CCOH and its subsidiaries, on the other, for the payment of taxes arising prior and subsequent to, and in connection with, the Separation. The Tax Matters Agreement requires that iHeartMedia and iHeartCommunications indemnify CCOH and its subsidiaries, and their respective directors, officers and employees, and hold them harmless, on an after-tax basis, from and against certain tax claims related to the Separation. In addition, the Tax Matters Agreement requires that CCOH indemnify iHeartMedia for certain income taxes paid by iHeartMedia on behalf of CCOH and its subsidiaries.

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