FCC Licenses

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2022

(3) FCC Licenses

Changes in the carrying amount of FCC licenses for the nine months ended September 30, 2022 are as follows:


Balance as of January 1, 2022	$	508,413,913
Station disposition (see Note 2)		(790,232	)
Impairment losses (see below and also Note 2)		(4,619,772	)

Balance as of September 30, 2022	$	503,003,909

FCC licenses are tested for impairment on an annual basis, or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that the FCC licenses might be impaired. The Company assesses qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not that its FCC licenses are impaired. If the Company determines it is more likely than not that its FCC licenses are impaired, then the Company is required to perform the quantitative impairment test. The quantitative impairment test compares the fair value of the FCC licenses with the carrying amounts of such licenses. If the carrying amounts of the FCC licenses exceed the fair value, an impairment loss is recognized in an amount equal to that excess. For the purpose of testing FCC licenses for impairment, the Company combines its licenses into reporting units based on its market clusters.

Due to an increase in interest rates in the U.S. economy, the Company tested its FCC licenses for impairment during the second quarter of 2022. As a result of the quantitative impairment test performed as of June 30, 2022, the Company recorded impairment losses of $2.8 million related to the FCC licenses in its Fort Myers-Naples, FL, Las Vegas, NV, and Wilmington, DE market clusters. The impairment losses were primarily due to an increase in the discount rate used in the discounted cash flow analyses to estimate the fair value of the FCC licenses due to certain risks associated with the U.S. economy.

The fair values of the FCC licenses in the Fort Myers-Naples, FL, Las Vegas, NV, and Wilmington, DE market clusters were estimated using an income approach. The income approach is based upon discounted cash flow analyses incorporating variables such as projected audio market revenues, projected growth rate for audio market revenues, projected audio market revenue shares, projected audio operating income margins, and a discount rate appropriate for the audio broadcasting industry. The key assumptions used in the discounted cash flow analyses are as follows:


Revenue growth rates		(1.9)% - 15.9%
Market revenue shares at maturity		0.6% - 44.0%
Operating income margins at maturity		19.2% - 32.6%
Discount rate		9.5%

Interest rates in the U.S. economy continued to increase during the third quarter of 2022; however there were no changes to the discount rate or any other items used in the discounted cash flow analyses to estimate the fair value of the FCC licenses. Therefore, the Company did not record any impairment losses related to FCC licenses during the third quarter of 2022.