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EMPLOYEE SAVINGS AND BENEFIT PLANS (Block) | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2018
Compensation And Retirement Disclosure Abstract |
Compensation And Employee Benefit Plans Text Block | 17. EMPLOYEE SAVINGS AND BENEFIT PLANS Deferred Compensation Plans The Company provides certain of its employees and the Board of Directors with an opportunity to defer a portion of their compensation on a tax-favored basis. The obligations by the Company to pay these benefits under the deferred compensation plans represent unsecured general obligations that rank equally with the Company’s other unsecured indebtedness. Amounts deferred under these plans were included in other long-term liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets. Any c hange in the deferred compensation liability for each period is recorded to corporate general and administrative expenses and to station operating expenses in the statement of operations. Further contributions under these plans have been frozen beginning with any contribution elections covering the 2018 year.
|  |  | Years Ended December 31,
Benefit Plan Disclosures |  | 2018 |  | 2017 |  | 2016
|  |  | (amounts in thousands)
Deferred compensation |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Beginning of period balance |  | $ | 40,995 |  |  | $ | 10,875 |  | $ | 10,137
| Assumption of deferred compensation in Merger |  |  | - |  |  |  | 27,057 |  |  | -
| Employee compensation deferrals |  |  | 384 |  |  |  | 840 |  |  | 963
| Employee compensation payments |  |  | (8,709) |  |  |  | (1,184) |  |  | (945)
| Increase (decrease) in plan fair value |  |  | (1,742) |  |  |  | 3,407 |  |  | 720
| End of period balance |  | $ | 30,928 |  |  | $ | 40,995 |  | $ | 10,875
401(k) S avings Plan T he Company has a savings plan which is intended to be qualified under Section 401(k) of the Code. The plan is a defined contribution plan, available to a l l eligible employees, and allows participants to contribute up to the legal maximum of their eligible compensation, not to exceed the maximum tax-deferred amount allowed by the Internal Revenue Service. The Company’s discretionary matching contribution is subject to certain conditions. The Company’s contributions for 2018, 2017 and 2016 were $6.1 million, $2.9 million and $1.0 million, respectively.

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- Definition The entire disclosure for an entity's employee compensation and benefit plans, including, but not limited to, postemployment and postretirement benefit plans, defined benefit pension plans, defined contribution plans, non-qualified and supplemental benefit plans, deferred compensation, share-based compensation, life insurance, severance, health care, unemployment and other benefit plans. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 715 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/topic&trid=2235017 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 712 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/topic&trid=2197446 Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 710 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/topic&trid=2127225 Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 718 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/topic&trid=2228938 + Details
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