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REVENUE
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2020
Revenues [Abstract]  
REVENUE REVENUE
The following is a description of principal activities from which the Company generates its revenue.
Spot Revenues
The Company sells air-time to advertisers and broadcasts commercials at agreed upon dates and times. The Company's performance obligations are broadcasting advertisements for advertisers at specifically identifiable days and dayparts. The amount of consideration the Company receives and revenue it recognizes is fixed based upon contractually agreed upon rates. The Company recognizes revenue at a point in time when the advertisements are broadcast and the performance obligations are satisfied. Revenues are recorded on a net basis, after the deduction of advertising agency fees by the advertising agencies.
Digital Revenues
The Company provides targeted advertising through the sale of streaming and display advertisements on its national platforms, RADIO.COM and eventful.com, and its station websites. Performance obligations include delivery of advertisements over the Company's platforms or delivery of targeted advertisements directly to consumers. The Company recognizes revenue at a point in time when the advertisements are delivered and the performance obligations are satisfied. Revenues are recorded on a net basis, after the deduction of advertising agency fees by the advertising agencies.
Through its acquisition of Cadence13, the Company embeds advertisements in its owned and operated podcasts and other on-demand content. Performance obligations include delivery of advertisements. The Company recognizes revenue at a point in time when the advertisements are delivered and the performance obligations are satisfied. Revenues are recorded on a net basis, after the deduction of advertising agency fees by the advertising agencies.
Through its acquisition of Pineapple, the Company creates podcasts, for which it earns production fees. Performance obligations include the delivery of episodes. These revenues are fixed based upon contractually agreed upon terms. The Company recognizes revenue over the term of the production contract.
Network Revenues
The Company sells air-time on the Company's Entercom Audio Network. The amount of consideration the Company receives and revenue it recognizes is fixed based upon contractually agreed upon rates. The Company recognizes revenue at a point in time when the advertisements are broadcast and the performance obligations are satisfied. Revenues are recorded on a net basis, after the deduction of advertising agency fees by the advertising agencies.
Sponsorships and Event Revenues
The Company sells advertising space at live and local events hosted by the Company across the country. The Company also earns revenues from attendee-driven ticket sales and merchandise sales. Performance obligations include the presentation
of the advertisers' branding in highly visible areas at the event. These revenues are recognized at a point in time, as the event occurs and the performance obligations are satisfied.
The Company also sells sponsorships including, but not limited to, naming rights related to its programs or studios. Performance obligations include the mentioning or displaying of the sponsors' name, logo, product information, slogan or neutral descriptions of the sponsors' goods or services in acknowledgement of their support. These revenues are fixed based upon contractually agreed upon terms. The Company recognizes revenue over the length of the sponsorship agreement based upon the fair value of the deliverables included.
Other Revenues
The Company earns revenues from on-site promotions and endorsements from talent. Performance obligations include the broadcasting of such endorsement at specifically identifiable days and dayparts or at various local events. The Company recognizes revenue at a point in time when the performance obligations are satisfied.
The Company earns trade and barter revenue by providing advertising broadcast time in exchange for certain products, supplies, and services. The Company includes the value of such exchanges in both net revenues and station operating expenses. Trade and barter value is based upon management's estimate of the fair value of the products, supplies and services received.
Contract Balances
Refer to the table below for information about receivables, contract assets and contract liabilities from contracts with customers. Accounts receivable balances in the table below exclude other receivables that are not generated from contracts with customers. These amounts are $2.2 million and $5.1 million as of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively.
Description
September 30,
2020
December 31,
2019
(amounts in thousands)
Receivables, included in "Accounts receivable net of allowance for doubtful accounts"
$231,211 $376,504 
Unearned revenue - current
11,814 9,894 
Unearned revenue - noncurrent
1,499 2,113 
Changes in Contract Balances
The timing of revenue recognition, billings and cash collections results in billed accounts receivable, unbilled receivables, and customer advances and deposits (unearned revenue) on the Company’s condensed consolidated balance sheet. At times, however, the Company receives advance payments or deposits from its customers before revenue is recognized, resulting in contract liabilities. The contract liabilities primarily relate to the advance consideration received from customers on certain contracts. For these contracts, revenue is recognized in a manner that is consistent with the satisfaction of the underlying performance obligations. The contract liabilities are reported on the condensed consolidated balance sheet on a contract-by-contract basis at the end of each respective reporting period within the other current liabilities and other long-term liabilities line items.
Significant changes in the contract liabilities balances during the period are as follows:
Nine Months Ended
September 30, 2020
DescriptionUnearned Revenue
(amounts in thousands)
Beginning balance on January 1, 2020$12,007 
Revenue recognized during the period that was included in the beginning balance of contract liabilities(1,936)
Additional amounts recognized during period3,242 
Ending balance$13,313 
Disaggregation of Revenue
The following table presents the Company’s revenues disaggregated by revenue source:
Nine Months Ended
September 30,
20202019
Revenue by Source(amounts in thousands)
Spot revenues$488,891 $805,161 
Digital revenues131,188 98,430 
Network revenues56,889 56,260 
Sponsorships and event revenues32,871 61,684 
Other revenues31,564 54,276 
Net revenues$741,403 $1,075,811 


Three Months Ended
September 30,
20202019
Revenue by Source(amounts in thousands)
Spot revenues$183,011 $288,927 
Digital revenues47,337 33,473 
Network revenues18,908 23,035 
Sponsorships and event revenues8,776 22,470 
Other revenues10,473 18,236 
Net revenues$268,505 $386,141