Risk Factors Dashboard
Once a year, publicly traded companies issue a comprehensive report of their business, called a 10-K. A component mandated in the 10-K is the ‘Risk Factors’ section, where companies disclose any major potential risks that they may face. This dashboard highlights all major changes and additions in new 10K reports, allowing investors to quickly identify new potential risks and opportunities.
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Item 1A.Risk Factors
The Company has an integrated, cross-organizational risk management approach. As part of our overall risk management processes, we assess, identify and manage material risks from cybersecurity threats through our cybersecurity risk management program which leverages the National Institute of Standards and Technology ("NIST") framework, organizing cybersecurity risks into six categories: govern, identify, protect, detect, respond and recover. However, this should not be interpreted to mean that we meet any particular technical standards, specifications, or requirements, only that we leveraged the NIST framework as a guide in the creation of our cybersecurity risk management program. We regularly assess the threat landscape and take a holistic view of cybersecurity risks, including risks emerging from the rapidly evolving artificial intelligence (“AI”) threat environment. This includes monitoring AI‑enabled attack vectors such as automated phishing, deepfake‑based impersonation, credential harvesting, and the use of generative AI tools to develop or enhance malicious code. Our defenses, monitoring activities, incident response procedures and employee training programs are periodically updated to reflect these AI‑driven risks.
We maintain a layered cybersecurity strategy based on prevention, detection and mitigation. Our SVP of Information Technology and Security is responsible for leading, managing, and monitoring the Company's cybersecurity risk with the assistance of our security team (collectively, the "Cumulus Security Team") who monitors cybersecurity incidents using a variety of security information and event management tools. The type of incident identified and severity level determine how issues are escalated and who is engaged for resolution pursuant to the Company's internal incident response plan. If a cybersecurity incident or aggregated series of incidents is considered significant, the incident is communicated to various members of the Company's leadership team and the Board of Directors. Disaster recovery and incident response plans are documented for key systems and would be followed in the event a cybersecurity incident occurs.We have experienced targeted cybersecurity threats and incidents in the past that have resulted in unauthorized persons gaining access to certain of our information systems, and we could in the future experience similar incidents. To date, no cybersecurity incident, or any risk from cybersecurity threats—including those arising from AI‑enabled attack methods—has materially affected or has been determined to be reasonably likely to materially affect the Company or our business strategy, results of operations, or financial condition. For additional information regarding the risks from cybersecurity threats we face, see the section captioned "Operating Risks – Disruptions, failures or cybersecurity incidents of our information technology infrastructure could interfere with our operations, compromise client information and expose us to liability, possibly causing our business and reputation to suffer" within Part I, Item 1A "Risk Factors".
Our Board is responsible for risk oversight, and may delegate specific areas of oversight to committees of the Board, which report to the full Board. The Audit Committee of the Board in turn is specifically charged with reviewing cybersecurity risk management and the steps management takes to monitor, control and mitigate such risks. In connection with such review, the Audit Committee receives quarterly reports from the SVP of Information Technology and Security on, among other things, the Company’s cybersecurity risks and threats, the status of projects to strengthen the Company’s information security systems, assessments of the Company’s security program and the emerging threat landscape. In addition to the quarterly reports, the Audit Committee requests that management perform an annual review of the Company’s cybersecurity program. The annual review consists of a summary of all systems, processes and staffing in place to mitigate a cybersecurity incident using the NIST framework as a guideline.
standards, architecture, and processes. The SVP of Information Technology and Security has approximately 30 years of experience in the information technology and security field.
You should carefully consider the risks described below and all of the information contained in this Report. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only risks and uncertainties that the Company faces. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to the Company or that the Company currently deems immaterial may also impair the Company’s business operations. If any of those risks occur, the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operations could suffer. The risks discussed below also include forward-looking statements, and the Company’s actual results may differ substantially from those discussed in these forward-looking statements. See "Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" for further information. See "Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" within Item 1A, "Risk Factors.
Risks Related to the Restructuring
The Chapter 11 Cases may negatively impact our business, financial condition, or operations and subject us to uncertainties.
As previously disclosed on March 4, 2026, the Debtors intend to implement a Restructuring in accordance with (i) the Restructuring Support Agreement with (a) the Consenting 2029 Term Loan Lenders of the Company’s outstanding term loans under the 2029 Credit Agreement and (b) the Consenting 2029 Noteholders of the Company’s Senior Notes due 2029 issued
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under the 2029 Notes Indenture and (ii) the ABL Commitment Letter with Fifth Third Bank, as administrative agent, and the ABL Parties to the ABL Credit Agreement and the Existing ABL Credit Facility. The Restructuring Support Agreement contemplates effectuating the Restructuring through the Chapter 11 Cases pursuant to the Plan.
The Chapter 11 Cases may affect the Debtors' relationships with, and their ability to negotiate favorable terms with, creditors, customers, vendors, suppliers, employees, and other personnel and counterparties. While the Debtors expect to continue normal operations during the pendency of the Chapter 11 Cases, public perception of their continued viability may affect, among other things, the desire of new and existing customers, talent, vendors, content partners, landlords, employees, or other parties to enter into or continue their agreements or arrangements with the Debtors. The failure to maintain any of these important relationships could adversely affect the Debtors’ business, financial condition, and operations.
Commencement of the Chapter 11 Cases may exacerbate concerns vendors and service providers may have about the Debtors’ liquidity and/or negatively affect the Debtors’ ability to obtain or maintain normal credit terms with vendors. During the pendency of the Chapter 11 Cases, any transactions by the Debtors that would take place outside of the ordinary course of business are subject to the approval of the Bankruptcy Court. This requirement may limit the Debtors’ ability to respond on a timely basis to certain events or take advantage of certain opportunities. As a result, the effect that the Chapter 11 Cases will have on the Debtors’ business, financial condition, and operations cannot be accurately predicted or quantified at this time. Additionally, the terms of the cash collateral orders may limit the Debtors’ ability to undertake certain business initiatives.
Furthermore, the Debtors may not realize any or all of the intended benefits of the Plan, the benefits may not be on the terms or in the manner the Debtors expect, and the costs incurred may exceed the intended benefits. The occurrence of one or more of these events could have a material and adverse effect on the Company’s operations, financial condition and reputation and the Debtors cannot assure you that being subject to bankruptcy proceedings will not adversely affect their operations in the future. Additionally, other risks the Debtors face, as described in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, may be exacerbated by the impacts of their entry into bankruptcy.
The cash collateral may be insufficient to fund our business operations or may be unavailable if we do not comply with the terms of the Final Cash Collateral Orders.
Although the Debtors project that they will have sufficient liquidity to operate their businesses through the Plan Effective Date, there can be no assurance that the revenue generated by the Company’s business operations and the cash made available to the Debtors under the cash collateral orders will be sufficient to fund the Company’s operations. Moreover, if the Chapter 11 Cases take longer than expected to conclude, the Debtors may exhaust their available cash collateral. There is no assurance that the Debtors will be able to obtain an extension of the right to use cash collateral, in which case, the liquidity necessary for the orderly functioning of the Debtors’ businesses may be impaired materially. In addition, the Company does not currently have financing available to it in the form of a debtor-in-possession credit facility. In the event that revenue flows are not sufficient to meet the Company’s liquidity requirements, or the Chapter 11 Cases take longer than expected to conclude, the Company may be required to seek such financing. There can be no assurance that such additional financing would be available or, if available, offered on terms that are acceptable to the Company or the Bankruptcy Court. If, for one or more reasons, the Company is unable to obtain such additional financing, the Company’s business and assets may be subject to liquidation under Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code and the Company may cease to continue as a going concern.
The Final Cash Collateral Order includes affirmative and negative covenants applicable to the Debtors, including compliance with a budget and maintenance of certain minimum liquidity requirements. There can be no assurance that the Company will be able to comply with these covenants and meet its obligations as they become due or to comply with the other terms and conditions of Final Cash Collateral Order. Any event of default under the Final Cash Collateral Order could imperil the Debtors’ ability to reorganize.
We may not be able to obtain confirmation of the Plan as outlined in the Restructuring Support Agreement.
To emerge successfully from Bankruptcy Court protection as a viable entity, we must meet certain statutory requirements with respect to adequacy of disclosure with respect to the plan of reorganization, obtain the requisite acceptances of such a plan and fulfill other statutory conditions for confirmation of such a plan, which have not occurred to date. The confirmation process is subject to numerous, unanticipated potential delays, including a delay in the Bankruptcy Court’s commencement of the confirmation hearing regarding our proposed Plan (or any Chapter 11 plan). The confirmation hearing regarding our proposed Plan is currently scheduled to begin on April 15, 2026.
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Although the Debtors believe that the Plan will satisfy all requirements necessary for confirmation by the Bankruptcy Court, there can be no assurance that the Bankruptcy Court will reach the same conclusion, that modifications to the Plan will not be required prior to confirmation, or that such modifications would not necessitate re-solicitation of votes to accept the Plan. Moreover, the Debtors can make no assurances that they will receive the requisite support from the voting classes for acceptance to confirm the Plan. Voting is assessed on a class-wide basis; under the Bankruptcy Code, a class is deemed to vote in favor of a plan if the plan is favored by (i) at least 50% of the claims in such class (in number) actually voting and (ii) claims constituting at least two-thirds of the total claims (in value) in the class actually voting.
Even if each of the requisite classes vote in favor of the Plan in accordance with the requirements of the Bankruptcy Code and the requirements for “cramdown” (as described below) are met with respect to any impaired class that rejected or was deemed to reject the Plan, the Bankruptcy Court may decline to confirm the Plan if it finds that any of the requirements for confirmation have not been satisfied. If the Plan is not confirmed, it is unclear what distributions holders of claims or interests ultimately would receive with respect to such claims or interests under a subsequent plan of reorganization.
In the event that any impaired class of claims or interests does not accept or is deemed not to accept the Plan, the Bankruptcy Court may nonetheless confirm the Plan at the Debtors’ request if at least one impaired class has voted to accept the Plan (with such acceptance being determined without inclusion of the votes of any “insider” in such class), and as to each impaired class that has not accepted the Plan, the Bankruptcy Court determines that the Plan “does not discriminate unfairly” and is “fair and equitable” with respect to the dissenting impaired classes. Such outcome is referred to colloquially as a “cramdown.” In the event that any class or classes entitled to vote on the Plan vote to reject it, the Debtors believe that the Plan satisfies the requirements for non-consensual confirmation so long as one of the voting classes votes to accept it. But there can be no assurance that the Bankruptcy Court will agree. In addition, the pursuit of non-consensual confirmation of the Plan may result in, among other things, increased expenses relating to professional compensation.
The Plan Effective Date may not occur.
There can be no assurance as to the timing of the Plan Effective Date. If the conditions precedent to the Plan Effective Date set forth in the Plan have not occurred or have not been waived as set forth in the Plan, then the confirmation order may be vacated, in which event no distributions would be made under the Plan, the Debtors and all holders of claims and interests would be restored to the status quo ante as of the day immediately preceding the confirmation date, and the Debtors’ obligations with respect to claims and interests would remain unchanged. Notably, the conditions precedent include the requirement that the Debtors obtain all governmental and material-third party approvals necessary to effectuate the Restructuring Transactions, including required approvals from the FCC. Moreover, absent an extension, the Restructuring Support Agreement may be terminated by the Consenting 2029 Holders if the Plan Effective Date does not occur by the applicable milestone deadline. The Debtors cannot assure that the conditions precedent to the Plan’s effectiveness will occur or be waived by such date.
If the Restructuring Support Agreement is terminated, our ability to confirm and consummate the Plan could be materially and adversely affected.
The Restructuring Support Agreement contains provisions that may allow the Consenting 2029 Holders the ability to terminate their obligations to support the Restructuring Transactions as contemplated by the Plan upon the occurrence or non-occurrence of certain events or if certain conditions are not satisfied or waived, including, in the case of the Consenting 2029 Holders’ termination rights, the failure by the Debtors to achieve the milestones set forth in the Restructuring Support Agreement. Termination of the Restructuring Support Agreement could significantly and detrimentally impact the Debtors’ business and relationships with, among others, vendors, suppliers, employees, and customers, or, as described below, could result in the dismissal of the Chapter 11 Cases or conversion of the Chapter 11 Cases into cases under Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code.
The Chapter 11 Cases could be dismissed or converted into Chapter 7 cases.
If no Chapter 11 plan can be confirmed, or if the Bankruptcy Court otherwise finds that it would be in the best interests of holders of claims or interests, the Chapter 11 Cases may be dismissed or converted to cases under Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code. In the event that the Chapter 11 Cases are dismissed, the Debtors would cease to benefit from the protections of the Bankruptcy Code, including the automatic stay, and creditors would be entitled to exercise remedies under applicable non-bankruptcy law. In the event that the Chapter 11 Cases were converted to cases under Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code, a trustee would be appointed or elected to liquidate the Debtors’ assets for distribution in accordance with the priorities established by the Bankruptcy Code.
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Our corporate structure could change as a result of the Chapter 11 Cases.
As part of the efforts to reorganize and restructure throughout the pendency of the Chapter 11 Cases, the Debtors may engage in transactions that could result in changes to their corporate structure and/or operations.
Our business may be negatively affected if we are unable to assume our executory contracts and unexpired leases.
An executory contract is an agreement upon which performance remains due to some extent by both parties to the contract. The Plan provides for the assumption of all executory contracts and unexpired leases, except as such contracts or leases are identified as being rejected. The Debtors intend to preserve as much of the benefit of their existing executory contracts and unexpired leases as possible. However, with respect to some limited classes of executory contracts, including, if any, licenses with respect to patents or trademarks, the Debtors may need to obtain the consent of the counterparty to maintain the benefit of such executory contract. If such consent is required, there is no guarantee that such consent either would be forthcoming or that conditions would not be attached to any such consent that makes assumption unattractive. The Debtors then would be required to either forego the benefits offered by such executory contract or find alternative arrangements to replace it.
The ABL Commitment Letter could terminate.
The Debtors’ ability to consummate the Plan as currently proposed depends, in material part, on the availability of the commitments under the ABL Commitment Letter. The ABL Commitment Letter contains provisions that give the ABL Parties the ability to terminate the ABL Commitment Letter upon the occurrence of certain events or if certain conditions are not satisfied, including the failure to achieve certain milestones. Specifically, the ABL Commitment Letter is subject to numerous conditions precedent to funding, including, among others: (i) certification that all representations and warranties are true and correct in all material respects; (ii) execution of satisfactory loan documents, including an intercreditor agreement in a form mutually acceptable to the ABL Parties and the Debtors; (iii) satisfactory review of the Company’s corporate structure and insurance; (iv) entry by the Bankruptcy Court of a Confirmation Order in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the ABL Parties that has not been stayed and remains in full force and effect; (v) substantial consummation of the Plan and occurrence of the effective date thereunder; and (vi) the Debtors’ compliance with minimum liquidity requirements on the closing date. There can be no assurance that such conditions will be satisfied. There can be no assurance that such bad debt reserves will be sufficient. If the ABL Commitment Letter is terminated, the Debtors may not be able to consummate the Plan in its current form.
We cannot predict the amount of time spent in bankruptcy and a lengthy bankruptcy proceeding could damage our business as well as our prospects of reorganization.
The Debtors operate in a highly competitive industry. They compete directly with other radio stations, as well as with other media, such as broadcast, cable and satellite television, satellite radio and pure-play digital audio, newspapers and magazines, national and local digital services, outdoor advertising, and direct mail for audiences with advertising revenues as the principal source of income. They also compete for advertising dollars with other large companies such as Facebook, Google, and Amazon.
Although the Plan is designed to minimize the length of the Debtors’ Chapter 11 proceedings, it is impossible to (i) predict with certainty the amount of time that the Debtors may spend in bankruptcy or (ii) assure parties in interest that the Plan will be confirmed. In addition, the FCC must grant consent to the assignment or transfer of control of the Debtors’ FCC licenses to the Reorganized Company before the Debtors can emerge from bankruptcy. The FCC is not required to act on such applications on any particular timeframe. If third parties file petitions to deny the FCC applications, or if the FCC declines the Debtors’ proposed use of pre-paid Special Warrants (or requests other amendments or refiling of applications for relief) the timeline for the FCC’s review could be prolonged, which would cause delays in emergence.
Even if confirmed on a timely basis, the bankruptcy proceeding could itself have an adverse effect on the Debtors’ business. There is a risk, due to uncertainty about the Debtors’ futures that, among other things:
•customers could move to the Debtors’ competitors;
•employees could be distracted from performance of their duties or more easily attracted to other career opportunities; or
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•business partners, talent, content partners, and vendors could terminate their relationships with the Debtors or demand financial assurances or enhanced performance, any of which could materially and adversely affect the Debtors’ prospects.
Prolonged Chapter 11 Cases also would involve substantial additional expenses and further divert the attention of the Debtors’ management team from the operation of the Debtors’ business, as well as create concerns for employees, vendors, and other parties with whom the Debtors interact in the ordinary course of their business.
Upon our emergence from bankruptcy, the composition of our board of directors may change significantly.
Under the Plan, the composition of our board of directors will likely change significantly. The Restructuring Support Agreement contemplates that, upon emergence, the board of directors will be determined and selected by the Consenting 2029 Holders, in their sole discretion, including with respect to size, composition, and identity of members, following an in-person meeting between the proposed director and the Chief Executive Officer of the Company. The new directors are likely to have different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives from those individuals who previously served on our board of directors and, thus, may have different views on the issues that will determine the future of the Company. As a result, the future strategy and plans of the Company may differ materially from those of the past.
The Plan and its impact has consumed and may continue to consume a substantial portion of the time and attention of our management, which may have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations, and we may experience increased levels of employee attrition.
Management has spent a significant amount of time and effort focusing on the Plan. This diversion of attention has affected, and may continue to materially adversely affect the conduct of our business, and, as a result, our financial condition and results of operations.
Furthermore, we may experience employee attrition, and our employees may face uncertainty. A loss of key personnel or material erosion of employee morale could adversely affect our business and results of operations. The loss of services of members of our senior management team could impair our ability to execute our strategy and implement operational initiatives, which would be likely to have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, liquidity and results of operations. In addition, our advertisers, vendors and/or employees may have lost or may lose confidence in our ability to operate our reorganized business successfully.
As a result of the Chapter 11 Cases, our historical financial information may be volatile and not be indicative of our future financial performance.
We expect our financial results to continue to be volatile until we are able to emerge from Chapter 11, as asset impairments, asset dispositions, restructuring activities and expenses, contract terminations and rejections, and claims assessments may significantly impact our consolidated financial statements. As a result, our historical financial performance may not be indicative of our future financial performance.
Our capital structure will be significantly altered under the Plan. Under fresh-start accounting rules that may apply to us upon the effective date of the plan, our assets and liabilities would be adjusted to fair value, which could have a significant impact on our financial statements. Accordingly, if fresh-start accounting rules apply, our financial condition and results of operations following our emergence from Chapter 11 protection would not be comparable to the financial condition and results of operations reflected in our historical financial statements. In connection with the Chapter 11 Cases and the development of the Plan, it is also possible that additional restructuring and related charges may be identified and recorded in future periods. Such charges could be material to our consolidated financial position, liquidity and results of operations.
We cannot assure you that we will be able to achieve our goals after the Plan is consummated and we emerge from Chapter 11 protection.
We will continue to face a number of risks, including certain risks that are beyond our control, such as further deterioration or other changes in economic conditions, changes in our industry and potential revaluing of our assets due to the Chapter 11 Cases even after the Plan is consummated. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that we will achieve our stated goals after consummation of the Plan, which could also affect our ability to continue as a going concern.
Furthermore, we may need to raise funds through public or private debt or equity financing or other various means to fund our business after emergence from Chapter 11 protection. We may not be able to obtain sufficient funds when needed or
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on favorable terms. Our operating results may also be adversely affected by any reluctance of advertisers or other customers to do business with a company that recently emerged from Chapter 11 protection or from any decline in listeners resulting from our operation under new equity ownership.
Although our Plan contemplates reducing our debt by approximately $592 million, we cannot assure you that we will be able to successfully meet our debt service costs or our planned continuing obligations after emergence from Chapter 11 protection. Any failure to pay our debt service obligations or to obtain cost savings upon emergence could materially impair our ability to operate profitably and result in our inability to continue as a going concern.
Operating Risks
Uncertain financial, economic and political conditions, including inflation, may have an adverse impact on our business, results of operations or financial condition.
Uncertainty regarding financial, economic and political conditions, or worsening of such conditions, including prolonged or increased inflationary developments, could reduce consumer confidence and have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations and/or financial condition. A decline in consumer confidence could negatively affect our advertising customers’ businesses and their advertising budgets. In addition, volatile economic conditions and/or the adoption or expansion of trade restrictions or other governmental actions, including changes in trade policies, could negatively impact our industry or the industries of our customers who advertise on our stations, resulting in reduced advertising sales. Furthermore, actions taken by any governmental or regulatory body for the purpose of stabilizing the economy or financial markets may not achieve their intended effect. In addition to direct negative consequences to our business or results of operations arising from these financial, economic and political developments, some of these actions may adversely affect financial institutions, capital providers, advertisers or other consumers on whom we rely, including for access to future capital or financing arrangements necessary to support our business. Our inability to obtain financing in amounts and at times necessary could make it more difficult or impossible to meet our obligations or otherwise take actions in our best interests.
The success of our business is dependent upon advertising revenues, which are seasonal and cyclical, and also fluctuate as a result of a number of factors, some of which are beyond our control.
Our main source of revenue is the sale of advertising. Our ability to sell advertising depends on, among other things:
•economic conditions in the areas where our stations are located and across the nation as a whole;
•national and local demand for advertising;
•the popularity of our programming;
•population demographic changes in the areas where our stations are located;
•local and national advertising price fluctuations, which can be affected by the availability of programming, the popularity of programming, and the relative supply of and demand for commercial advertising;
•the capability and effectiveness of our sales organization;
•our competitors' activities, including increased competition from other advertising-based mediums;
•decisions by advertisers to withdraw or delay planned advertising expenditures for any reason; and
•other factors beyond our control.
Our operations and revenues also tend to be seasonal in nature, with generally lower revenue generated in the first quarter of the year and generally higher revenue generated in the fourth quarter of the year. This seasonality causes and will likely continue to cause a variation in our quarterly operating results. Such variations could have a material effect on the timing of our cash flows. In addition, our revenues tend to fluctuate between years, consistent with, among other things, increased advertising expenditures in even-numbered years by political candidates, political parties and special interest groups.
The loss of affiliation agreements by our radio networks could materially adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
We have more than 7,800 broadcast radio stations affiliated with our Westwood One network.We have approximately 9,500 broadcast radio stations affiliated with our Westwood One network. Westwood One receives advertising inventory from its affiliated stations, either in the form of stand-alone advertising time within a specified time period or commercials inserted by its radio networks into their programming. In addition, primarily with respect to satellite radio providers, we receive a fee for providing such programming. The loss of network affiliation agreements by Westwood One could adversely affect our results of operations by reducing the advertising inventory available to us to sell and the audience available for our network programming and, therefore, its attractiveness to advertisers. Renewals of such agreements on less favorable terms may also adversely affect our results of operations through reductions of advertising revenue or increases in expenses.
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Our financial performance may be adversely affected by many factors within or beyond our control.
Certain factors that could adversely affect our financial performance by, among other things, decreasing overall revenues, the numbers of advertising customers, advertising fees or profit margins include:
•a loss of advertising customers or lower advertising rates, which could have a material adverse effect on our operating results and financial performance;
•the impact of potential new or increased royalties or license fees charged for terrestrial radio broadcasting or the provision of our digital services, which could materially increase our expenses;
•the termination, expiration or failure to successfully re-negotiate contracts, licenses and agreements, including with respect to data and analytics companies and performance rights organizations, which could materially increase our expenses or decrease our revenues;
•our inability to successfully adopt or our being late in adopting technological changes and innovations that offer more attractive advertising or listening alternatives than what we offer, which could result in a loss of advertising customers or lower advertising rates, which could have a material adverse effect on our operating results and financial performance;
•technological developments, including new uses for generative AI;
•unfavorable shifts in population and other demographics, which may cause us to lose advertising customers as people migrate to markets where we have a smaller presence or which may cause advertisers to be willing to pay less in advertising fees if the general population shifts into a less desirable age or geographical demographic from an advertising perspective;
•continued dislocation of advertising agency operations from new technologies and media buying trends; and
•unfavorable changes in labor conditions, which may impair our ability to operate or require us to spend more to retain and attract key employees.
Disruptions, failures or cybersecurity incidents of our information technology infrastructure could interfere with our operations, compromise client information and expose us to liability, possibly causing our business and reputation to suffer.Disruptions or security breaches of our information technology infrastructure could interfere with our operations, compromise client information and expose us to liability, possibly causing our business and reputation to suffer.
Any technology error or failure impacting systems hosted internally or externally by us or our third party service providers, or any interruption in technology infrastructure and access to data that we depend on, such as power, telecommunications or the Internet, may disrupt our business operations. Any individual, sustained or repeated failure or disruption of our third party service providers' technology or data could negatively impact our operations and result in increased costs or reduced revenues. Any individual, sustained or repeated failure of technology could negatively impact our operations and result in increased costs or reduced revenues. Further, our technology systems and related data and those of our third party providers also may be vulnerable to a variety of sources of interruption as a result of events beyond our control, including natural disasters, terrorist attacks, telecommunications failures, computer viruses, hackers, ransomware or other cybersecurity threats, and other information security issues. Cybersecurity incidents vary in their form and can include the deployment of harmful malware, denial-of-services attacks, and other attacks, which may affect business continuity and threaten the availability, confidentiality and integrity of our systems and information. Cybersecurity incidents can also include incidents related to employee or personnel failures, fraud, phishing or other social engineering attempts or other methods to cause confidential information, payments, account access or access credentials, or other data to be transmitted to an unintended recipient. Cybersecurity threat actors also may attempt to exploit vulnerabilities through software commonly used by companies in cloud-based services and bundled software. While we have in place, and continue to invest in, technology security initiatives and disaster recovery plans, these measures may not be adequate or implemented properly to prevent a business disruption and its adverse financial impact and consequences to our business's reputation.
In addition, as a part of our ordinary business operations, we may collect and store data about advertisers, vendors or other business partners and employees. The secure operation of the networks and systems on which this type of information is stored, processed and maintained is critical to our business operations and strategy. Any compromise of our technology systems or data resulting from cybersecurity incidents or attacks by hackers or breaches could result in the loss, disclosure, misappropriation of or access to advertisers', vendors', employees', listeners' or business partners' information. Any compromise of our technology systems resulting from attacks by hackers or breaches as a result of employee error or malfeasance could result in the loss, disclosure, misappropriation of or access to advertisers', vendors', employees' or business partners' information. A cybersecurity incident or failure or disruption relating to our information or systems or that of our third-party business partners, or any failure by us or our third-party business partners to effectively address, enforce and maintain our information technology infrastructure and cybersecurity requirements may result in substantial harm to our business strategy, results of operations and financial condition, including major disruptions to business operations, loss of intellectual property, release of confidential information, alteration or corruption of data or systems, costs related to remediation or the payment of ransom, and litigation including individual claims or consumer class actions, commercial litigation, administrative, and civil or criminal investigations or
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actions, regulatory intervention and sanctions or fines, investigation and remediation costs and possible damage to our reputation, any or all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business.
Although we have systems and processes in place to protect against risks associated with these incidents, including cybersecurity incidents, depending on the nature of an incident, these protections may not be fully sufficient. In addition, because techniques used in cybersecurity threats change frequently and may not be recognized until launched against a target, we may be unable to anticipate these techniques or to implement adequate preventative measures. An incident may not be detected until well after it occurs and the severity and potential impact may not be fully known for a substantial period of time after it has been discovered. To date, no cybersecurity incident—or risk from cybersecurity threats—has materially affected or has been determined to be reasonably likely to materially affect the Company or our business strategy, results of operations, or financial condition. Although we maintain a cyber insurance policy, there is no guarantee that such coverage will be sufficient to address costs, liabilities and damages we may incur in connection with a cybersecurity incident or that such coverage will continue to be available on commercially reasonable terms or at all.
We are dependent on key personnel.
Our business is and is expected to continue to be managed by a small number of key management and operating personnel, and the loss of one or more of these individuals could have a material adverse effect on our business. We believe that our future success will depend in large part on our ability to attract and retain highly skilled and qualified personnel and to effectively train and manage our employee base. Although we have entered into employment and other retention agreements with some of our key management personnel that include provisions restricting their ability to compete with us under specified circumstances, we cannot be assured that all of those restrictions would be enforced if challenged in court. In addition, as a result of the Chapter 11 Cases, we may experience increased levels of employee attrition, and our employees likely will face considerable distraction and uncertainty.
We also from time to time enter into agreements with on-air personalities with large loyal audiences in their individual markets and within the Westwood One network to protect our interests in those relationships that we believe to be valuable. The loss of one or more of these personalities, including as a result of, among other things, uncertainties associated with our Chapter 11 Cases, could result in losses of audience share in that particular market which, in turn, could adversely affect revenues in that particular market.
Artificial intelligence-based platforms and technologies present new and unknown risks and challenges to our business.
We are evaluating, testing, and implementing certain AI‑enabled capabilities within specific areas of our business. These efforts remain iterative, and adjustments continue throughout their development and deployment. Our current use of AI is targeted to defined applications identified through our strategic and operational assessments. Additionally, some of our external partners, such as third-party vendors and technology partners, integrate AI-related technologies as part of their services. We are aware of the potential risks associated with the use of AI technology, including the risks relating to data security and the laws, rules and regulations governing privacy. We believe that we have implemented systems designed to monitor for and prevent data access, including cybersecurity incidents, that result from the use of AI. However, AI technology is evolving and, due to its inherent complexity, we may be exposed to operational and legal risks associated with the use of AI technologies.
While we aim to develop and use AI responsibly and attempt to identify and mitigate issues presented by its use, we may be unsuccessful in identifying or resolving issues before they arise. The AI-related legal and regulatory landscape remains uncertain and may be inconsistent from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Our obligations to comply with the evolving legal and regulatory landscape could entail significant costs or limit our ability to incorporate certain AI capabilities into our offerings.
The use of AI systems by our business partners may lead to novel and urgent cybersecurity threats and other legal and operational risks, which could have a material adverse effect on our operations and reputation as well as the operations of any of our business partners. In addition, the legal and regulatory framework surrounding AI are developing rapidly, and new or changing standards may require significant resources to modify and maintain business practices to comply with domestic or international laws concerning the use of AI, the nature of which cannot be determined at this time.
While we may mitigate certain risks associated with the use of AI both internally and externally through both technical measures and the inclusion of contractual restrictions on third-party use, we cannot guarantee that such measures will be effective. Further, use of AI by any third party on our behalf could adversely affect our business, reputation, or financial results or subject us to legal liability. It is not possible to predict all of the risks related to the use of AI, and changes in laws, rules, directives, and regulations or other regulatory developments regarding the use of AI, including restrictions around the collection and use of data, which may adversely affect our ability to develop and use AI or subject us to legal liability.
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Industry Risks
We operate in a very competitive business environment and a decrease in our ratings or market share would adversely affect our revenues.
We operate in a highly competitive industry, and we may not be able to maintain or increase our current audience ratings and advertising revenues. The success of each of our stations and digital offerings depends largely upon rates we can charge for advertising which, in turn, depends on, among other things, the audience ratings, the number of local advertising competitors and the overall demand for advertising within individual markets. The success of each of our stations depends largely upon rates it can charge for its advertising which, in turn, depends on, among other things, the audience ratings of the stations, the number of local advertising competitors and the overall demand for advertising within individual markets. These conditions are subject to change and highly susceptible to both micro- and macro-economic conditions.
Audience ratings and market shares fluctuate, and any adverse change in a particular market could have a material adverse effect on ratings and, consequently, the revenue of stations located in that market or digital offerings.
While we already compete with other stations with comparable programming formats in many of our markets, any one of our stations could suffer a reduction in ratings or revenue and could require increased promotion and other expenses, and, consequently, could experience reduced operating results, if:
•another radio station in the market were to convert its programming format to a format similar to our station or launch aggressive promotional campaigns;
•a new station were to adopt a competitive format;
•we experience increased competition for advertising revenues from non-radio sources, including large scale online advertising platforms, such as Amazon, Facebook and Google;
•there is a shift in population, demographics, audience tastes and listening preferences or other factors beyond our control;
•an existing competitor were to strengthen its operations; or
•any one or all of our stations were unable to maintain or increase advertising revenue or market share for any other reasons.
Similarly, our digital offerings continue to face competition from comparable offerings and formats, and may be subject to a reduction in ratings or revenue based on a number of factors, including, but not limited to, a shift in population, demographics, audience tastes and listening preferences or other factors beyond our control.
Some competing media companies are larger and have substantially more financial and other resources than we do, which could provide them with certain advantages in competing against us. In addition, any future relaxation of ownership rules by the FCC could remove existing barriers to competition from other media companies who might purchase radio stations in our markets. As a result of all the foregoing, there can be no assurance that the competitive environment will not affect us, and that any one or all of our stations will be able to maintain or increase advertising revenue market share.
We must continue to respond to the rapid changes in technology, services and standards that characterize our industry in order to remain competitive.18Table of ContentsWe must continue to respond to the rapid changes in technology, services and standards that characterize our industry in order to remain competitive. Our failure to timely or appropriately respond to any such changes could materially adversely affect our business and results of operations.
The media industry is subject to technological change, evolving industry standards and the emergence of other media technologies and services with which we compete for listeners and advertising dollars.The radio broadcasting industry is subject to technological change, evolving industry standards and the emergence of other media technologies and services with which we compete for listeners and advertising dollars. We may not have the resources to acquire and deploy other technologies or to create or introduce new services that could effectively compete with these other technologies. Competition arising from other technologies or regulatory change may have a material adverse effect on us, and on the media industry as a whole. Various other audio technologies and services have been developed which compete for listeners and advertising dollars traditionally spent on radio advertising including:
•personal digital audio and video devices (e.g. smart phones, tablets);
•satellite delivered digital radio services that offer numerous programming channels such as Sirius Satellite Radio;
•audio programming by internet content providers, internet radio stations such as Spotify and Pandora, cable systems, direct broadcast satellite systems and other digital audio broadcast formats;
•low power FM radio stations, which are non-commercial FM radio broadcast outlets that serve small, localized areas;
•applications that permit users to listen to programming on a time-delayed basis and to fast-forward through programming and/or advertisements (e.g. podcasts); and
•search engine and e-commerce websites where a significant portion of their revenues are derived from advertising dollars such as Google, Facebook and Yelp.
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These or other new technologies have the potential to change the means by which advertisers can reach target audiences most effectively. We cannot predict the effect, if any, that competition arising from these or other technologies or regulatory change may have on the radio broadcasting industry as a whole.
Financial Risks
Transfers of our equity and issuances of equity in connection with the Chapter 11 Cases may impair our ability to utilize our federal income tax net operating loss carryforwards and certain other tax attributes in future years.
Under federal income tax law, a corporation is generally permitted to deduct from taxable income net operating losses (“NOLs”) carried forward from prior years. Our ability to utilize our NOL carryforwards and certain other tax attributes to offset future taxable income and to reduce federal income tax liability is subject to certain requirements and restrictions. If we experience an “ownership change,” as defined in Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), then our ability to use our NOL carryforwards and certain other tax attributes may be substantially limited, which could have a negative impact on our financial position and results of operations. Generally, an “ownership change” occurs if the percentage (by value) of the stock of a corporation owned by one or more “5-percent shareholders” has increased by more than 50 percentage points over the lowest percentage of stock owned by such shareholders at any time during the relevant testing period (usually three years). As a result of a Plan, it is expected that we will experience an “ownership change.” We have also previously undergone other ownership changes. Absent an applicable exception, if a corporation undergoes an “ownership change,” the amount of its NOLs and certain other tax attributes that may be utilized to offset future taxable income generally is subject to an annual limitation generally equal to the value of its stock immediately prior to the ownership change multiplied by the long-term tax-exempt rate, subject to adjustments to reflect the differences between the fair market value of the corporation’s assets and the tax basis in such assets. Accordingly, it is possible an ownership change would materially limit our ability to utilize our federal income tax NOL carryforwards and certain other tax attributes in the future. In addition, as a result of the Plan, some or all of our federal income tax NOL carryforwards and certain other tax attributes may be eliminated. As such, there can be no assurance that we will be able to utilize our federal income tax NOL carryforwards and certain other tax attributes to offset future taxable income.
Our cash flows may not provide sufficient liquidity during or after the Chapter 11 Cases.
Our ability to fund our operations and our capital expenditures require a significant amount of cash. Our principal sources of liquidity historically have been cash flow from operations and borrowings under credit facilities in existence from time to time, including our ABL Credit Facility. If our cash flow from operations decreases as a result of lower advertising prices, decreased listener demand, or otherwise, we may not have the ability to expend the capital necessary to improve or maintain our current operations, resulting in decreased revenues over time.
We face uncertainty regarding the adequacy of our liquidity and capital resources and, during our Chapter 11 Cases, have extremely limited access to additional financing. In addition to the cash requirements necessary to fund ongoing operations, we have incurred significant professional fees and other costs in connection with preparation for the Chapter 11 Cases and expect that we will continue to incur significant professional fees and costs throughout our Chapter 11 Cases. We cannot assure you that cash on hand, cash flow from operations and cash from our ABL Credit Facility will be sufficient to continue to fund our operations and allow us to satisfy our obligations related to the Chapter 11 Cases until we are able to emerge from Chapter 11 protection.
Our liquidity, including our ability to meet our ongoing operational obligations, is dependent upon, among other things: (i) our ability to maintain adequate cash on hand, (ii) our ability to generate cash flow from operations, (iii) our ability to consummate the Plan or other alternative plans of reorganization or restructuring transactions, and (iv) the cost, duration and outcome of the Chapter 11 Cases.
Disruptions in the capital and credit markets, our bankruptcy filing or our substantial indebtedness could restrict our ability to access financing in the future.
Following our emergence from Chapter 11 protection, the Reorganized Company may in the future need to rely on the capital and credit markets to meet our financial commitments or short-term liquidity needs if internal funds from operations are not sufficient for these purposes. Disruptions in the capital and credit markets could adversely affect our ability to access capital. Disruptions in the capital and credit markets may also result in increased costs associated with bank credit facilities and other sources of capital.
Longer term disruptions in the capital and credit markets as a result of market or business uncertainty, changing or increased regulation, or reduced financing alternatives could adversely affect our ability to access or obtain any future
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financing. Any such disruption could increase our costs, require us to take measures to conserve cash until the markets stabilize or until alternative credit arrangements or other funding could be arranged. Such measures could include higher cost financings, deferring capital expenditures and reducing or eliminating future uses of cash, any of which could materially adversely affect our business and results of operations.
In addition, access to capital markets or credit markets may not be available on favorable terms, or at all, because of our bankruptcy filings, the Reorganized Company’s status as a private company, our substantial level of indebtedness or otherwise. As a private company, the Reorganized Company will not have access to the public equity markets as a source of capital, which may limit our financing options and could make it more difficult to access capital markets. If we raise additional capital through debt financing, the financing may involve covenants that would further restrict our business activities. Restrictions on the access to necessary additional funding may cause us to cancel or delay certain projects, initiatives, or business activities and could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and operating results.
We have written off, and could in the future be required to write off a significant portion of the fair value of our FCC licenses, which may adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.19Table of ContentsWe have written off, and could in the future be required to write off a significant portion of the fair value of our FCC licenses, which may adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
As of December 31, 2025, our FCC licenses comprised 43.4% of our assets. Each year, and more frequently on an interim basis if appropriate, we are required by Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") Topic 350, Intangibles — Goodwill and Other ("ASC 350"), to assess the fair value of our FCC broadcast licenses to determine whether the carrying amount of those assets is impaired. Significant judgments are required to estimate the fair value of these assets including estimating future cash flows, operating profit margins and long-term revenue growth, and determining appropriate discount rates, among other assumptions. Significant judgments are required to estimate the fair value of these assets including estimating future cash flows, near-term and long-term revenue growth, and determining appropriate discount rates, among other assumptions. During the year ended December 31, 2025, we recorded a total impairment charge on our FCC licenses of $109.0 million which is recorded within Impairment of Intangible Assets on our Consolidated Statements of Operations. Future impairment reviews could result in additional impairment charges. Any such impairment charges could materially adversely affect our financial results for the periods in which they are recorded.
We are exposed to credit risk on our accounts receivable. This risk is heightened during periods of uncertain economic conditions.
Our outstanding accounts receivable are not covered by collateral or credit insurance. While we have procedures to monitor and limit exposure to credit risk on our receivables, which risk is heightened during periods of uncertain economic conditions, there can be no assurance such procedures will effectively limit our credit risk and enable us to avoid losses, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and operating results. We also maintain reserves to cover the collectability of a portion of our accounts receivable. We also maintain reserves to cover the uncollectibility of a portion of our accounts receivable. There can be no assurance that such bad debt reserves will be sufficient
We are a holding company with no material independent assets or operations and we depend on our subsidiaries for cash.
We are a holding company with no material independent assets or operations, other than our investments in our subsidiaries. Because we are a holding company, we are dependent upon the payment of dividends, distributions, loans or advances to us by our subsidiaries to fund our obligations. These payments could be or become subject to restrictions under applicable laws in the jurisdictions in which our subsidiaries operate. Payments by our subsidiaries are also contingent upon the subsidiaries' earnings. If we are unable to obtain sufficient funds from our subsidiaries to fund our obligations, our financial condition and ability to meet our obligations may be adversely affected.
Legal and Regulatory Risks
The broadcasting industry is subject to extensive and changing federal regulation.
The radio broadcasting industry is subject to extensive regulation by the FCC under the Communications Act. We are required to obtain licenses from the FCC to operate our stations. Licenses are normally granted for a term of eight years and are renewable. Although the vast majority of FCC radio station licenses are routinely renewed, we cannot assure you that the FCC will grant our existing or future renewal applications or that the renewals will not include conditions out of the ordinary course. The non-renewal, or renewal with conditions, of one or more of our licenses could have a material adverse effect on us.
We must also comply with the extensive FCC regulations and policies on the ownership and operation of our radio stations. FCC regulations limit the number of radio stations that a licensee can own in a market, which could restrict our ability to acquire radio stations that could be material to our overall financial performance or our financial performance in a particular market.
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The FCC also requires radio stations to comply with certain technical requirements to limit interference between two or more radio stations. Despite those limitations, a dispute could arise whether another station is improperly interfering with the operation of one of our stations or another radio licensee could complain to the FCC that one of our stations is improperly interfering with that licensee's station. There can be no assurance as to how the FCC might resolve such a dispute. These FCC regulations and others may change over time, and we cannot assure you that those changes would not have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
Legislation and regulation of digital media businesses, including privacy and data protection regimes, could create unexpected costs, subject us to enforcement actions for compliance failures, or cause us to change our digital media technology platform or business model.
U.S. and foreign governments have enacted, considered or are currently considering legislation or regulations that relate to digital advertising, including, for example, regulations related to the online collection and use of anonymous user data and unique device identifiers, such as Internet Protocol addresses ("IP address"), unique mobile device identifiers or geo-location data and other privacy and data protection regulation. Such legislation or regulations could affect the costs of doing business online, and could reduce the demand for our digital solutions or otherwise harm our digital operations. For example, a wide variety of state, national and international laws and regulations apply to the collection, use, retention, protection, disclosure, transfer and other processing of personal data. While we take measures to protect the security of information that we collect, use and disclose in the operation of our business, such measures may not always be effective. Data protection and privacy-related laws and regulations are evolving and could result in ever-increasing regulatory and public scrutiny and escalating levels of enforcement and sanctions. In addition, it is possible that these laws and regulations may be interpreted and applied in a manner that is inconsistent from one jurisdiction to another and may conflict with other rules or our business practices. Any failure, or perceived failure, by us to comply with U.S. federal, state, or international laws, including laws and regulations governing privacy, data security or consumer protection, could result in proceedings against us by governmental entities, consumers or others. Any such proceedings could force us to spend significant amounts in defense of these proceedings, distract our management, result in fines or require us to pay significant monetary damages, damage our reputation, adversely affect the demand for our services, increase our costs of doing business or otherwise cause us to change our business practices or limit or inhibit our ability to operate or expand our digital operations.
The FCC at times has been vigorous in its enforcement of its rules and regulations, including its indecency, sponsorship identification and Emergency Alert System ("EAS") rules, violations of which could have a material adverse effect on our business.The FCC has been vigorous in its enforcement of its rules and regulations, including its indecency, sponsorship identification and EAS rules, violations of which could have a material adverse effect on our business.
The Company is subject to many rules and regulations that govern the operations of its radio stations, and these rules may change from time to time. The FCC may impose fines, shorten license renewal terms, or in rare cases fail to renew licenses, in response to rule violations. It also is not uncommon for a radio station and the FCC to seek to settle alleged rule violations prior to the issuance of an order that would impose fines and other penalties, but such settlements or consent decrees usually result in the station owner paying money to the FCC. It also is not uncommon for a radio station and the FCC to seek to settle alleged rule violations prior to the issuance of an order that would impose fines and other penalties, but such settlements or consent decrees usually result in the station owner paying money to the FCC. The Company has been subject to FCC penalties in the past, and notwithstanding the efforts by the Company to prevent violations of FCC rules and regulations, it is likely that the Company will continue to be subject to such penalties (whether through the issuance of orders by the FCC or the execution of settlement agreements) given the number of radio stations owned and operated by the Company, and those penalties could be substantial.
FCC regulations prohibit the broadcast of "obscene" material at any time, and "indecent" material between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. The FCC has historically enforced licensee compliance in this area through the assessment of monetary forfeitures. Such forfeitures may include: (i) imposition of the maximum authorized fine for egregious cases ($508,373 for a single violation or each day of a continuing violation, up to a maximum of $4,692,668 for a continuing violation); and (ii) imposition of fines on a per utterance basis instead of a single fine for an entire program. Such forfeitures may include: (i) imposition of the maximum authorized fine for egregious cases ($445,445 for a single violation, up to a maximum of $4,111,796 for a continuing violation); and (ii) imposition of fines on a per utterance basis instead of a single fine for an entire program. While we have no knowledge of any pending complaints before the FCC alleging that obscene or indecent material has been broadcast on any of our stations, such complaints may have been, or in the future may be, filed against our stations.
FCC regulations require radio stations to include on-air announcements which identify the sponsor of all advertisements and other matter broadcast by the radio station for which any money, service or other valuable consideration is received.The FCC increased its enforcement of regulations requiring a radio station to include an on-air announcement which identifies the sponsor of all advertisements and other matter broadcast by any radio station for which any money, service or other valuable consideration is received. Fines for such violations can be substantial as they are dependent on the number of times a particular advertisement is broadcast. In addition, FCC regulations require the maintenance of public inspection files for each radio station, which are maintained on an FCC database and therefore are easily accessible by members of the public and the FCC. Violations of these and other rules may result in FCC penalties. For example, the FCC has sought to impose substantial fines on broadcasters who transmit EAS codes, or simulations thereof, in the absence of an actual emergency or authorized test of the EAS. Similarly, the FCC has sought to impose substantial fines on broadcasters who transmit Emergency Alert System ("EAS") codes, or simulations thereof, in the absence of an actual emergency or authorized test of the EAS. In 2014, for instance, the FCC imposed a fine of $1.9 million on three media companies, in 2015 it imposed a fine of $1 million on a radio broadcaster, in 2019 it imposed a fine of $395,000 on a television network, in 2023 it found a television network apparently
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liable for a fine of $504,000, and in 2024 it entered into a settlement with a television network requiring a payment of $244,952, in each case based on a determined misuse of EAS tones.
The Company is currently subject to, and may become subject to new, FCC inquiries or proceedings related to our stations' broadcasts or operations. We cannot predict the outcome of such inquiries and proceedings, but to the extent that such inquiries or proceedings result in the imposition of fines (alone or in the aggregate), a settlement with the FCC, revocation of any of our station licenses or denials of license renewal applications, our results of operations and business could be materially adversely affected.
Legislation could require radio broadcasters to pay additional royalties, including to additional parties such as record labels or recording artists.21Table of ContentsLegislation could require radio broadcasters to pay additional royalties, including to additional parties such as record labels or recording artists.
We currently pay royalties to song composers and publishers through BMI, ASCAP, SESAC and GMR but not to record labels or recording artists for exhibition or use of over the air broadcasts of music. From time to time, Congress considers legislation which could change the copyright fees and the procedures by which the fees are determined and the entities to whom fees must be paid. Such legislation historically has been the subject of considerable debate and activity by the broadcast industry and other parties affected by the proposed legislation. It cannot be predicted whether any proposed future legislation will become law or what impact it would have on our results from operations, cash flows or financial position.
Risks Related to Ownership of Our Class A Common Stock
Trading in our securities during the pendency of the Chapter 11 Cases is highly speculative and poses substantial risks.
Trading prices for our Class A common stock are very volatile. Further, the terms of the Plan contemplate that our existing common stock will be canceled, released, discharged and extinguished, and our stockholders will receive no distribution as part of the Restructuring. In the event of a cancellation of our Class A common stock, amounts invested by such stockholders in our outstanding common stock will not be recoverable.
Consequently, our currently outstanding common stock is expected to have no value at the effective time of the Plan. Accordingly, we urge that extreme caution be exercised with respect to existing and future investments in our equity securities and any of our other securities.
Risks of trading in an over-the-counter market.
Our Class A common stock was suspended from trading on the Nasdaq Global Market effective at the open of business on May 2, 2025 and began trading on the OTC Markets’ OTCQB® market tier at the open of business on May 2, 2025. Securities traded in the over-the-counter market generally are less liquid than securities traded on a national securities exchange.
| Item 1B. | Unresolved Staff Comments | ||||
None.
| Item 1C.Item 1A. | Cybersecurity | ||||
Risk Management and Strategy
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The Company’s cybersecurity risk management program includes ongoing monitoring and testing of its information systems and data to identify and respond to potential cybersecurity threats. Internally, the Company utilizes various incident event management tools to monitor unauthorized account access, data exfiltration and server and network security. Multi-factor authentication and complex password requirements are enabled on all key systems and privileged account holders have separate administrative accounts. The Company engages consultants from time to time with expertise in network vulnerabilities to perform periodic network penetration testing. As part of these assessments, we consider new and emerging AI‑enabled threat techniques to ensure our testing remains current with the evolving cyber risk landscape.
The Company’s cyber risk management program also includes regular security awareness training to educate employees and new hires on the Company’s cybersecurity policies, standards and practices. This training is supplemented by Company-wide testing initiatives, including periodic phishing tests. The Company provides specialized security training for certain employee roles such as application developers and privileged account holders. In recent periods, this program has expanded to include training on emerging AI‑driven social engineering techniques and guidance for employees on safe and compliant use of generative AI technologies.
In addition to assessing our own cybersecurity preparedness, we also consider and evaluate cybersecurity risks associated with the use of third-party service providers, who may be system vendors or data processors. The Company utilizes an external risk management tool to assist with oversight and monitoring of third-party cybersecurity risk. Each third-party service provider is vetted, evaluated and scored based on its cybersecurity methodology. For many vendors of third-party hosted applications, we request copies of standard security reports or assessments, such as System and Organization Controls ("SOC") reports to support our assessment of our vendors’ security practices. As AI capabilities become more integrated into third‑party products and services, we evaluate the potential risks associated with AI‑driven functionality, including data handling practices, model security, and vendor safeguards against misuse. If a third-party vendor was not able to provide the requested reports, we would take additional steps to assess their cybersecurity preparedness. Our assessment of risks associated with use of third-party providers is part of our overall cybersecurity risk management framework.
Governance
Our SVP of Information Technology and Security leads, manages, and monitors the Company’s cybersecurity risk program and oversees the Cumulus Security Team, which is responsible for enterprise-wide cybersecurity strategy, policy,
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