Urban One, Inc.: Form 10-K for the period ended Dec 31, 2023

Overview

Urban One, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and its subsidiaries, (collectively, “Urban One,” the “Company”, “we”, “our” and/or “us”) is an urban-oriented, multi-media company that primarily targets African-American and urban consumers. Our core business is our radio broadcasting franchise which is the largest radio broadcasting operation that primarily targets African-American and urban listeners. As of December 31, 2023, we owned and/or operated 72 independently formatted, revenue producing broadcast stations (including 57 FM or AM stations, 13 HD stations, and the 2 low power television stations we operate), located in 13 of the most populous African-American markets in the United States. While a core source of our revenue has historically been and remains the sale of local and national advertising for broadcast on our radio stations, our strategy is to operate the premier multi-media entertainment and information content platform targeting African-American and urban consumers. Thus, we have diversified our revenue streams by making acquisitions and investments in other complementary media properties. Our diverse media and entertainment interests include TV One, LLC (“TV One”), which operates two cable television networks targeting African-American and urban viewers, TV One and CLEO TV; our 90.0% ownership interest in Reach Media, Inc. (“Reach Media”) which operates the Rickey Smiley Morning Show and our other syndicated programming assets, including the Get Up! Mornings with Erica Campbell Show, and the DL Hughley Show; and Interactive One, LLC (“Interactive One”), our wholly owned digital platform serving the African-American community through social content, news, information, and entertainment websites, including its iONE Digital, Cassius and Bossip, HipHopWired and MadameNoire digital platforms and brands. During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company completed the sale of its investment in MGM National Harbor (the “MGM Investment”), a gaming resort located in Prince George’s County, Maryland. Please refer to Note 3(q) – Investments of our consolidated financial statements for more details. Through our national multi-media operations, we provide advertisers with a unique and powerful delivery mechanism to communicate with African-American and urban audiences.

Our core radio broadcasting franchise operates under the brand “Radio One.” We also operate other brands, such as TV One, CLEO TV, Reach Media, iONE Digital and One Solution, while developing additional branding reflective of our diverse media operations and our targeting of African-American and urban audiences.

Principles of Consolidation

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts and operations of Urban One and subsidiaries in which Urban One has a controlling financial interest, which is generally determined when the Company holds a majority voting interest. All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. Noncontrolling interests have been recognized where a controlling interest exists, but the Company owns less than 100% of the controlled entity.

The Company is required to include in its consolidated financial statements, the financial statements of variable interest entities (“VIE”). Under the VIE model, the Company consolidates an investment if it has control to direct the activities of the entity and the obligation to absorb losses or the right to receive benefits that could potentially be significant to the VIE.

Recent Developments

On April 11, 2023, the Company entered into a definitive asset purchase agreement with Cox Media Group (“the CMG Acquisition”) to purchase its Houston radio cluster. Under the terms of the agreement, the Company agreed to acquire 93Q Country KKBQ-FM, classic rock station The Eagle 106.9 & 107.5 KHPT-FM and KGLK-FM, and Country Legends 97.1 KTHT-FM. The transaction price was $27.5 million. The acquisition was completed on August 1, 2023. As part of the FCC approval of and closing conditions of the CMG Acquisition, the Company was required to divest two stations KTHT-FM and KROI-FM before it could close the CMG Acquisition. On June 7, 2023, the Company entered into a definitive asset purchase agreement with Educational Media Foundation (“EMF”) to sell KTHT-FM, and all its assets, for $3.1 million (“the KTHT Divestiture”). Immediately prior to the closing of the CMG Acquisition on August 1, 2023, the KTHT-FM assets were transferred directly into an irrevocable trust until the sale to EMF was finalized. On November 1, 2023, after the approval by the FCC, the KTHT Divestiture was completed.

In anticipation of the FCC divestiture requirement and the CMG Acquisition, the Company agreed to sell its KROI-FM radio broadcasting license along with the associated station assets from the radio broadcasting segment to an unrelated third party for approximately $7.5 million. The identified assets and liabilities of KROI-FM have a combined carrying value of approximately $9.9 million and $2.4 million, respectively. The major category of the assets included radio broadcasting licenses in the amount of approximately $7.3 million (net of impairment of approximately $16.8 million included in impairment of goodwill, intangible assets, and long-lived assets, on the consolidated statement of operations). On August 1, 2023, immediately prior to the closing of the CMG Acquisition, the identified assets and liabilities were transferred to an irrevocable trust and removed from the Company’s ownership and consolidated balance sheet as part of customary closing terms. The identified assets and liabilities will remain in the trust until the transaction is complete, which is anticipated to occur in 2024. As the identified assets and liabilities of KROI-FM were held in an irrevocable trust and the respective divestiture had not been completed as of December 31, 2023, the Company has recorded a right to receive payment from KROI-FM’s acquirer as a receivable of $5.6 million within other current assets in the consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2023.

Segments

As part of our consolidated financial statements, consistent with our financial reporting structure and how the Company currently manages its businesses, we have provided selected financial information on the Company’s four reportable segments: (i) radio broadcasting; (ii) cable television; (iii) Reach Media; and (iv) digital. Business activities unrelated to these four segments are included in an “all other” category which the Company refers to as “All Other - Corporate/Eliminations.” (See Note 15 – Segment Information of our consolidated financial statements.)

Our Radio Station Portfolio, Strategy and Markets

As noted above, our core business is our radio broadcasting franchise which is the largest radio broadcasting operation in the country primarily targeting African-American and urban listeners. Within the markets in which we operate, we strive to build clusters of radio stations with each radio station targeting different demographic segments of the African-American population. This clustering and programming segmentation strategy allows us to achieve greater penetration within the distinct segments of our overall target market. In addition, we have been able to achieve operating efficiencies by consolidating office and studio space where possible to minimize duplicative management positions and reduce overhead expenses. Depending on market conditions, changes in ratings methodologies and economic and demographic shifts, from time to time, we may reprogram some of our stations in underperforming segments of certain markets.

As of December 31, 2023, we owned and/or operated 72 independently formatted, revenue producing broadcast stations (including 57 FM or AM stations, 13 HD stations, and the 2 low power television stations we operate but excluding translators) located in 13 of the most populous African-American markets in the United States. The following tables set forth further selected information about our portfolio of radio stations that we owned and/or operated as of December 31, 2023.

(1) Audience share data are for the 12+ demographic and derived from the Nielsen Survey ending with the Fall 2023 Nielsen Survey.

(2) Population estimates are from the Nielsen Radio Market Survey Population, Rankings and Information, Fall 2023.

* 19 non-independently formatted HD stations and 14 non-independently formatted translators owned and operated by the Company are not included in the above station count. Changes in the programming of our HD stations or translators may alter our station count from time to time.

** Low power television station

8

9

AC-refers to Adult Contemporary

Old School - refers to Old School Hip/Hop

For the year ended December 31, 2023, approximately 31.2% of our net revenue was generated from the sale of advertising in our core radio business, excluding Reach Media. We consider our radio broadcasting segment to be our core radio business. Within our core radio business, seven (Atlanta, Baltimore, Charlotte, Cleveland, Houston, Indianapolis, and Washington, DC) of the 13 markets in which we operated radio stations throughout 2023 or a portion thereof accounted for approximately 76.6% of our radio station net revenue for the year ended December 31, 2023. Revenue from the operations of Reach Media, along with revenue from the seven significant contributing radio markets, accounted for approximately 36.1% of our total consolidated net revenue for the year ended December 31, 2023. Adverse events or conditions (economic, including government cutbacks or otherwise) could lead to declines in the contribution of Reach Media or declines in one or more of the seven significant contributing radio markets, which could have a material adverse effect on our overall financial performance and results of operations.

Radio Advertising Revenue

Substantially all net revenue generated from our radio franchise is generated from the sale of local, national and network advertising. Local sales are made by the sales staff located in our markets. National sales are made primarily by Katz Communications, Inc. (“Katz”), a firm specializing in radio advertising sales on the national level. Katz is paid agency commissions on the advertising sold. Approximately 57.5% of our net revenue from our core radio business for the year ended December 31, 2023, was generated from the sale of local advertising and 34.9% from sales to national advertisers, including network/syndication advertising. The balance of net revenue from our radio segment is primarily derived from ticket sales, and revenue related to sponsored events, management fees and other alternative revenue.

Advertising rates charged by radio stations are based primarily on:

• a radio station’s audience share within the demographic groups targeted by the advertisers;
• the number of radio stations in the market competing for the same demographic groups; and
• the supply and demand for radio advertising time.

A radio station’s listenership is measured by the Portable People MeterTM (the “PPMTM”) system or diary ratings surveys, both of which estimate the number of listeners tuned to a radio station and the time they spend listening to that radio station. Ratings are used by advertisers to evaluate whether to advertise on our radio stations, and are used by us to chart audience size, set advertising rates and adjust programming. Advertising rates are generally highest during the morning and afternoon commuting hours.

Cable Television, Reach Media and Digital Segments, Strategy and Sources of Revenue and Income

As a diversified media company, our operations include media forms that are complementary to our radio business. In a strategy similar to our radio market segmentation, we have multiple complementary media and online brands. Each of these brands focuses on a different segment of African-American consumers. With our multiple brands, we are able to direct advertisers to specific audiences within the urban communities in which we are located, or to bundle the brands for advertising sales purposes when advantageous.

TV One, our primary cable television franchise targeting the African-American and urban communities, derives its revenue from advertising and affiliate revenue. Advertising revenue is derived from the sale of television airtime to advertisers and is recognized when the advertisements are run. TV One also derives revenue from affiliate fees under the terms of various affiliation agreements generally based upon a per subscriber royalty for the right to distribute the Company’s programming under the terms of the distribution contracts. Our other cable television franchise, CLEO TV, is a lifestyle and entertainment network targeting Millennial and Gen X women of color that is also operated by TV One, LLC. CLEO TV derives its revenue principally from advertising.

Reach Media, our syndicated radio unit, primarily derives its revenue from the sale of advertising in connection with its syndicated radio shows, including the Rickey Smiley Morning Show, Get Up! Mornings with Erica Campbell Show and the DL Hughley Show. In addition to being broadcast on 50 Urban One stations, our syndicated radio programming also was available on 224 non-Urban One stations throughout the United States as of December 31, 2023.

We have launched websites that simultaneously stream radio station content for each of our radio stations, and we derive revenue from the sale of advertisements on those websites. We generally encourage our web advertisers to run simultaneous radio campaigns and use mentions in our radio airtime to promote our websites. By providing streaming, we have been able to broaden our listener reach, particularly to “office hour” listeners, including at home “office hour” listeners. We believe streaming has had a positive impact on our radio stations’ reach to listeners. In addition, our station websites link to our other online properties operated by our primary digital unit, Interactive One. Interactive One operates the largest social networking site primarily targeting African-Americans and other branded websites, including Bossip, HipHopWired and MadameNoire. Interactive One derives revenue from advertising services on non-radio station branded websites, and studio services where Interactive One provides services to other publishers. Advertising services include the sale of banner and sponsorship advertisements. Advertising revenue is recognized as impressions (the number of times advertisements appear in viewed pages) are delivered.

Finally, we have made other investments in the entertainment industry, such as our past investment in MGM National Harbor, a casino operation in Prince George’s County, Maryland. Our MGM Investment entitled us to an annual cash distribution based on net gaming revenue from gaming activities conducted on the site of the facility. In March 2023, the Company exercised the put option available to it and received approximately $136.8 million at the time of settlement of the put option in April 2023. Future opportunities could include investments in, acquisitions of, or the development of companies in diverse media businesses, gaming and entertainment, music production and distribution, movie distribution, internet-based services, and distribution of our content through emerging distribution systems such as the Internet, smartphones, cellular phones, tablets, and the home entertainment market.

Competition

The media industry is highly competitive and we face intense competition across our core radio franchise and all of our complementary media properties and investments. Our media properties compete for audiences and advertising revenue with other radio stations and with other media such as broadcast and cable television, the Internet, satellite radio, newspapers, magazines, direct mail and outdoor advertising, some of which may be owned or controlled by horizontally-integrated companies. Audience ratings and advertising revenue are subject to change and any adverse change in a market could adversely affect our net revenue in that market. If a competing radio station converts to a format similar to that of one of our radio stations, or if one of our competitors strengthens its signal or operations, our stations could suffer a reduction in ratings and advertising revenue. Other media companies which are larger and have more resources may also enter or increase their presence in markets or segments in which we operate. Although we believe our media properties are well positioned to compete, we cannot assure you that our properties will maintain or increase their current ratings, market share or advertising revenue.

Providing content across various platforms is a highly competitive business. Our digital and cable television segments compete for the time and attention of internet users and viewers and, thus, advertisers and advertising revenues with a wide range of internet companies such as AmazonTM, NetflixTM, Yahoo!TM, GoogleTM, and MicrosoftTM, with social networking sites such as FacebookTM and TikTokTM and with traditional media companies, which are increasingly offering their own digital products and services both organically and through acquisition. We experience competition for the development and acquisition of content, distribution of content, sale of commercial time on our digital and cable television networks and viewership. There is competition from other digital companies, production studios and other television networks for the acquisition of content and creative talent such as writers, producers and directors. Our ability to produce and acquire popular content is an important competitive factor for the distribution of our content, attracting viewers and the sale of advertising. Our success in securing popular content and creative talent depends on various factors such as the number of competitors providing content that targets the same genre and audience, the distribution of our content, viewership, and the production, marketing and advertising support we provide.

Our TV One and CLEO TV cable television networks compete with other networks and platforms for the acquisition and distribution of content and for fees charged to cable television operators, DTH satellite service providers, and other distributors that carry our content. Our ability to secure distribution agreements is necessary to ensure the retention of our audiences. Our contractual agreements with distributors are renewed or renegotiated from time to time in the ordinary course of business. Growth in the number of networks distributed, consolidation and other market conditions in the cable and satellite distribution industry, and increased popularity of other platforms may adversely affect our ability to obtain and maintain contractual terms for the distribution of our content that are as favorable as those currently in place. The ability to secure distribution agreements is dependent upon the production, acquisition and packaging of original content, viewership, the marketing and advertising support and incentives provided to distributors, the product offering across a series of networks within a region, and the prices charged for carriage.

Our networks and digital products compete with other television networks, including broadcast, cable, local networks and other content distribution outlets for their target audiences and the sale of advertising. Our success in selling advertising is a function of the size and demographics of our audiences, quantitative and qualitative characteristics of the audience of each network, the perceived quality of the network and of the particular content, the brand appeal of the network and ratings/algorithms as determined by third-party research companies or search engines, prices charged for advertising and overall advertiser demand in the marketplace.

Federal Antitrust Laws

The agencies responsible for enforcing the federal antitrust laws, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) or the Department of Justice, may investigate certain acquisitions. We cannot predict the outcome of any specific FTC or Department of Justice investigation. Any decision by the FTC or the Department of Justice to challenge a proposed acquisition could affect our ability to consummate the acquisition or to consummate it on the proposed terms. For an acquisition meeting certain size thresholds, the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 requires the parties to file Notification and Report Forms concerning antitrust issues with the FTC and the Department of Justice and to observe specified waiting period requirements before consummating the acquisition.

Federal Regulation of Radio Broadcasting

The radio broadcasting industry is subject to extensive and changing regulation by the FCC and other federal agencies of ownership, programming, technical operations, employment and other business practices. The FCC regulates radio broadcast stations pursuant to the Communications Act of 1934, as amended (the “Communications Act”). The Communications Act permits the operation of radio broadcast stations only in accordance with a license issued by the FCC upon a finding that the grant of a license would serve the public interest, convenience and necessity. Among other things, the FCC:

• assigns frequency bands for radio broadcasting;
• determines the particular frequencies, locations, operating power, interference standards, and other technical parameters for radio broadcast stations;
• issues, renews, revokes and modifies radio broadcast station licenses;
• imposes annual regulatory fees and application processing fees to recover its administrative costs;
• establishes technical requirements for certain transmitting equipment to restrict harmful emissions;
• adopts and implements regulations and policies that affect the ownership, operation, program content, employment, and business practices of radio broadcast stations; and
• has the power to impose penalties, including monetary forfeitures, for violations of its rules and the Communications Act.

The Communications Act prohibits the assignment of an FCC license, or the transfer of control of an FCC licensee, without the prior approval of the FCC. In determining whether to grant or renew a radio broadcast license or consent to the assignment or transfer of control of a license, the FCC considers a number of factors, including restrictions on foreign ownership, compliance with FCC media ownership limits and other FCC rules, the character and other qualifications of the licensee (or proposed licensee) and compliance with the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988. A licensee’s failure to comply with the requirements of the Communications Act or FCC rules and policies may result in the imposition of sanctions, including admonishment, fines, the grant of a license renewal for less than a full eight-year term or with conditions, denial of a license renewal application, the revocation of an FCC license, and/or disqualification from acquiring additional broadcast properties.

Congress, the FCC and, in some cases, other federal agencies and local jurisdictions are considering or may in the future consider and adopt new laws, regulations and policies that could affect the operation, ownership and profitability of our radio stations, result in the loss of audience share and advertising revenue for our radio broadcast stations or affect our ability to acquire additional radio broadcast stations or finance such acquisitions. Such matters include or may include:

• changes to the license authorization and renewal process;
• proposals to increase record keeping, including enhanced disclosure of stations’ efforts to serve the public interest;
• proposals to impose spectrum use or other fees on FCC licensees;
• changes to rules relating to political broadcasting, including proposals to grant free airtime to candidates, and other changes regarding political and non-political program content, political advertising rates and sponsorship disclosures;
• revised rules and policies regarding the regulation of the broadcast of indecent content;
• proposals to increase the actions stations must take to demonstrate service to their local communities;
• technical and frequency allocation matters;
• changes in broadcast multiple ownership, foreign ownership, cross-ownership and ownership attribution rules and policies;
• service and technical rules for digital radio, including possible additional public interest requirements for terrestrial digital audio broadcasters;
• legislation that would provide for the payment of sound recording royalties to artists, musicians or record companies whose music is played on terrestrial radio stations; and
• changes to tax laws affecting broadcast operations and acquisitions.

The FCC also has adopted procedures for the auction of broadcast spectrum in circumstances where two or more parties have filed mutually exclusive applications for authority to construct new stations or certain major changes in existing stations. Such procedures may limit our efforts to modify or expand the broadcast signals of our stations.

We cannot predict what changes, if any, might be adopted or considered in the future, or what impact, if any, the implementation of any particular proposals or changes might have on our business.

FCC License Grants and Renewals. In making licensing determinations, the FCC considers an applicant’s legal, technical, character and other qualifications. The FCC grants radio broadcast station licenses for specific periods of time and, upon application, may renew them for additional terms. A station may continue to operate beyond the expiration date of its license if a timely filed license renewal application is pending. Under the Communications Act, radio broadcast station licenses may be granted for a maximum term of eight years.

Generally, the FCC renews radio broadcast licenses without a hearing upon a finding that:

• the radio station has served the public interest, convenience and necessity;
• there have been no serious violations by the licensee of the Communications Act or FCC rules and regulations; and
• there have been no other violations by the licensee of the Communications Act or FCC rules and regulations which, taken together, indicate a pattern of abuse.

After considering these factors and any petitions to deny or informal objections against a license renewal application (which may lead to a hearing), the FCC may grant the license renewal application with or without conditions, including renewal for a term less than the maximum otherwise permitted. Historically, our licenses have been renewed for full eight-year terms without any conditions or sanctions; however, there can be no assurance that the licenses of each of our stations will be renewed for a full term without conditions or sanctions.

Types of FCC Broadcast Licenses. The FCC classifies each AM and FM radio station. An AM radio station operates on either a clear channel, regional channel or local channel. A clear channel serves wide areas, particularly at night. A regional channel serves primarily a principal population center and the contiguous rural areas. A local channel serves primarily a community and the suburban and rural areas immediately contiguous to it. AM radio stations are designated as Class A, Class B, Class C or Class D. Class A, B and C stations each operate unlimited time. Class A radio stations render primary and secondary service over an extended area. Class B stations render service only over a primary service area. Class C stations render service only over a primary service area that may be reduced as a consequence of interference. Class D stations operate either during daytime hours only, during limited times only, or unlimited time with low nighttime power.

FM class designations depend upon the geographic zone in which the transmitter of the FM radio station is located. The minimum and maximum facilities requirements for an FM radio station are determined by its class. In general, commercial FM radio stations are classified as follows, in order of increasing power and antenna height: Class A, B1, C3, B, C2, C1, C0 and C. The FCC has adopted a rule subjecting Class C FM stations that do not satisfy a certain antenna height requirement to an involuntary downgrade in class to Class C0 under certain circumstances.

Urban One’s Licenses. The following table sets forth information with respect to each of our radio stations for which we held the license as of December 31, 2023. Stations which we did not own as of December 31, 2023, but operated under an LMA, are not reflected on this table. A broadcast station’s market may be different from its community of license. The coverage of an AM radio station is chiefly a function of the power of the radio station’s transmitter, less dissipative power losses and any directional antenna adjustments. For FM radio stations, signal coverage area is chiefly a function of the radio station’s ERP and the HAAT of the radio station’s antenna. “ERP” refers to the effective radiated power of an FM radio station. “HAAT” refers to the height above average terrain of an FM radio station antenna. The table below excludes HD Radio multicast streams and LPTV stations.

To obtain the FCC’s prior consent to assign or transfer control of a broadcast license, an appropriate application must be filed with the FCC. If the assignment or transfer involves a substantial change in ownership or control of the licensee, for example, the transfer of more than 50% of the voting stock, the applicant must give public notice and the application is subject to a 30-day period for public comment. During this time, interested parties may file petitions with the FCC to deny the application. Informal objections may be filed at any time until the FCC acts upon the application. If the FCC grants an assignment or transfer application, administrative procedures provide for petitions seeking reconsideration or full FCC review of the grant. The Communications Act also permits the appeal of a contested grant to a federal court.

Under the Communications Act, a broadcast license may not be granted to or held by any person who is not a U.S. citizen or by any entity that has more than 20% of its capital stock owned or voted by non-U.S. citizens or entities or their representatives, or by foreign governments or their representatives. The Communications Act prohibits more than 25% indirect foreign ownership or control of a licensee through a parent company if the FCC determines the public interest will be served by such prohibition. The FCC has interpreted this provision of the Communications Act to require an affirmative public interest finding before this 25% limit may be exceeded. Since we serve as a holding company for subsidiaries that serve as licensees for our stations, we are effectively restricted from having more than one-fourth of our stock owned or voted directly or indirectly by non-U.S. citizens or their representatives, foreign governments, representatives of foreign governments, or foreign business entities unless we seek and obtain FCC authority to exceed that level. The FCC will entertain and authorize, on a case-by-case basis and upon a sufficient public interest showing and favorable executive branch review, proposals to exceed the 25% indirect foreign ownership limit in broadcast licensees.

The FCC applies its media ownership limits to “attributable” interests. The interests of officers, directors and those who directly or indirectly hold five percent or more of the total outstanding voting stock of a corporation that holds a broadcast license (or a corporate parent) are generally deemed attributable interests, as are any limited partnership or limited liability company interests that are not properly “insulated” from management activities. Certain passive investors that hold stock for investment purposes only are deemed attributable with the ownership of 20% or more of the voting stock of a licensee or parent corporation. An entity with one or more radio stations in a market that enters into a LMA or a TBA with another radio station in the same market obtains an attributable interest in the brokered radio station if the brokering station supplies programming for more than 15% of the brokered radio station’s weekly broadcast hours. Similarly, a radio station owner’s right under a joint sales agreement (“JSA”) to sell more than 15% per week of the advertising time on another radio station in the same market constitutes an attributable ownership interest in such station for purposes of the FCC’s ownership rules. Debt instruments, non-voting stock, unexercised options and warrants, minority voting interests in corporations having a single majority shareholder, and limited partnership or limited liability company membership interests where the interest holder is not “materially involved” in the media-related activities of the partnership or limited liability company pursuant to FCC-prescribed “insulation” provisions, generally do not subject their holders to attribution unless such interests implicate the FCC’s equity-debt-plus (or “EDP”) rule. Under the EDP rule, a major programming supplier or the holder of an attributable interest in a same-market radio station will have an attributable interest in a station if the supplier or same-market media entity also holds debt or equity, or both, in the station that is greater than 33% of the value of the station’s total debt plus equity. For purposes of the EDP rule, equity includes all stock, whether voting or nonvoting, and interests held by limited partners or limited liability company members that are “insulated” from material involvement in the company’s media activities. A major programming supplier is any supplier that provides more than 15% of the station’s weekly programming hours.

The Communications Act and FCC rules generally restrict ownership, operation or control of, or the common holding of attributable interests in, radio broadcast stations serving the same local market in excess of specified numerical limits.

The numerical limits on radio stations that one entity may own in a local market are as follows:

• in a radio market with 45 or more commercial radio stations, a party may hold an attributable interest in up to eight commercial radio stations, not more than five of which are in the same service (AM or FM);
• in a radio market with 30 to 44 commercial radio stations, a party may hold an attributable interest in up to seven commercial radio stations, not more than four of which are in the same service (AM or FM);
• in a radio market with 15 to 29 commercial radio stations, a party may hold an attributable interest in up to six commercial radio stations, not more than four of which are in the same service (AM or FM); and
• in a radio market with 14 or fewer commercial radio stations, a party may hold an attributable interest in up to five commercial radio stations, not more than three of which are in the same service (AM or FM), except that a party may not hold an attributable interest in more than 50% of the radio stations in such market.

To apply these tiers, the FCC currently relies on Nielsen Metro Survey Areas, where they exist. In other areas, the FCC relies on a contour-overlap methodology. The market definition used by the FCC in applying its ownership rules may not be the same as that used for purposes of the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act. In 2003, when the FCC changed its methodology for defining local radio markets, it grandfathered existing combinations of radio stations that would not comply with the modified rules. The FCC’s rules provide that these grandfathered combinations may not be sold intact except to certain “eligible entities,” which the FCC defines as entities qualifying as a small business consistent with Small Business Administration standards.

The media ownership rules are subject to review by the FCC every four years. In December 2023, the FCC issued an order concluding its 2018 quadrennial review, which retained the local radio ownership rule without significant changes. This order is subject to appeal, and in addition, the FCC’s 2022 quadrennial review of its media ownership rules is currently pending.

The attribution and media ownership rules limit the number of radio stations we may acquire or own in any particular market and may limit the prospective buyers of any stations we want to sell. The FCC’s rules could affect our business in a number of ways, including, but not limited to, the following:

• the FCC’s radio ownership limits could have an adverse effect on our ability to accumulate stations in a given area or to sell a group of stations in a local market to a single entity;
• restricting the assignment and transfer of control of “grandfathered” radio combinations that exceed the ownership limits as a result of the FCC’s 2003 change in local market definition could adversely affect our ability to buy or sell a group of stations in a local market from or to a single entity; and
• in general terms, future changes in the way the FCC defines radio markets or in the numerical station caps could limit our ability to acquire new stations in certain markets, our ability to operate stations pursuant to certain agreements, and our ability to improve the coverage contours of our existing stations.

Programming and Operations. The Communications Act requires broadcasters to serve the “public interest” by presenting programming that responds to community problems, needs and interests and by maintaining records demonstrating such responsiveness. The FCC considers complaints from viewers or listeners about a broadcast station’s programming. All radio stations are now required to maintain their public inspection files on a publicly accessible FCC-hosted online database. Moreover, the FCC has from time-to-time proposed rules designed to increase local programming content and diversity, including renewal application processing guidelines for locally-oriented programming and a requirement that broadcasters establish advisory boards in the communities where they own stations. Stations also must follow FCC rules and policies regulating political advertising, obscene or indecent programming, sponsorship identification, contests and lotteries and technical operation, including limits on human exposure to radio frequency radiation.

The FCC requires that licensees not discriminate in hiring practices on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin or gender. It also requires stations with at least five full-time employees to broadly disseminate information about all full-time job openings and undertake outreach initiatives from an FCC list of activities such as participation in job fairs, internships, or scholarship programs. The FCC is considering whether to apply these recruitment requirements to part-time employment positions. Stations must retain records of their outreach efforts and keep an annual Equal Employment Opportunity (“EEO”) report in their public inspection files and post an electronic version on their websites.

From time to time, complaints may be filed against any of our radio stations alleging violations of these or other rules. In addition, the FCC may conduct audits or inspections to ensure and verify licensee compliance with FCC rules and regulations. Failure to observe these or other rules and regulations can result in the imposition of various sanctions, including fines or conditions, the grant of “short” (less than the maximum eight year) renewal terms or, for particularly egregious violations, the denial of a license renewal application or the revocation of a license.

Human Capital

As of December 31, 2023, we employed 948 full-time employees and 450 part-time employees. Our employees are not unionized.

We believe that our success largely depends upon our continued ability to attract and retain highly skilled employees. We provide our employees with competitive salaries and bonuses, development programs that enable continued learning and growth, and offer an employment package that promotes well-being across all aspects of their lives, including health care, retirement planning and paid time off.

As a business founded by an African-American woman, diversity and inclusion is engrained in our corporate history. Our Board of Directors is diverse; Catherine L. Hughes, our Founder and Chairperson, is an African-American woman, and four of our six directors are minorities. Our President and Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”), who is also a director, Alfred C. Liggins, III is an African-American male, as is our Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Kristopher Simpson. Further, Karen Wishart, our Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer, is an African-American woman, as is Michelle Rice, President of TV One. As of December 31, 2023, 74% of our employees were racially diverse, and 46% of our employees were women. We are proud that our organization is governed and propelled by such a diverse group of individuals, which we believe contributes to our Company’s success now, and in the long-term.

Our senior leadership team has introduced various initiatives to ensure that our Company remains inclusive and supportive for all, including: (i) conducting workplace training, which includes focuses on unconscious bias, discrimination and harassment; (ii) leveraging a diverse slate of candidates for all job vacancies, including senior leadership; and (iii) developing content across our multi-media platform that elevates the voice of minority communities to foster equality and inclusion in both the entertainment industry and across the nation.

Environmental

As the owner, lessee or operator of various real properties and facilities, we are subject to federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations. Historically, compliance with these laws and regulations has not had a material adverse effect on our business. There can be no assurance, however, that compliance with existing or new environmental laws and regulations will not require us to make significant expenditures in the future.

Seasonality

Seasonal revenue fluctuations are common in the radio broadcasting industry and are due primarily to fluctuations in advertising expenditures. Typically, revenues are lowest in the first calendar quarter of the year. Due to this seasonality and certain other factors, the results of interim periods may not necessarily be indicative of results for the full year. In addition, our operations are impacted by political cycles and generally experience higher revenues in congressional and presidential election years. This seasonality and similar recurring fluctuation may affect comparability between years.

Corporate Governance

Code of Ethics. We have adopted a code of ethics that applies to all of our directors, officers (including our principal financial officer and principal accounting officer) and employees and meets the requirements of the SEC and the NASDAQ Rules. Our code of ethics can be found on our website, www.urban1.com (http://www.urban1.com). We will provide a paper copy of the code of ethics, free of charge, upon request.

Audit Committee Charter. Our audit committee has adopted a charter as required by the NASDAQ Rules. This committee charter can be found on our website, www.urban1.com (http://www.urban1.com). We will provide a paper copy of the audit committee charter, free of charge, upon request.

Compensation Committee Charter. Our Board of Directors has adopted a compensation committee charter. We will provide a paper copy of the compensation committee charter, free of charge, upon request.

Internet Address and Internet Access to SEC Reports

Our internet address is www.urban1.com (http://www.urban1.com). You may obtain through our internet website, free of charge, copies of our proxies, annual reports on Form 10-K and 10-K/A, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and Form 10-Q/A, current reports on Form 8-K, and any amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These reports are available as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file them with or furnish them to the SEC. Our website and the information contained therein or connected thereto shall not be deemed to be incorporated into this Form 10-K.

Risks Related to Our Business and Industry

In an enterprise as large and complex as ours, a wide range of factors could affect our business and financial results. The factors described below are considered to be the most significant but are not listed in any particular order. There may be other currently unknown or unpredictable economic, business, competitive, regulatory or other factors that could have material adverse effects on our future results. Past financial performance may not be a reliable indicator of future performance and historical trends should not be used to anticipate results or trends in future periods. The following discussion of risk factors should be read in conjunction with “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and the consolidated financial statements and related notes in “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Form 10-K.

We have identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting which could, if not remediated, result in material misstatements in our consolidated financial statements.

As discussed in Part II, Item 9A, “Controls and Procedures” of this Form 10-K, management has concluded that our internal controls related to certain business processes and disclosure controls and procedures were not effective as of December 31, 2023 due to the identified material weaknesses.

In addition, as discussed in Note 2 – Revision of Previously Issued Financial Statements to the consolidated financial statements in this Form 10-K, during the preparation of the interim consolidated financial statements for the quarterly period as of March 31, 2023, management and our Audit Committee, after discussion with our independent registered public accounting firm, concluded that identified misstatements in our accounting for stock-based compensation and the Company’s investment in the operation of RVA Entertainment Holdings, LLC, (“RVAEH”), and the related tax effects, were not material to its previously issued consolidated financial statements, however, the effect of correcting these adjustments in 2023 would materially misstate the Company’s unaudited financial statements for three months ended March 31, 2023. The understatement of stock-based compensation is related to the Company’s material weakness over stock-based compensation. The Company’s misstatement relating to the accounting change in RVAEH is related to our material weakness in internal control over financial reporting over investments in RVAEH. In addition to the adjustments related to the stock-based compensation and RVAEH, the Company also included corrections for other immaterial adjustments impacting trade accounts receivable, net, accounts payable, other long-term liabilities, and accumulated deficit in the consolidated balance sheets and selling, general and administrative expenses, corporate selling, general and administrative expenses, and related tax effect in the consolidated statements of operations.

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over our financial reporting, as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) under the Securities Exchange Act. Management identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. A material weakness is defined as a deficiency, or combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. As a result of these material weaknesses, our management concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was not effective based on criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organization of the Treadway Commission in Internal Control – An Integrated Framework (“COSO”). We are actively engaged in remediation efforts designed to address these material weaknesses. If our remedial measures are insufficient to address the material weaknesses, or if additional material weaknesses or significant deficiencies in our internal control are discovered or occur in the future, our consolidated financial statements may contain material misstatements and we could be required to restate our financial results.

The material weaknesses, or a failure to promptly remediate them, may adversely affect our business, our reputation, our results of operations and the market price of our common stock. If we are unable to remediate the material weaknesses in a timely manner, our investors, customers and other business partners may lose confidence in our business or our financial reports, and our access to capital markets may be adversely affected. In addition, our ability to record, process, and report financial information accurately, and to prepare financial statements within the time periods specified by the rules and regulations of the SEC and other regulatory authorities, could be adversely affected, which may result in violations of applicable securities laws, stock exchange listing requirements and the covenants under our debt agreements. We could also be exposed to lawsuits, investigations, or other legal actions. In such actions, a governmental authority may interpret a law, regulation or accounting principle differently than we have, exposing us to different or additional risks. We could incur significant costs in connection with these actions. We have not accrued for any such liabilities.

The control deficiencies resulting in the material weaknesses, in the aggregate, if not effectively remediated could also result in misstatements of accounts or disclosures that would result in a material misstatement of the annual or interim consolidated financial statements that would not be prevented or detected. In addition, we cannot be certain that we will not identify additional control deficiencies or material weaknesses in the future. If we identify future control deficiencies or material weaknesses, these may lead to adverse effects on our business, our reputation, our results of operations, and the market price of our common stock.

We face risks related to the revision of our previously issued consolidated financial statements with respect to December 31, 2023 and 2022 (the “Affected Periods”).

As discussed in Note 2 – Revision of Previously Issued Financial Statements to the consolidated financial statements in this Form 10-K, we reached a determination to revise certain financial information and related footnote disclosures in our previously issued consolidated financial statements for the Affected Periods. As a result, we have become subject to a number of additional risks and uncertainties, which may affect investor confidence in the accuracy of our financial disclosures and may raise reputational issues for our business. We expect to continue to face many of the risks and challenges related to the revision, including the following:

• we may face potential for litigation or other disputes, which may include, among others, claims invoking the federal and state securities laws, contractual claims or other claims arising from the revision; and
• the processes undertaken to effect the revision may not have been adequate to identify and correct all errors in our historical financial statements and, as a result, we may discover additional errors and our financial statements remain subject to the risk of future revision or restatement.

We cannot assure that all of the risks and challenges described above will be eliminated or that general reputational harm will not persist. If one or more of the foregoing risks or challenges persist, our business, operations and financial condition are likely to be materially and adversely affected.

The revision of our previously issued financial statements and ongoing remediation of material weaknesses have been time-consuming and expensive and could expose us to additional risks that could materially adversely affect our financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

We have incurred significant expenses, including audit, legal, consulting and other professional fees, in connection with the revision of our previously issued financial statements and the ongoing remediation of material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. We have implemented and will continue to implement additional processes utilizing existing resources and adding new resources as needed. To the extent these steps are not successful, we could be forced to incur additional time and expense. Our management’s attention has also been diverted from the operation of our business in connection with the revision and ongoing remediation of material weaknesses in our internal controls.

The delayed filings of our 2022 and 2023 annual reports and our first quarter 2024 quarterly report have made us currently ineligible to use a registration statement on Form S-3 to register the offer and sale of securities, which could adversely affect our ability to raise future capital or complete acquisitions.

As a result of the delayed filings of our 2022 and 2023 annual reports and our first quarter 2024 quarterly report with the SEC, we will not be eligible to register the offer and sale of our securities using a short form registration statement on Form S-3 until one year from the date we regain and maintain status as a current filer. Should we wish to register the offer and sale of our securities to the public prior to the time we are eligible to use a short form registration statement on Form S-3, both our transaction costs and the amount of time required to complete the transaction could increase, making it more difficult to timely execute any such transaction successfully and potentially harming our financial condition.

Risks Related to the Nature and Operations of Our Business

Our results may be impacted by economic trends.

Our results of operations could be negatively impacted by economic fluctuations or future economic downturns. Advertising expenditures by our clients tend to be cyclical, reflecting overall economic conditions. The risks associated with our business could be more acute in periods of a slowing economy or recession, which may be accompanied by a decrease in advertising expenditures. A decrease in advertising expenditures could adversely impact our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

The state and condition of the global financial markets and fluctuations in the global and U.S. economies may have an unpredictable impact on our business and financial condition.

From time to time, including as a result of inflation, bank failures, changes in interest rates, recession or the COVID-19 pandemic public health crisis, the global equity and credit markets experience high levels of volatility and disruption. At various points in time, the markets have produced upward and/or downward pressure on stock prices and limited credit capacity for certain companies without regard to those companies’ underlying financial strength. In addition, advertising is a discretionary and variable business expense which may be reduced as companies contend with lower revenues or higher expenses, including higher costs of capital. Spending on advertising tends to decline disproportionately during an economic recession or downturn as compared to other types of business spending. Consequently, a downturn in the United States economy generally has an adverse effect on our advertising revenue and, therefore, our results of operations. A recession or downturn in the economy of any individual geographic market, particularly a major market in which we operate, also may have a significant effect on us. Radio revenues in the markets in which we operate may also face greater challenges than the U.S. economy generally and may remain so. Radio revenues in certain markets in which we operate have lagged the growth of the general United States economy as audiences have not returned to pre-pandemic levels.

We may be adversely affected by the effects of inflation.

Inflation has the potential to adversely affect our liquidity, business, financial condition and results of operations by increasing our overall cost structure, particularly if we are unable to achieve commensurate increases in the prices we charge our customers. The existence of inflation in the economy has resulted in, and may continue to result in, higher interest rates and capital costs, increased costs of labor, weakening exchange rates and other similar effects. As a result of inflation, we have experienced and may continue to experience, cost increases. Although we may take measures to mitigate the impact of this inflation, if these measures are not effective, our business, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity could be materially adversely affected.

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, this risk is heightened during periods of uncertain economic conditions and there can be no assurance such procedures will effectively limit our credit risk. Such failures could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flow.

Increases in interest rates and the reduced availability of financing for consumer products may impact the demand for advertising.

In general, demand for certain consumer products may be adversely affected by increases in interest rates and the reduced availability of financing. Also, banks failures, loan defaults and/or other trends in the financial industry which influence the requirements used by lenders to evaluate potential consumers can result in reduced availability of financing. If interest rates or lending requirements increase and consequently, the ability of prospective consumers to finance purchases of products is adversely affected, the demand for advertising may also be adversely impacted and the impact may be material. In addition, our borrowing costs could be impacted, and such cost changes could reduce the expected returns on certain of our corporate development and other investment opportunities.

The terms of our indebtedness and the indebtedness of our direct and indirect subsidiaries may restrict our current and future operations, particularly our ability to respond to changes in market conditions or to take some actions.

Our debt instruments impose operating and financial restrictions on us. These restrictions limit or prohibit, among other things, our ability and the ability of our subsidiaries to incur additional indebtedness, issue preferred stock, incur liens, pay dividends, enter into asset purchase or sale transactions, merge or consolidate with another company, dispose of all or substantially all of our assets or make certain other payments or investments. These restrictions could limit our ability to grow our business through acquisitions and could limit our ability to respond to market conditions or meet extraordinary capital needs.

We have historically incurred net losses which could resume in the future.

We have historically reported net losses in our consolidated statements of operations, due mostly in part to recording non-cash impairment charges for write-downs to radio broadcasting licenses and goodwill, interest expenses (both cash and non-cash), and revenue declines caused by weakened advertising demand resulting from the current economic environment. These results have had a negative impact on our financial condition and could be exacerbated in a poor economic climate. If such items recur in the future, they could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition.

Our revenue is substantially dependent on spending and allocation decisions by advertisers, and seasonality and/or weakening economic conditions may have an impact upon our business.

Substantially all of our revenue is derived from sales of advertisements and program sponsorships to local and national advertisers. Any reduction in advertising expenditures or changes in advertisers’ spending priorities and/or allocations across different types of media/platforms or programming could have an adverse effect on the Company’s revenues and results of operations. We do not obtain long-term commitments from our advertisers and advertisers may cancel, reduce, or postpone advertisements without penalty, which could adversely affect our revenue. Seasonal net revenue fluctuations are common in the media industries and are due primarily to fluctuations in advertising expenditures by local and national advertisers. In addition, advertising revenues in even-numbered years tend to benefit from advertising placed by candidates for political offices. The effects of such seasonality (including the weather), combined with the severe structural changes that have occurred in the U.S. economy, make it difficult to estimate future operating results based on the previous results of any specific quarter and may adversely affect operating results.

Our success is dependent upon audience acceptance of our content, particularly our television and radio programs, which is difficult to predict.

Radio, television, and digital content production and distribution are inherently risky businesses because the revenues derived from the production and distribution of media content or a radio program, and the licensing of rights to the intellectual property associated with the content or program, depend primarily upon their acceptance and perceptions by the public, which can change quickly and are difficult to predict. The commercial success of content or a program also depends upon the quality and acceptance of other competing programs released into the marketplace at or near the same time, the availability of alternative forms of entertainment and leisure time activities, general economic conditions, and other tangible and intangible factors, all of which are difficult to predict. Our failure to obtain or retain rights to popular content on any part of our multi-media platform could adversely affect our revenues.

Ratings for broadcast stations and traffic on a particular website are also factors that are weighed when advertisers determine which outlets to use and in determining the advertising rates that the outlet receives. Poor ratings or traffic levels can lead to a reduction in pricing and advertising revenues. For example, if there is an event causing a change of programming at one of our stations, there could be no assurance that any replacement programming would generate the same level of ratings, revenues, or profitability as the previous programming. In addition, changes in ratings methodology, search engine algorithms and technology could adversely impact our businesses and negatively affect our advertising revenues.

Television content production is inherently a risky business because the revenues derived from the production and distribution of a television program and the licensing of rights to the associated intellectual property depends primarily upon the public’s level of acceptance, which is difficult to predict. The commercial success of a television program also depends upon the quality and acceptance of other competing programs in the marketplace at or near the same time, the availability of alternative forms of entertainment and leisure time activities, general economic conditions, and other tangible and intangible factors, all of which are difficult to predict. Rating points are also factors that are weighed when determining the advertising rates that TV One/CLEO TV receive. Poor ratings can lead to a reduction in pricing and advertising revenues. Consequently, low public acceptance of TV One/CLEO TV’s content may have an adverse effect on our cable television segment’s results of operations. Further, networks or programming launched by NetflixTM, Oprah Winfrey (OWNTM), Sean Combs (REVOLT TVTM), and Magic Johnson (ASPIRETM), could take away from our audience share and ratings and thus have an adverse effect on our cable television’s results of operations.

Increases in or new royalties, including through legislation, could adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We currently pay royalties to song composers and publishers through Broadcast Music, Inc (“BMI”), American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (“ASCAP”), SEASAC, Inc. (“SESAC”) and Global Music Rights Inc. (“GMR”) but not to record labels or recording artists for exhibition or use of over the air broadcasts of music. We must also pay royalties to the copyright owners of sound recordings for the digital audio transmission of such sound recordings on the Internet. We pay such royalties under federal statutory licenses and pay applicable license fees to Sound Exchange, the non-profit organization designated by the United States Copyright Royalty Board to collect such license fees. The royalty rates applicable to sound recordings under federal statutory licenses are subject to adjustment. The royalty rates we pay to copyright owners for the public performance of musical compositions on our radio stations and internet streams could increase as a result of private negotiations and the emergence of new performing rights organizations, which could adversely impact our businesses, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Further, from time to time, Congress considers legislation which could change the copyright fees and the procedures by which the fees are determined. The 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.

A disproportionate share of our radio segment revenue comes from a small number of geographic markets and our syndicated radio business, Reach Media.

For the year ended December 31, 2023, approximately 31.1% of our net revenue was generated from the sale of advertising in our core radio business, excluding Reach Media. Within our core radio business, seven (Atlanta, Baltimore, Charlotte, Dallas, Houston, Indianapolis, and Washington, DC) of the 13 markets in which we operated radio stations throughout 2023 or a portion thereof accounted for approximately 77.0% of our radio station net revenue for the year ended December 31, 2023. Revenue from the operations of Reach Media, along with revenue from the seven significant contributing radio markets, accounted for approximately 36.2% of our total consolidated net revenue for the year ended December 31, 2023. Adverse events or conditions (economic, including government cutbacks or otherwise) could lead to declines in the contribution of Reach Media or declines in one or more of the seven significant contributing radio markets, which could have a material adverse effect on our overall financial performance and results of operations.

We may lose audience share and advertising revenue to our competitors.

Our media properties compete for audiences and advertising revenue with other radio stations and station groups and other media such as broadcast television, newspapers, magazines, cable television, satellite television, satellite radio, outdoor advertising, “over the top providers” on the internet and direct mail. Adverse changes in audience ratings, internet traffic, and market shares could have a material adverse effect on our revenue. Larger media companies, with more financial resources than we have may target our core audiences or enter the segments or markets in which we operate, causing competitive pressure. Further, other media and broadcast companies may change their programming format or engage in aggressive promotional campaigns to compete directly with our media properties for our core audiences and advertisers. Competition for our core audiences in any of our segments or markets could result in lower ratings or traffic and, hence, lower advertising revenue for us, or cause us to increase promotion and other expenses and, consequently, lower our earnings and cash flow. Changes in population, demographics, audience tastes and other factors beyond our control, could also cause changes in audience ratings or market share.

Consolidation among our competitors and other market participants has increased, and may continue to increase, also resulting in increased competitive pressures, such as limited availability of licensable content. Our competitors include companies with interests in multiple media businesses that are often vertically integrated, as well as companies in adjacent sectors with significant financial, marketing and other resources, greater efficiencies of scale, fewer regulatory burdens and more competitive pricing. Such competitors could also have preferential access to content and important technologies, such as artificial intelligence (“AI”), customer data or other competitive information. Our competitors may also enter into business combinations or alliances that strengthen their competitive positions.

Failure by us to respond successfully to these changes could have an adverse effect on our business and financial performance. We cannot assure that we will be able to maintain or increase our current audience ratings and advertising revenue.

We must respond to the rapid changes in technology, content offerings, services, and standards across our entire platform in order to remain competitive.

The media entertainment and internet businesses in which we participate increasingly depend on our ability to successfully adapt to new technologies. Technological standards across our media properties are evolving and new distribution technologies/platforms are emerging at a rapid pace. We cannot assure that we will have the resources to acquire new technologies or to introduce new features, content or services to compete with these new technologies. Our customers may require features and capabilities that we do not offer. A key basis on which we compete with other companies is on adapting to technological change including the successful utilization of data analytics, AI and machine learning. Rules governing new technological developments, such as developments in generative AI, remain unsettled, and these developments may affect aspects of our existing business model, including revenue streams for the use of our intellectual property and how we create our services and products.

Technological standards across our media properties are evolving and new distribution technologies/platforms are emerging at a rapid pace. We cannot assure that we will have the resources to acquire new technologies or to introduce new features, content or services to compete with these new technologies. New media has resulted in fragmentation in the advertising market, and we cannot predict the effect, if any, that additional competition arising from new technologies or content offerings may have across any of our business segments or our financial condition and results of operations, which may be adversely affected if we are not able to adapt successfully to these new media technologies or distribution platforms. The continuing growth and evolution of channels and platforms has increased our challenges in differentiating ourselves from other media platforms. We continually seek to develop and enhance our content offerings and distribution platforms/methodologies. Failure to effectively execute in these efforts, actions by our competitors, or other failures to deliver content effectively could hurt our ability to differentiate ourselves from our competitors and, as a result, have adverse effects across our business.

The loss of key personnel, including certain on-air talent, could disrupt the management and operations of our business.

Our business depends upon the continued efforts, abilities and expertise of our executive officers and other key employees, including certain on-air personalities. We believe that the combination of skills and experience possessed by our executive officers and other key employees could be difficult to replace, and that the loss of one or more of them could have a material adverse effect on us, including the impairment of our ability to execute our business strategy. In addition, several of our on-air personalities and syndicated radio programs hosts have large loyal audiences in their respective broadcast areas and may be significantly responsible for the ratings of a station. The loss of such on-air personalities or any change in their popularity could impact the ability of the station to sell advertising and our ability to derive revenue from syndicating programs hosted by them. We cannot be assured that these individuals will remain with us or will retain their current audiences or ratings.

If our digital segment does not continue to develop and offer compelling and differentiated content, products and services, our advertising revenues could be adversely affected.

In order to attract consumers and generate increased activity on our digital properties, we believe that we must offer compelling and differentiated content, products and services. However, acquiring, developing, and offering such content, products and services may require significant costs and time to develop, while consumer tastes may be difficult to predict and are subject to rapid change. If we are unable to provide content, products and services that are sufficiently attractive to our digital users, we may not be able to generate the increases in activity necessary to generate increased advertising revenues. In addition, although we have access to certain content provided by our other businesses, we may be required to make substantial payments to license such content. Many of our content arrangements with third parties are non-exclusive, so competitors may be able to offer similar or identical content. If we are not able to acquire or develop compelling content and do so at reasonable prices, or if other companies offer content that is similar to that provided by our digital segment, we may not be able to attract and increase the engagement of digital consumers on our digital properties.

Continued growth in our digital business also depends on our ability to continue offering a competitive and distinctive range of advertising products and services for advertisers and publishers and our ability to maintain or increase prices for our advertising products and services. Continuing to develop and improve these products and services may require significant time and costs. If we cannot continue to develop and improve our advertising products and services or if prices for our advertising products and services decrease, our digital advertising revenues could be adversely affected. Finally, recently, our digital business has seen significant growth in its business due to advertisers increased interest in minority-controlled media given recent social justice/equality trends. Should these trends reverse or decline, revenues within our digital and other segments could be adversely impacted.

Unrelated third parties may claim that we infringe on their rights based on the nature and content of information posted on websites we maintain.

We host internet services that enable individuals to exchange information, generate content, comment on our content, and engage in various online activities. The law relating to the liability of providers of these online services for activities of their users is currently unsettled both within the United States and internationally. While we monitor postings to such websites, claims may be brought against us for defamation, negligence, copyright or trademark infringement, unlawful activity, tort, including personal injury, fraud, or other theories based on the nature and content of information that may be posted online or generated by our users. Our defense of such actions could be costly and involve significant time and attention of our management and other resources.

If we are unable to protect our domain names and/or content, our reputation and brands could be adversely affected.

We currently hold various domain name registrations relating to our brands, including urban1.com, radio-one.com and interactiveone.com. The registration and maintenance of domain names are generally regulated by governmental agencies and their designees. Governing bodies may establish additional top-level domains, appoint additional domain name registrars, or modify the requirements for holding domain names. As a result, we may be unable to register or maintain relevant domain names. We may be unable, without significant cost or at all, to prevent third parties from registering domain names that are similar to, infringe upon, or otherwise decrease the value of our trademarks and other proprietary rights. Failure to protect our domain names could adversely affect our reputation and brands and make it more difficult for users to find our websites and our services. In addition, piracy of the Company’s content, including digital piracy, may decrease revenue received from the exploitation of the Company’s programming and other content and adversely affect its businesses and profitability.

Future asset impairment to the carrying values of our FCC licenses and goodwill within the radio broadcasting segment could adversely impact our results of operations and net worth.

As of December 31, 2023, we had approximately $375.3 million in broadcast licenses and $30.0 million in goodwill within the radio broadcasting segment, which totaled $405.3 million and represented approximately 33.4% of our total assets. Therefore, we believe estimating the fair value of goodwill and radio broadcasting licenses is a critical accounting estimate because of the significance of their carrying values in relation to our total assets.

We are required to test our goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets for impairment at least annually, which we have traditionally done as of October 1 each year, or on an interim basis when events or changes in circumstances suggest impairment may have occurred. Impairment is measured as the excess of the carrying value of the goodwill or indefinite-lived intangible asset over its fair value. Impairment may result from deterioration in our performance, changes in anticipated future cash flows, changes in business plans, adverse economic or market conditions, adverse changes in applicable laws and regulations, or other factors beyond our control. The amount of any impairment must be expensed as a charge to operations. Fair values of FCC licenses have been estimated using the income approach, which incorporates several judgmental assumptions over a 10-year model including, but not limited to, market revenue and projected revenue growth by market, mature market share, operating profit margins, discount rate and terminal growth rate. Fair values of goodwill within the radio broadcasting segment have been estimated using the income approach, which incorporates several judgmental assumptions over a 10-year model including, but not limited to, revenue growth rates of each radio market, operating profit margins, discount rate and terminal growth rate. We also utilize a market-based approach to evaluate our fair value estimates. There are inherent uncertainties related to these assumptions and our judgment in applying them to the impairment analysis.

Changes in certain events or circumstances could result in changes to our estimated fair values and may result in further write-downs to the carrying values of these assets. Additional impairment charges could adversely affect our financial results, financial ratios and could limit our ability to obtain financing in the future.

Our business depends on maintaining our licenses with the FCC. We could be prevented from operating a radio station if we fail to maintain its license.

Within our core radio business, we are required to maintain radio broadcasting licenses issued by the FCC. These licenses are ordinarily issued for a maximum term of eight years and are renewable. Currently, subject to renewal, our radio broadcasting licenses expire at various times beginning October 2027 through August 1, 2030. While we anticipate receiving renewals of all of our broadcasting licenses, interested third parties may challenge our renewal applications. A station may continue to operate beyond the expiration date of its license if a timely filed license renewal application was filed and is pending, as is the case with respect to each of our stations with licenses that have expired. During the periods when a renewal application is pending, informal objections and petitions to deny the renewal application can be filed by interested parties, including members of the public, on a variety of grounds. In addition, we are subject to extensive and changing regulation by the FCC with respect to such matters as programming, indecency standards, technical operations, employment and business practices. If we or any of our significant stockholders, officers, or directors violate the FCC’s rules and regulations or the Communications Act of 1934, as amended (the “Communications Act”), or is convicted of a felony or found to have engaged in certain other types of non-FCC related misconduct, the FCC may commence a proceeding to impose fines or other sanctions upon us. Examples of possible sanctions include the imposition of fines, the renewal of one or more of our broadcasting licenses for a term of fewer than eight years or the revocation of our broadcast licenses. If the FCC were to issue an order denying a license renewal application or revoking a license, we would be required to cease operating the radio station covered by the license only after we had exhausted administrative and judicial review without success.

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.

The use of our computers and digital technology in substantially all aspects of our business operations gives rise to cybersecurity risks. Our industry is prone to cyber-attacks by third parties seeking unauthorized access to our data or users’ data. Any failure to prevent or mitigate security breaches and improper access to or disclosure of our data or user data could result in the loss or misuse of such data, which could harm our business and reputation and diminish our competitive position. In addition, computer malware, viruses, social engineering (predominantly spear phishing attacks), and general hacking have become more prevalent in general. Our efforts to protect our company’s data or the information we receive may be unsuccessful due to software bugs or other technical malfunctions; employee, contractor, or vendor error or malfeasance; government surveillance; or other threats that evolve. In addition, third parties may attempt to fraudulently induce employees or users to disclose information in order to gain access to our data or our users’ data on a continual basis.

Any internal technology breach, error or failure impacting systems hosted internally or externally, or any large scale external interruption in technology infrastructure we depend on, such as power, telecommunications or the Internet, may disrupt our technology network. Any individual, sustained or repeated failure of technology could impact our customer service and result in increased costs or reduced revenues. Our technology systems and related data also may be vulnerable to a variety of sources of interruption due to events beyond our control, including natural disasters, terrorist attacks, telecommunications failures, computer viruses, hackers and other security issues. Our technology security initiatives, disaster recovery plans and other measures may not be adequate or implemented properly to prevent a business disruption and its adverse financial consequences to our reputation.

In addition, as a part of our ordinary business operations, we may collect and store sensitive data, including personal information of our clients, listeners 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 resulting from attacks by hackers or breaches due to employee error or malfeasance could result in the loss, disclosure, misappropriation of or access to clients’, listeners’, employees’ or business partners’ information. Any such loss, disclosure, misappropriation or access could result in legal claims or proceedings, liability or regulatory penalties under laws protecting the privacy of personal information, disruption of our operations and damage to our reputation, any or all of which could adversely affect our business. Although we have developed systems and processes that are designed to protect our data and user data, to prevent data loss, and to prevent or detect security breaches, we cannot assure you that such measures will provide absolute security.

In the event of a technical or cyber event, we could experience a significant, unplanned disruption, or substantial and extensive degradation of our services, or our network may fail in the future. Despite our significant infrastructure investments, we may have insufficient communications and server capacity to address these or other disruptions, which could result in interruptions in our services. Any widespread interruption or substantial and extensive degradation in the functioning of our IT or technical platform for any reason could negatively impact our revenue and could harm our business and results of operations. If such a widespread interruption occurred, or if we failed to deliver content to users as expected, our reputation could be damaged severely. Moreover, any disruptions, significant degradation, cybersecurity threats, security breaches, or attacks on our internal information technology systems could impact our ratings and cause us to lose listeners, users or viewers or make it more difficult to attract new ones, either of which could harm our business and results of operations.

Our business could be materially and adversely affected as a result of natural disasters, terrorism or other catastrophic events.

Any economic failure or other material disruption caused by war, climate change or natural disasters, including fires, floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, and tornadoes; power loss or shortages; environmental disasters; telecommunications or business information systems failures or similar events could also adversely affect our ability to conduct business. If such disruptions contribute to a general decrease in economic activity or corporate spending on information technology, or impair our ability to meet our customer demands, our operating results and financial condition could be materially adversely affected.

There is also an increasing concern over the risks of climate change and related environmental sustainability matters. In addition to physical risks, climate change risk includes longer-term shifts in climate patterns, such as extreme heat, sea level rise, and more frequent and prolonged drought. Such events could disrupt our operations or those of our customers or third parties on which we rely, including through direct damage to assets and indirect impacts from supply chain disruption and market volatility.

Our entry into new lines of business may not succeed and may result in increased shareholder value.

We have historically operated as an urban-oriented, multi-media company that primarily targets African-American and urban consumers. Over the years we have invested in other ventures such as gaming. Entry into, or further development of, lines of business in which we have not historically operated, including gaming, may expose us to business and operational risks that are different from those we have experienced historically. We may not be able to effectively manage these additional risks or implement successful business strategies in new lines of business. Additionally, our new and existing competitors in these lines of business may possess greater operational knowledge, resources and experience than we do. These diversification initiatives may not succeed and/or may not result in an increase in shareholder value and could result in a reduction in shareholder value depending upon our capital investment and success.

Certain Regulatory Risks

The FCC’s media ownership rules could restrict our ability to acquire radio stations.

The Communications Act and FCC rules and policies limit the number of broadcasting properties that any person or entity may own (directly or by attribution) in any market and require FCC approval for transfers of control and assignments of licenses. The FCC’s media ownership rules remain subject to further agency and court proceedings. As a result of the FCC media ownership rules, the outside media interests of our officers and directors could limit our ability to acquire stations. The filing of petitions or complaints against Urban One or any FCC licensee from which we are acquiring a station could result in the FCC delaying the grant of, refusing to grant or imposing conditions on its consent to the assignment or transfer of control of licenses. The Communications Act and FCC rules and policies also impose limitations on non-U.S. ownership and voting of our capital stock.

Enforcement by the FCC of its indecency rules against the broadcast industry could adversely affect our business operations.

The FCC’s rules prohibit the broadcast of obscene material at any time and indecent or profane material on broadcast stations between the hours of 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. Broadcasters risk violating the prohibition against broadcasting indecent material because of the vagueness of the FCC’s indecency and profanity definitions, coupled with the spontaneity of live programming. The FCC has in the past vigorously enforced its indecency rules against the broadcasting industry and has threatened to initiate license revocation proceedings against broadcast licensees for “serious” indecency violations. Further, broadcasting obscene, indecent or profane programming, may potentially subject broadcasters to license revocation, renewal or qualification proceedings. We may in the future become subject to inquiries or proceedings related to our stations. To the extent that these proceedings result in the imposition of fines, a settlement with the FCC, revocation of any of our station licenses or denials of license renewal applications, our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flow could be adversely impacted.

Changes in current federal regulations could adversely affect our business operations.

Congress and the FCC have considered, and may in the future consider and adopt, new laws, regulations and policies that could, directly or indirectly, affect the profitability of our broadcast stations. In particular, Congress may consider and adopt a revocation of terrestrial radio’s exemption from paying royalties to performing artists and record companies for use of their recordings (radio already pays a royalty to songwriters, composers and publishers). In addition, commercial radio broadcasters and entities representing artists are negotiating agreements that could result in broadcast stations paying royalties to artists. A requirement to pay additional royalties could have an adverse effect on our business operations and financial performance. Moreover, it is possible that our license fees and negotiating costs associated with obtaining rights to use musical compositions and sound recordings in our programming could sharply increase as a result of private negotiations, one or more regulatory rate-setting processes, or administrative and court decisions. Finally, there has been in the past and there could be again in the future proposed legislation that requires radio broadcasters to pay additional fees such as a spectrum fee for the use of the spectrum. We cannot predict whether such actions will occur.

The television and distribution industries in the United States are highly regulated by U.S. federal laws and regulations issued and administered by various federal agencies, including the FCC. The television broadcasting industry is subject to extensive regulation by the FCC under the Communications Act. The U.S. Congress and the FCC currently have under consideration, and may in the future adopt, new laws, regulations, and policies regarding a wide variety of matters that could, directly or indirectly, affect the operations of our cable television segment. For example, the FCC has initiated a proceeding to examine and potentially regulate more closely embedded advertising such as product placement and product integration. Enhanced restrictions affecting these means of delivering advertising messages may adversely affect our cable television segment’s advertising revenues. Changes to the media ownership and other FCC rules may affect the competitive landscape in ways that could increase the competition faced by TV One/CLEO TV. Proposals have also been advanced from time to time before the U.S. Congress and the FCC to extend the program access rules (currently applicable only to those cable program services which also own or are owned by cable distribution systems) to all cable program services. TV One/CLEO TV’s ability to obtain the most favorable terms available for its content could be adversely affected should such an extension be enacted into law. We are unable to predict the effect that any such laws, regulations or policies may have on our cable television segment’s operations.

New or changing federal, state or international privacy regulation or requirements could hinder the growth of our internet business.

A variety of federal and state laws govern the collection, use, retention, sharing and security of consumer data that our business uses to operate its services and to deliver certain advertisements to its customers, as well as the technologies used to collect such data. Not only are existing privacy-related laws in these jurisdictions evolving and subject to potentially disparate interpretation by governmental entities, new legislative proposals affecting privacy are now pending at both the federal and state level in the U.S. Further, third-party service providers may from time to time change their privacy requirements. Changes to the interpretation of existing law or the adoption of new privacy-related requirements by governments or other businesses could hinder the growth of our business and cause us to incur new and additional costs and expenses. Also, a failure or perceived failure to comply with such laws or requirements or with our own policies and procedures could result in significant liabilities, including a possible loss of consumer or investor confidence or a loss of customers or advertisers.

Unique Risks Related to Our Cable Television Segment

The loss of affiliation agreements could materially adversely affect our cable television segment’s results of operations.

Our cable television segment is dependent upon the maintenance of affiliation agreements with cable and direct broadcast distributors for its revenues, and there can be no assurance that these agreements will be renewed in the future on terms acceptable to such distributors. The loss of one or more of these arrangements could reduce the distribution of TV One’s and/or CLEO TV’s programming services and reduce revenues from subscriber fees and advertising, as applicable. Further, the loss of favorable packaging, positioning, pricing or other marketing opportunities with any distributor could reduce revenues from subscribers and associated subscriber fees. In addition, consolidation among cable distributors and increased vertical integration of such distributors into the cable or broadcast network business have provided more leverage to these distributors and could adversely affect our cable television segment’s ability to maintain or obtain distribution for its network programming on favorable or commercially reasonable terms, or at all. The results of renewals could have a material adverse effect on our cable television segment’s revenues and results and operations. We cannot assure you that TV One and/or CLEO TV will be able to renew their affiliation agreements on commercially reasonable terms, or at all. The loss of a significant number of these arrangements or the loss of carriage on basic programming tiers could reduce the distribution of our content, which may adversely affect our revenues from subscriber fees and our ability to sell national and local advertising time.

Changes in consumer behavior resulting from new technologies and distribution platforms may impact the performance of our businesses.

Our cable television segment faces emerging competition from other providers of digital media, some of which have greater financial, marketing and other resources than we do. In particular, content offered over the internet has become more prevalent as the speed and quality of broadband networks have improved. Providers such as NetflixTM, HuluTM, AppleTM, AmazonTM and GoogleTM, as well as gaming and other consoles such as Microsoft’s XboxTM, Sony’s PS5TM, Nintendo’s WiiTM, and RokuTM, are aggressively establishing themselves as alternative providers of video content and services, including new and independently developed long form video content. Most recently, new online distribution services have emerged offering live sports and other content without paying for a traditional cable bundle of channels. These services and the growing availability of online content, coupled with an expanding market for mobile devices and tablets that allow users to view content on an on-demand basis and internet-connected televisions, may impact our cable television segment’s distribution for its services and content. Additionally, devices or services that allow users to view television programs away from traditional cable providers or on a time-shifted basis and technologies that enable users to fast-forward or skip programming, including commercials, such as DVRs and portable digital devices and systems that enable users to store or make portable copies of content, have caused changes in consumer behavior that may affect the attractiveness of our offerings to advertisers and could therefore adversely affect our revenues. If we cannot ensure that our distribution methods and content are responsive to our cable television segment’s target audiences, our business could be adversely affected.

We acquire content and ancillary rights and pay related rights fees, license fees, royalties and/or contingent compensation. We license content from other media organizations. If competitive pressures continue to increase, we may not be able to produce or acquire content in a cost-effective manner. We may be outbid by our competitors for the rights to new, popular content or in connection with the renewals of popular rights we currently hold. Accordingly, there can be no assurance we will realize anticipated returns on our investments.

Unique Risks Related to Our Capital Structure

Our President and CEO has an interest in TV One that may conflict with your interests.

Pursuant to the terms of employment with our President and CEO, Mr. Alfred C. Liggins, III, in recognition of Mr. Liggins’ contributions in founding TV One on our behalf, he is eligible to receive an award amount equal to approximately 4% of any proceeds from distributions or other liquidity events in excess of the return of our aggregate investment in TV One (the “Employment Agreement Award”). Our obligation to pay the award was triggered after our recovery of the aggregate amount of capital contribution in TV One, and payment is required only upon actual receipt of distributions of cash or marketable securities or proceeds from a liquidity event in excess of such invested amount. Mr. Liggins’ rights to the Employment Agreement Award (i) cease if he is terminated for cause or he resigns without good reason and (ii) expire at the termination of his employment (but similar rights could be included in the terms of a new employment agreement or arrangement). As a result of this arrangement, the interest of Mr. Liggins’ with respect to TV One may conflict with your interests as holders of our debt or equity securities.

Two common stockholders have a majority voting interest in Urban One and have the power to control matters on which our common stockholders may vote, and their interests may conflict with yours.

As of December 31, 2023, our Chairperson and her son, our President and CEO, together held in excess of 75% of the outstanding voting power of our common stock. As a result, our Chairperson and our CEO control our management and policies and decisions involving or impacting Urban One, including transactions involving a change of control, such as a sale or merger. The interests of these stockholders may differ from the interests of our other stockholders and our debt holders. In addition, certain covenants in our debt instruments require that our Chairperson and the CEO maintain a specified ownership and voting interest in Urban One, and prohibit other parties’ voting interests from exceeding specified amounts. Our Chairperson and the CEO have agreed to vote their shares together in elections of members to the Board of Directors of Urban One.

Further, we are a “controlled company” under rules governing the listing of our securities on the NASDAQ because more than 50% of our voting power is held by our Chairperson and the CEO. Therefore, we are not subject to NASDAQ listing rules that would otherwise require us to have: (i) a majority of independent directors on the board; (ii) a compensation committee composed solely of independent directors; (iii) a nominating committee composed solely of independent directors; (iv) compensation of our executive officers determined by a majority of the independent directors or a compensation committee composed solely of independent directors; and (v) director nominees selected, or recommended for the board’s selection, either by a majority of the independent directors or a nominating committee composed solely of independent directors. While a majority of our board members are currently independent directors, we do not make any assurances that a majority of our board members will be independent directors at any given time.

We are a smaller reporting company as defined by Item 10 of Regulation S-K and we cannot be certain if the reduced disclosure requirements applicable to our filing status will make our common stock less attractive to investors.

We are a “smaller reporting company” and, thus, have certain decreased disclosure obligations in our SEC filings, including, among other things, simplified executive compensation disclosures and only being required to provide two years of audited financial statements in annual reports. Decreased disclosures in our SEC filings due to our status as a “smaller reporting company” may make it harder for investors to analyze our results of operations and financial prospects and may make our common stock a less attractive investment.

If we fail to meet the continued listing standards of NASDAQ, our common stock may be delisted, which could have a material adverse effect on the liquidity and market price of our common stock and expose the Company to litigation.

As a result of the delayed filings of our 2022 annual report and 2023 quarterly reports (the “Delayed 2022/2023 Reports”) with the SEC, we fell out of compliance with NASDAQ Listing Rule 5250(c) (the “Periodic Filing Rule”) which requires NASDAQ listed companies to timely file all required periodic financial reports with the SEC. After filing all of the 2022/2023 Delayed Reports, we regained compliance with the Periodic Filing Rule on December 22, 2023, and received confirmation from NASDAQ on December 29, 2023. However, on April 8, 2024, the Company received a new letter (the "First 2024 NASDAQ Notice") from NASDAQ notifying the Company that it was not in compliance with the Periodic Filing Rule as a result of not having timely filed its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 (the “2023 Form 10-K”). The First 2024 NASDAQ Notice noted that pursuant to the NASDAQ Listing Rules, the Company was being afforded sixty (60) calendar days, or until June 7, 2024, to regain compliance or to submit a plan to regain compliance. If NASDAQ accepts the compliance plan, NASDAQ may grant the Company an exception of up to 180 calendar days from the filing’s due date to regain compliance.

On May 23, 2024, the Company received a second letter (the "Second 2024 NASDAQ Notice") from NASDAQ notifying the Company that it was further non-compliant with the Periodic Filing Rule as a result of not having timely filed its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended March 31, 2024 (the "2024 Q1 Form 10-Q" and together with the 2023 Form 10-K, the “ 2024 Delayed Filings”) with the SEC. The Second NASDAQ Notice noted that the Company has until June 7, 2024, to file both 2024 Delayed Filings or to submit a compliance plan as required by the First 2024 NASDAQ Notice.

If our common stock were to be delisted, the liquidity of our common stock would be adversely affected, and the market price of our common stock could decrease. In addition, delayed financial reports could expose us to the risk of litigation concerning any impact upon the price of our common stock. Any such litigation could distract management from day-to-day operations and further adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

Disclosure Regarding Cybersecurity Risk Management

Assessment and Management of Cybersecurity Risks:

We have established a robust framework for the assessment, identification, and management of material risks arising from cybersecurity threats. Our approach to cybersecurity risk management includes ongoing assessments of potential threats and vulnerabilities, coupled with the implementation of safeguards and controls to mitigate these risks. We maintain vigilance over the cybersecurity landscape to identify emerging threats, adapting our strategies accordingly. Our cybersecurity risk management process includes:

• Regular risk assessments to systematically identify and prioritize cybersecurity risks;
• Implementation of advanced technical controls, encryption, and intrusion detection systems to safeguard sensitive data;
• Employee training and testing programs designed to enhance awareness about cybersecurity best practices;
• Collaboration with third-party cybersecurity experts for conducting penetration testing; vulnerability assessments and providing support in the triage of any cybersecurity event; and
• Select processes to review and manage the risks associated with third-party service providers.

Material Effects of Cybersecurity Threats and Incidents:

We acknowledge the potential material impact that cybersecurity threats and incidents can have on our operations, financial condition, and reputation. While we did not experience any significant cybersecurity incidents during the reporting period, we recognize that such incidents could include:

• Disruption of our operations, potentially leading to revenue loss;
• Unauthorized access to or theft of sensitive customer information, resulting in legal and regulatory implications; and
• Damage to our brand and reputation, which could affect customer trust and investor confidence.

Board Oversight:

Our Board of Directors plays a significant role in overseeing our cybersecurity risk management efforts. The Board receives periodic updates from the Chief Information Officer (“CIO”) on our cybersecurity posture, encompassing reports on potential threats, vulnerabilities, and the efficacy of our risk mitigation measures. These updates are provided based on internal reports from the tools employed and managed by the IT organization and reports generated by a managed security service provider overseen by the Chief Information Security Officer (“CISO”). The Board is committed to ensuring that cybersecurity is a priority for the organization, providing the necessary resources and expertise to address evolving threats effectively.

Management's Role and Expertise:

Our management team is actively involved in the assessment and management of cybersecurity risks. We have a CIO overseeing the Company’s technology infrastructure and a designated a CISO responsible for cybersecurity program oversight. The CISO possesses over two decades of comprehensive experience in the information technology landscape, augmented by a robust background in program management. With a portfolio enriched by industry certifications and advanced academic degrees, including an MBA, the CISO stands as a seasoned leader within our corporate information security domain. The CISO collaborates with cross-functional teams to implement and uphold our cybersecurity policies and practices. Our executive leadership team is aligned with our cybersecurity objectives and regularly reviews our cybersecurity-related initiatives.

The types of properties required to support each of our radio stations include offices, studios and transmitter/antenna sites. Our other media properties, such as Interactive One, generally only require office space. We typically lease our studio and office space with lease terms ranging from five to 15 years in length. A station’s studios are generally housed with its offices in business districts. We generally consider our facilities to be suitable and of adequate size for our current and intended purposes. We lease a majority of our main transmitter/antenna sites and associated broadcast towers and, when negotiating a lease for such sites, we try to obtain a lengthy lease term with options to renew. In general, we do not anticipate difficulties in renewing facility or transmitter/antenna site leases, or in leasing additional space or sites, if required.

We own substantially all of our equipment, consisting principally of transmitting antennae, transmitters, studio equipment and general office equipment. The towers, antennae and other transmission equipment used by our stations are generally in good condition, although opportunities to upgrade facilities are periodically reviewed. The tangible personal property owned by us and the real property owned or leased by us are subject to security interests under our senior credit facility.

Urban One is involved from time to time in various routine legal and administrative proceedings and threatened legal and administrative proceedings incidental to the ordinary course of our business. Urban One believes the resolution of such matters will not have a material adverse effect on its business, financial condition or results of operations.

The following information should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes thereto included elsewhere in this report.

Revision of Previously Issued Financial Statements

This Management’s Discussion and Analysis (“MD&A”) has been revised to give effect to the revision of the Company’s consolidated financial statements, as more fully described in Note 2 - Revision of Previously Issued Financial Statements of our consolidated financial statements.

Overview

For the year ended December 31, 2023, consolidated net revenue decreased approximately 1.4% compared to the year ended December 31, 2022. For 2024, our strategy will be to: (i) grow market share; (ii) improve audience share in certain markets and improve revenue conversion of strong and stable audience share in certain other markets; and (iii) grow and diversify our revenue by executing our multimedia strategy.

Results of Operations

Revenue

Within our core radio business, we primarily derive revenue from the sale of advertising time and program sponsorships to local and national advertisers on our radio stations. Advertising revenue is affected primarily by the advertising rates our radio stations are able to charge, as well as the overall demand for radio advertising time in a market. These rates are largely based upon a radio station’s audience share in the demographic groups targeted by advertisers, the number of radio stations in the related market, and the supply of, and demand for, radio advertising time. Advertising rates are generally highest during morning and afternoon commuting hours.

Net revenue consists of gross revenue, net of local and national agency and outside sales representative commissions. Agency and outside sales representative commissions are calculated based on a stated percentage applied to gross billing.

The following chart shows the percentage of consolidated net revenue generated by each reporting segment.

The following chart shows the percentages generated from local and national advertising as a subset of net revenue from our core radio business.

National and local advertising also includes advertising revenue generated from our digital segment. The balance of net revenue from our radio segment was generated from ticket sales and revenue related to our sponsored events, management fees and other revenue.

The following chart shows the sources of our net revenue for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022:

(In thousands)

In the broadcasting industry, radio stations and television stations often utilize trade or barter agreements to reduce cash expenses by exchanging advertising time for goods or services. In order to maximize cash revenue for our spot inventory, we closely manage the use of trade and barter agreements.

Within our digital segment, Interactive One generates the majority of the Company’s digital revenue. Our digital revenue is principally derived from advertising services on non-radio station branded, but Company-owned websites. Advertising services include the sale of banner and sponsorship advertisements. As the Company runs its advertising campaigns, the customer simultaneously receives benefits as impressions are delivered, and revenue is recognized over time. The amount of revenue recognized each month is based on the number of impressions delivered multiplied by the effective per impression unit price and is equal to the net amount receivable from the customer.

Our cable television segment generates the Company’s cable television revenue and derives its revenue principally from advertising and affiliate revenue. Advertising revenue is derived from the sale of television airtime to advertisers and is recognized when the advertisements are run. Our cable television segment also derives revenue from affiliate fees under the terms of various multi-year affiliation agreements generally based on a per subscriber royalty for the right to distribute the Company’s programming under the terms of the distribution contracts.

Reach Media primarily derives its revenue from the sale of advertising in connection with its syndicated radio shows, including the Rickey Smiley Morning Show, and the DL Hughley Show. Reach Media also operates www.BlackAmericaWeb.com (http://www.BlackAmericaWeb.com), an African-American targeted news and entertainment website, in addition to providing various other event-related activities.

Expenses

Our significant expenses are: (i) employee salaries and commissions; (ii) programming expenses; (iii) marketing and promotional expenses; (iv) rental of premises for office facilities and studios; (v) rental of transmission tower space; (vi) music license royalty fees; and (vii) content amortization. We strive to control these expenses by centralizing certain functions such as finance, accounting, legal, human resources and management information systems and, in certain markets, the programming management function. We also use our multiple stations, market presence and purchasing power to negotiate favorable rates with certain vendors and national representative selling agencies. In addition to salaries and commissions, major expenses for our internet business include membership traffic acquisition costs, software product design, post-application software development and maintenance, database and server support costs, the help desk function, data center expenses connected with internet service provider (“ISP”) hosting services and other internet content delivery expenses. Major expenses for our cable television business include content acquisition and amortization, sales and marketing.

We generally incur marketing and promotional expenses to increase and maintain our audiences. However, because Nielsen reports ratings either monthly or quarterly, depending on the particular market, any changed ratings and the effect on advertising revenue tends to lag behind both the reporting of the ratings and the incurrence of advertising and promotional expenditures.

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following table summarizes our historical consolidated results of operations:

Year Ended December 31, 2023 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2022 (In thousands)

Net revenue

During the year ended December 31, 2023, we recognized approximately $477.7 million in net revenue compared to approximately $484.6 million during the year ended December 31, 2022. These amounts are net of agency and outside sales representative commissions. We recognized approximately $156.2 million of revenue from our radio broadcasting segment during the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to approximately $156.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, a decrease of approximately $0.5 million, primarily due to lower political revenue offset by new stations in the Indianapolis and Houston markets. Based on reports prepared by Miller Kaplan, the markets we operate in decreased 5.5% in total revenues. We experienced net revenue reduction in all of our existing radio markets, with the exception of Cleveland and Columbus. We recognized approximately $52.9 million of revenue from our Reach Media segment during the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to approximately $43.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, an increase of approximately $9.8 million. The increase was primarily driven by the addition of the Fantastic Voyage cruise during the second quarter of 2023. We recognized approximately $75.5 million of revenue from our digital segment during the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to $78.5 million during the year ended December 31, 2022, a decrease of approximately $3.0 million. This decrease was primarily driven by a decrease in direct revenue. We recognized approximately $196.2 million of revenue from our cable television segment during the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to $209.9 million during the year ended December 31, 2022, a decrease of approximately $13.7 million. The decrease was primarily driven by a decrease in affiliate fees due to subscriber churn, lower ratings and decreased advertising sales.

Operating expenses

Programming and technical, excluding stock-based compensation

Programming and technical expenses include expenses associated with on-air talent and the management and maintenance of the systems, tower facilities, and studios used in the creation, distribution and broadcast of programming content on our radio stations. Programming and technical expenses for the radio segment also include expenses associated with our programming research activities and music royalties. For our digital segment, programming and technical expenses include software product design, post-application software development and maintenance, database and server support costs, the help desk function, data center expenses connected with ISP hosting services and other internet content delivery expenses. For our cable television segment, programming and technical expenses include expenses associated with technical, programming, production, and content management. Programming and technical expenses were $136.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to $122.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, an increase of approximately $14.3 million. The increase in programming and technical expenses for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to the same period in 2022 was due to higher expenses across most segments. Expenses in our radio broadcasting segment increased approximately $5.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, due primarily to the CMG acquisition (as discussed in Note 4 – Acquisitions and Dispositions of our consolidated financial statements) as well as higher music royalties, payroll, contract labor and rent expense. Expenses in our digital segment decreased approximately $0.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022 due primarily to lower content expenses and video production costs partially offset by higher payroll expenses. Expenses in our Reach Media segment increased approximately $0.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022 due primarily to higher station compensation expenses. Expenses in our cable television segment increased approximately $8.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022 due primarily to higher content amortization expense, payroll, production facility and bad debt expense, partially offset by a decrease in promotional expenses.

Selling, general and administrative, excluding stock-based compensation

Selling, general and administrative expenses include expenses associated with our sales departments, offices and facilities and personnel (outside of our corporate headquarters), marketing and promotional expenses, special events and sponsorships and back-office expenses. Expenses to secure ratings data for our radio stations and visitors’ data for our websites are also included in selling, general and administrative expenses. In addition, selling, general and administrative expenses for the radio broadcasting segment and internet segment include expenses related to the advertising traffic (scheduling and insertion) functions. Selling, general and administrative expenses also include membership traffic acquisition costs for our online business. Selling, general and administrative expenses were approximately $172.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to $160.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, an increase of approximately $12.0 million. Expenses in our radio broadcasting segment increased approximately $7.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to the year ended December 31, 2022 due primarily to higher payroll, research, travel and entertainment and insurance expenses, as well as promotional accounts. Expenses in our digital segment decreased approximately $1.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to the year ended December 31, 2022 due primarily to lower compensation costs. Expenses in our Reach Media segment increased $10.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to the year ended December 31, 2022 primarily due to the Fantastic Voyage cruise and to a lesser extent, higher affiliate station costs. Finally, expenses in our cable television segment decreased approximately $4.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to the year ended December 31, 2022 due primarily to a decrease in promotional, travel and entertainment expenses.

Corporate selling, general and administrative, excluding stock-based compensation

Corporate expenses consist of expenses associated with our corporate headquarters and facilities, including personnel as well as other corporate overhead functions. Corporate selling, general and administrative expenses were approximately $53.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to $49.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, an increase of approximately $3.7 million. This increase was primarily driven by higher third-party consulting and audit expenses, partially offset by lower executive compensation costs.

Stock-based compensation

Stock-based compensation expense was approximately $10.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to $9.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, an increase of approximately $0.1 million. The increase in stock-based compensation for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to year ended December 31, 2022, was primarily due to the timing of grants and vesting of stock awards for certain executive officers and other management personnel.

Depreciation and amortization

Depreciation and amortization expense was approximately $7.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to approximately $10.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, a decrease of approximately $2.9 million. This decrease is due to capitalized assets becoming fully depreciated.

Impairment of goodwill, intangible assets, and long-lived assets

Impairment of goodwill, intangible assets and long-lived assets was approximately $129.3 million during the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to $40.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, an increase of approximately $88.6 million. The impairment loss of $129.3 million in 2023 was entirely associated with the impairment of broadcasting licenses within the radio broadcasting segment. The primary factors leading to the impairments were a decline in projected gross market revenues throughout 2023 and an increase in discount rate during the first three quarters in 2023.

Interest income

Interest income was approximately $7.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to approximately $0.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, an increase of approximately $6.0 million. The increase was primarily due to higher cash and cash equivalents balances during the year ended December 31, 2023.

Interest expense

Interest expense decreased to approximately $56.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to approximately $61.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, a decrease of approximately $5.6 million. The decrease is due to lower overall debt balances outstanding. During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company repurchased approximately $25.0 million of its $825.0 million in aggregate principal amount of senior secured notes due 2028 (“2028 Notes”) at an average price of approximately 89.1% of par.

Gain on retirement of debt

Gain on retirement of debt was approximately $2.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to approximately $6.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, a decrease of approximately $4.4 million. As discussed above, during the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company repurchased approximately $25.0 million of its 2028 Notes at an average price of approximately 89.1% of par, resulting in a net gain on retirement of debt. During the year ended

December 31, 2022, the Company repurchased approximately $75.0 million of its 2028 Notes at an average price of approximately 89.5% of par, resulting in a net gain on retirement of debt of approximately $6.7 million during the year ended December 31, 2022.

Other income, net

Other income, net increased $80.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 from the year ended December 31, 2022. The increase was primarily due to the gain on sale of the Company’s MGM Investment, which was recognized in other income, net, during the year ended December 31, 2023. During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company recognized income related to the MGM investment as well as the Paycheck Protection Program loan program (“PPP”) and related accrued interest that was forgiven in other income, net.

Provision for income taxes

For the year ended December 31, 2023, we recorded a provision for income taxes of approximately $7.9 million on the pre-tax income of $17.6 million resulting with an annual effective tax rate of 45.0%. The difference between the effective rate and the Company’s statutory rate relates primarily to the effect of state taxes, uncertain tax positions, Internal Revenue Code (“IRC”) Section 382 adjustments, and permanent differences associated with non-deductible officer compensation. For the year ended December 31, 2022, we recorded a provision for income taxes of approximately $16.4 million on pre-tax income of $53.1 million resulting with an annual effective tax rate of 30.9%. This rate primarily reflects taxes at statutory tax rates, and the impact of permanent differences associated with non-deductible officer compensation, and non-taxable PPP Loan income forgiveness. In general, permanent book to tax differences have a greater impact on pre-tax income when the income is lower in the given period.

Loss from unconsolidated joint venture

For the year ended December 31, 2023, we recognized approximately $5.1 million loss from unconsolidated joint venture related to the Company’s investment in RVAEH.

Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests

Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests was approximately $2.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to approximately $2.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. The increase was primarily driven by the loss from RVEAH no longer being recorded for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

The presentation of non-GAAP financial measures is not intended to be considered in isolation from, as a substitute for, or superior to the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP. We use non-GAAP financial measures including broadcast and digital operating income and Adjusted EBITDA as additional means to evaluate our business and operating results through period-to-period comparisons. Reconciliations of our non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures are included below for review. Reliance should not be placed on any single financial measure to evaluate our business.

Measurement of Performance

We monitor and evaluate the growth and operational performance of our business using net income and the following key metrics:

(a) Net revenue: The performance of an individual radio station or group of radio stations in a particular market is customarily measured by its ability to generate net revenue. Net revenue consists of gross revenue, net of local and national agency and outside sales representative commissions consistent with industry practice. Net revenue is recognized in the period in which advertisements are broadcast. Net revenue also includes advertising aired in exchange for goods and services, which is recorded at fair value, revenue from sponsored events, and other revenue. Net revenue is recognized for our online business as impressions are delivered. Net revenue is recognized for our cable television business as advertisements are run, and during the term of the affiliation agreements at levels appropriate for the most recent subscriber counts reported by the affiliate, net of launch support.

(b) Broadcast and digital operating income: The radio broadcasting industry commonly refers to “station operating income” which consists of net income (loss) before depreciation and amortization, income taxes, interest expense, interest income, noncontrolling interests in income of subsidiaries, other income, net, loss from unconsolidated joint venture, corporate selling, general and administrative expenses, stock-based compensation, impairment of goodwill, intangible assets, and long-lived assets and (gain) loss on retirement of debt. However, given the diverse nature of our business, station operating income is not truly reflective of our multi-media operation and, therefore, we use the term “broadcast and digital operating income.” Broadcast and digital operating income is not a measure of financial performance under GAAP. Nevertheless, broadcast and digital operating income is a significant measure used by our management to evaluate the operating performance of our core operating segments. Broadcast and digital operating income provides helpful information about our results of operations, apart from expenses associated with our fixed assets and goodwill, intangible assets, and long-lived assets, income taxes, investments, impairment charges, debt financings and retirements, corporate overhead and stock-based compensation. Our measure of broadcast and digital operating income is similar to industry use of station operating income; however, it reflects our more diverse business and therefore is not completely analogous to “station operating income” or other similarly titled measures as used by other companies. Broadcast and digital operating income does not represent operating income or loss, or cash flow from operating activities, as those terms are defined under GAAP, and should not be considered as an alternative to those measurements as an indicator of our performance.

Broadcast and digital operating income decreased to approximately $168.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to approximately $201.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, a decrease of approximately $33.2 million or 16.5%. This decrease was due to lower broadcast and digital operating income at each of our segments. Our radio broadcasting segment generated approximately $34.6 million of broadcast and digital operating income during the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to approximately $47.5 million during the year ended December 31, 2022, a decrease of approximately $12.9 million, primarily due to lower net revenues and higher expenses. Reach Media generated approximately $17.9 million of broadcast and digital operating income during the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to approximately $18.9 million during the year ended December 31, 2022, primarily due to higher expenses offset by higher revenue. Our digital segment generated approximately $20.0 million of broadcast and digital operating income during the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to approximately $21.8 million during the year ended December 31, 2022, primarily due to decrease in net revenues and increased expenses. Finally, our cable television segment generated approximately $95.5 million of broadcast and digital operating income during the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to approximately $113.4 million during the year ended December 31, 2022, with the decrease primarily due to lower net revenues and higher expenses.

(c) Adjusted EBITDA: Adjusted EBITDA consists of net income (loss) plus (1) depreciation and amortization, income taxes, interest expense, net income attributable to noncontrolling interests, impairment of goodwill, intangible assets, and long-lived assets, stock-based compensation, (gain) loss on retirement of debt, employment agreement award and other compensation, corporate development costs, severance-related costs, investment income, loss from unconsolidated joint venture, less (2) other income, net and interest income. Net income before interest income, interest expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization is commonly referred to in our business as “EBITDA.” Adjusted EBITDA and EBITDA are not measures of financial performance under GAAP. We believe Adjusted EBITDA is often a useful measure of a company’s operating performance and is a significant measure used by our management to evaluate the operating performance of our business. Accordingly, based on the previous description of Adjusted EBITDA, we believe that it provides useful information about the operating performance of our business, apart from the expenses associated with our fixed assets and goodwill, intangible assets, and long-lived assets or capital structure. Adjusted EBITDA is frequently used as one of the measures for comparing businesses in the broadcasting industry, although our measure of Adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to similarly titled measures of other companies, including, but not limited to the fact that our definition includes the results of all four of our operating segments (radio broadcasting, Reach Media, digital and cable television). Business activities unrelated to these four segments are included in an “all other” category which the Company refers to as “All other - corporate/eliminations.” Adjusted EBITDA and EBITDA do not purport to represent operating income or cash flow from operating activities, as those terms are defined under GAAP, and should not be considered as alternatives to those measurements as an indicator of our performance.

Summary of Performance

The table below provides a summary of our performance based on the metrics described above:

(In thousands)

The reconciliation of net income to broadcast and digital operating income is as follows:

(In thousands)

The reconciliation of net income to adjusted EBITDA is as follows:

(In thousands)

1Investment income (expense) from MGM National Harbor is included in other income, net.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

From time to time, the Company may repurchase its outstanding debt and/or equity securities in open market purchases. Under open authorizations, repurchases of our outstanding debt and/or equity securities may be made from time to time in the open market or in privately negotiated transactions in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. Repurchased debt and equity securities are retired when repurchased. The timing and extent of any repurchases will depend upon prevailing market conditions, the trading price of the Company’s outstanding debt and/or equity securities and other factors, and subject to restrictions under applicable law.

Our primary source of liquidity is cash provided by operations and, to the extent necessary, borrowings available under our asset-backed credit facility. Our cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash balance is approximately $233.6 million as of December 31, 2023. As of December 31, 2023, there were no borrowings outstanding on the Current ABL Facility (as defined below) which has $50.0 million in overall capacity.

The Company regularly considers the impact of macroeconomic conditions on our business. Uncertainty in the macroeconomic environment with continued increases in inflation and interest rates, along with banking volatility, may have an adverse effect on our revenues.

During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company repurchased 824 shares of Class D common stock in the amount of approximately $3,000 at an average price of $3.99 per share. During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company executed Stock Vest Tax Repurchases of 312,448 shares of Class D Common Stock in the amount of approximately $1.6 million at an average price of $5.21 per share. See Note 12 — Stockholders’ Equity of our consolidated financial statements for further information on our common stock.

On March 8, 2023, ROEH issued a Put Notice with respect to its Put Interest in MGMNH. Upon issuance of the Put Notice, no later than thirty (30) days following receipt, MGMNH was required to repurchase the Put Interest for cash. On April 21 2023, ROEH closed on the sale of the Put Interest and received approximately $136.8 million at the time of settlement of the Put Interest, representing the put price. During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company received $8.8 million representing the Company’s annual distribution from MGMNH with respect to fiscal year 2022.

On January 25, 2021, the Company closed on an offering (the “2028 Notes Offering”) of $825.0 million in aggregate principal amount of the 2028 Notes in a private offering exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). The 2028 Notes are general senior secured obligations of the Company and are guaranteed on a senior secured basis by certain of the Company’s direct and indirect restricted subsidiaries. The 2028 Notes mature on February 1, 2028 and interest on the Notes accrues and is payable semi-annually in arrears on February 1 and August 1 of each year, commencing on August 1, 2021 at the rate of 7.375% per annum.

The 2028 Notes Offering and the guarantees are secured, subject to permitted liens and except for certain excluded assets (i) on a first priority basis by substantially all of the Company’s and the Guarantors’ current and future property and assets (other than accounts receivable, cash, deposit accounts, other bank accounts, securities accounts, inventory and related assets that secure our asset-backed revolving credit facility on a first priority basis (the “ABL Priority Collateral”)), including the capital stock of each guarantor (collectively, the “Notes Priority Collateral”) and (ii) on a second priority basis by the ABL Priority Collateral.

During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company repurchased approximately $25.0 million of its 2028 Notes at an average price of approximately 89.1% of par. The Company recorded a net gain on retirement of debt of approximately $2.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2023.

See Note 10 — Long-Term Debt of our consolidated financial statements for further information on liquidity and capital resources in the footnotes to the consolidated financial statements.

On February 19, 2021, the Company closed on an asset backed credit facility (the “Current ABL Facility”). The Current ABL Facility is governed by a credit agreement by and among the Company, the other borrowers party thereto, the lenders party thereto from time to time and Bank of America, N.A., as administrative agent. The Current ABL Facility provides for up to $50.0 million revolving loan borrowings in order to provide for the working capital needs and general corporate requirements of the Company. The Current ABL Facility also provides for a letter of credit facility up to $5.0 million as a part of the overall $50.0 million in capacity. As of December 31, 2023, there were no borrowings outstanding on the Current ABL Facility.

At the Company’s election, the interest rate on borrowings under the Current ABL Facility are based on either (i) the then applicable margin relative to Base Rate Loans (as defined in the Current ABL Facility) or (ii) until execution of the Waiver and Amendment (as defined below) took effect, the then applicable margin relative to LIBOR Loans (as defined in the Current ABL Facility) corresponding to the average availability of the Company for the most recently completed fiscal quarter.

On April 30, 2023, the Company entered into a waiver and amendment (the “Waiver and Amendment”) to the Current ABL Facility. The Waiver and Amendment waived certain events of default under the Current ABL Facility related to the Company’s failure to timely deliver certain Annual Financial Deliverables for the Fiscal Year ended December 31, 2022. Additionally, under the Waiver and Amendment, the Current ABL Facility was amended to provide that from and after the date thereof, any request for a new LIBOR Loan (as defined in the Current ABL Facility), for a continuation of an existing LIBOR Loan (as defined in the Current ABL Facility) or for a conversion of a Loan to a LIBOR Loan (as defined in the Current ABL Facility) shall be deemed to be a request for a loan bearing interest at Term SOFR (as defined in the Amended Current ABL Facility) (the “SOFR Interest Rate Change”).

Advances under the Current ABL Facility are limited to (a) eighty-five percent (85%) of the amount of Eligible Accounts (as defined in the Current ABL Facility), less the amount, if any, of the Dilution Reserve (as defined in the Current ABL Facility), minus (b) the sum of (i) the Bank Product Reserve (as defined in the Current ABL Facility), plus (ii) the AP and Deferred Revenue Reserve (as defined in the Current ABL Facility), plus (iii) without duplication, the aggregate amount of all other reserves, if any, established by Administrative Agent.

All obligations under the Current ABL Facility are secured by a first priority lien on all (i) deposit accounts (related to accounts receivable), (ii) accounts receivable, and (iii) all other property which constitutes ABL Priority Collateral (as defined in the Current ABL Facility). The obligations are also guaranteed by all material restricted subsidiaries of the Company.

As the Company was undrawn under the Current ABL Facility as of the date of the Waiver and Amendment, the SOFR Interest Rate Change would only bear upon future borrowings by the Company such that they bear an interest rate relating to the secured overnight financing rate. These provisions of the Waiver and Amendment are intended to transition loans under the Current ABL Facility to the new secured overnight financing rate as the benchmark rate.

Between June 5, 2023 and November 9, 2023, the Company entered into four more waiver and amendments related to the Company’s failure to timely deliver both the annual financial deliverables for the Fiscal Year ended December 31, 2022 and quarterly financial deliverables for the quarters ended March 31, 2023, June 30, 2023 and September 30, 2023 as required under the Current ABL Facility, dated as of February 19, 2021. On November 9, 2023, the Company entered into a fifth waiver and amendment (the “Fifth Waiver and Amendment”) to the Current ABL Facility, dated as of February 19, 2021. The Fifth Waiver and Amendment waived certain events of default under the Current ABL Facility related to the Company’s failure to timely deliver the delayed reports. The Fifth Waiver and Amendment set a due date of November 30, 2023 for the quarterly financial deliverables for the quarters ended March 31, 2023 and June 30, 2023 and a due date of December 31, 2023 for the quarterly financial deliverables for the three months ended September 30, 2023. See Note 16 – Subsequent Events of our consolidated financial statements for further background on the Sixth Waiver and Amendment and the Seventh Waiver and Amendment, each executed after the year ended December 31, 2023.

The Current ABL Facility matures on the earlier to occur of (a) the date that is five years from the effective date of the Current ABL Facility, and (b) 91 days prior to the maturity of the Company’s 2028 Notes.

The Current ABL Facility is subject to the terms of the Revolver Intercreditor Agreement (as defined in the Current ABL Facility) by and among the Administrative Agent and Wilmington Trust, National Association.

The following table summarizes the interest rates in effect with respect to our debt as of December 31, 2023:

(In millions)

(1) Subject to variable SOFR or Prime plus a spread that is incorporated into the applicable interest rate.

The following table provides a summary of our statements of cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022:

(In thousands)

Net cash flows provided by operating activities were approximately $64.6 million and $66.5 million for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. Cash flow from operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2023, decreased from the prior year primarily due to a decrease in earnings partially offset by improved working capital requirements, including improved collections of receivables partially offset by timing of payments. Cash flows from operations, cash and cash equivalents, and other sources of liquidity are expected to be available and sufficient to meet foreseeable cash requirements.

Net cash flows provided by investing activities were approximately $95.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 and net cash flows used in investing activities were approximately $28.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. The increase was primarily driven by the sale of the Company’s MGM investment partially offset by the deconsolidation of RVAEH.

Net cash flows used in financing activities were approximately $28.3 million and $94.7 million for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. We repurchased approximately $1.6 million and $26.5 million of our Class D Common Stock during the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. During the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company repurchased approximately $22.3 million and $67.1 million, respectively, of our 2028 Notes. Finally, Reach Media paid approximately $4.4 million and $1.6 million in dividends to noncontrolling interest shareholders during the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

Credit Rating Agencies

On a continuing basis, Standard and Poor’s, Moody’s Investor Services and other rating agencies may evaluate our indebtedness in order to assign a credit rating. Our corporate credit ratings by Standard & Poor’s Rating Services and Moody’s Investors Service are speculative-grade and have been downgraded and upgraded at various times during the last several years. Any reductions in our credit ratings could increase our borrowing costs, reduce the availability of financing to us or increase our cost of doing business or otherwise negatively impact our business operations.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

See Note 3 — Summary of Significant Accounting Policies of our consolidated financial statements for a summary of recent accounting pronouncements.

CRITICAL ACCOUNTING ESTIMATES

Our accounting policies are described in Note 3 – Summary of Significant Accounting Policies of our consolidated financial statements. We prepare our consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP, which require us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the year. Actual results could differ from those estimates. We consider the following policies and estimates to be most critical in understanding the judgments involved in preparing our financial statements and the uncertainties that could affect our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

Goodwill within the Radio Broadcasting Segment and Radio Broadcasting Licenses

Goodwill exists whenever the purchase price exceeds the fair value of tangible and identifiable intangible net assets acquired in business combinations. As of December 31, 2023, we had approximately $375.3 million in broadcasting licenses and $30.0 million in goodwill within the radio broadcasting segment, which totaled $405.3 million and represented approximately 33.4% of our total assets.

We account for goodwill and broadcasting licenses under Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 350, “Intangibles – Goodwill and Other,” (“ASC 350”) which requires the Company to test goodwill at the reporting unit level and radio broadcasting licenses at the unit of accounting level for impairment annually or whenever events or circumstances indicate that impairment may exist.

Our annual impairment assessment is performed as of October 1 of each year using an income approach. We test the reasonableness of the inputs and outcomes of our discounted cash flow models against available market data by comparing our overall average implied multiple based on our cash flow projections and fair values to recently completed sales transactions for goodwill, and by comparing our estimated reporting unit fair values to the market capitalization of the Company. Impairment exists when the carrying value of these assets exceeds its respective fair value. When the carrying value exceeds fair value, an impairment amount is charged to operations for the excess.

We have 13 radio market reporting units within the radio broadcasting segment. Significant impairment charges have been an ongoing trend experienced by media companies in general and are not unique to us.

We believe our estimate of the value of our radio broadcasting licenses and goodwill within the radio broadcasting segment is a critical accounting estimate as the value is significant in relation to our total assets, and our estimate of the value uses judgmental assumptions that incorporate variables based on past experiences and expectations about future operating performance. Fair value determinations require considerable judgment and are sensitive to changes in underlying assumptions and estimates and market factors. The key assumptions associated with determining the estimated fair value for radio broadcasting licenses include market revenue and projected revenue growth by market, mature market share, operating profit margin, terminal growth rate, and discount rate. The key assumptions associated with determining the estimated fair value for goodwill within the radio broadcasting segment include revenue growth rates of each radio market reporting unit, operating profit margins, terminal growth rate, and the discount rate.

While we believe we have made reasonable estimates and assumptions to calculate the fair values, changes in any one estimate, assumption or a combination of estimates and assumptions, or changes in certain events or circumstances (including uncontrollable events and circumstances resulting from continued deterioration in the economy or credit markets) could require us to assess recoverability of broadcasting licenses and goodwill at times other than our annual October 1 assessments, and could result in changes to our estimated fair values and further write-downs to the carrying values of these assets. Impairment charges are non-cash in nature, and as with current and past impairment charges, any future impairment charges will not impact our cash needs or liquidity or our bank ratio covenant compliance.

We had a total goodwill carrying value of approximately $30.0 million across seven of our 13 radio market reporting units within the radio broadcasting segment as of December 31, 2023.

As of October 1, 2023, we performed an annual impairment assessment (quantitative for all reporting units) for goodwill. As of December 31, 2023, we performed an interim impairment assessment (qualitative for six reporting units and quantitative for one reporting unit) for goodwill because of a decline in operating cash flows. Based on the annual and interim impairment assessments performed, no goodwill impairment losses were recognized for the year ended December 31, 2023.

Based on the most recent impairment assessments performed, for the six reporting units where a qualitative assessment was performed, it was not more likely than not the fair value of the reporting units was less than the respective carrying amounts. For the one reporting unit where a quantitative assessment was performed, the fair value exceeded the carrying value by 11.1%. We do not believe we have any reporting units that are at risk of failing the quantitative impairment test.

Below are the key assumptions used in the income approach model for estimating the fair value of the goodwill for the seven radio market reporting units within the radio broadcasting segment in the most recent interim impairment assessment performed as of December 31, 2023 and the annual impairment assessment performed as of October 1, 2023.

(a) The most recent quantitative impairment assessment was performed as of October 1, 2023 for all radio market reporting units, except for reporting unit 16 for which the most recent quantitative impairment assessment was performed as of December 31, 2023.

Our total broadcasting licenses had a total carrying value of approximately $375.3 million as of December 31, 2023. We have concluded the combined broadcasting licenses in each of our 13 radio markets represent a unit of accounting for impairment purposes. As of October 1, 2023 and December 31, 2023, the Company performed an annual impairment assessment and an interim impairment assessment, respectively, for the broadcasting licenses for all 13 radio markets to determine whether they were impaired. To determine the fair value of the broadcasting licenses, the Company utilized the income approach which values a license by calculating the value of a hypothetical startup company that initially has no assets except the asset to be valued (the license). Based on the annual assessment, there was no impairment loss to be recognized for any of the radio markets.

The Company recognized an impairment loss of approximately $124.3 million for broadcasting licenses in eight radio markets during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 based on previous interim impairment assessments. Based on the most recent interim assessment as of December 31, 2023, the Company recognized an impairment loss of approximately $5.0 million for broadcasting licenses in three radio markets during the three months ended December 31, 2023. Excluding the broadcasting licenses in the three radio markets where an impairment loss was recognized during the three months ended December 31, 2023, the fair value of broadcasting licenses in eight radio markets, approximately $204.9 million in aggregate, exceeded its carrying value by less than 10% as of December 31, 2023. The broadcasting licenses in those eight radio markets are considered at risk of failing the quantitative impairment assessment in future quarters if financial performance decreases.

Below are the key assumptions used in the income approach model for estimating the fair value of the broadcasting licenses for all 13 radio markets in the most recent impairment assessment performed for each market.

(in millions)

(a) The units of accounting are not disclosed on a specific market basis so as to not make publicly available sensitive information that could be competitively harmful to the Company.

The following table presents sensitivity analyses for broadcasting licenses and goodwill of reporting units within the radio broadcasting segment showing the impact on our most recent quantitative impairment assessment resulting from: (i) a 100 basis point decrease in industry or reporting unit terminal growth rates; (ii) a 100 basis point decrease in operating profit margins; (iii) a 100 basis point increase in the discount rate; and (iv) both a 5% and 10% reduction in the fair values of broadcasting licenses and reporting units.

(in millions)

(a) Goodwill impairment charge applies only to further goodwill impairment and not to any potential license impairment that could result from changing other assumptions.

See Note 6 – Goodwill, Radio Broadcasting Licenses and Other Intangible Assets, of our consolidated financial statements for further discussion.

Fair Value Measurements

The Company completed the sale of its MGM Investment on April 21, 2023. Please refer to Note 3(q) – Investments of our consolidated financial statements for more details. The investment in MGM National Harbor was preferred stock that had a non-transferable put right and was classified as an available-for-sale debt security. The investment was initially measured at fair value using a dividend discount model. Significant inputs to the dividend discount model include revenue growth rates, discount rate and a terminal growth rate. As of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the investment’s fair value was measured using a contractual valuation approach. This method relied on a contractually agreed upon formula established between the Company and MGM National Harbor as defined in the Second Amended and Restated Operating

Agreement of MGM National Harbor, LLC (“the Agreement”) rather than market-based inputs or traditional valuation methods. As defined in the Agreement, the calculation of the put was based on operating results, Enterprise Value and the Put Price Multiple. The inputs used in this measurement technique were specific to the entity, MGM National Harbor, and there are no current observable prices for investments in private companies that are comparable to MGM National Harbor. The inputs used to measure the fair value of this security are classified as Level 3 within the fair value hierarchy. Throughout the periods from the fourth quarter of 2020 up until the third quarter of 2022, the Company relied on the dividend discount model for valuation purposes based on the facts, circumstances, and information available at the time. During the fourth quarter of 2022, the Company adopted the contractual valuation method described above as it believes it more closely approximates the fair value of the investment at that time.

The Company accounts for an award called for in the CEO’s employment agreement (the “Employment Agreement”) at fair value. According to the Employment Agreement, executed in April 2008, the CEO is eligible to receive an award (the “Employment Agreement Award”) in an amount equal to approximately 4% of any proceeds from distributions or other liquidity events in excess of the return of the Company’s aggregate investment in TV One. The Company’s obligation to pay the award was triggered after the Company recovered the aggregate amount of capital contributions in TV One, and payment is required only upon actual receipt of distributions of cash or marketable securities or proceeds from a liquidity event with respect to such invested amount. The long-term portion of the award is recorded in other long-term liabilities and the current portion is recorded in other current liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets. The CEO was fully vested in the award upon execution of the Employment Agreement, and the award lapses if the CEO voluntarily leaves the Company or is terminated for cause. In April 2024, the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors of the Company approved terms for a new employment agreement with the CEO, which were effective January 2022, including a renewal of the Employment Agreement Award upon similar terms as in the prior Employment Agreement.

The Company estimated the fair value of the Employment Agreement Award as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, at approximately $23.0 million and $25.7 million, respectively, and, accordingly, adjusted the liability to that amount. The fair value estimate incorporated a number of assumptions and estimates, including but not limited to revenue growth rates, future operating profit margins, discount rate, peer companies, EBITDA multiples and weighting of the income and market approach. As the Company will measure changes in the fair value of this award at each reporting period as warranted by certain circumstances, different estimates or assumptions may result in a change to the fair value of the award amount previously recorded.

Redeemable noncontrolling interests are interests in subsidiaries that are redeemable outside of the Company’s control either for cash or other assets. These interests are classified as mezzanine equity and measured at the greater of estimated redemption value at the end of each reporting period or the historical cost basis of the noncontrolling interests adjusted for cumulative earnings allocations. The resulting increases or decreases in the estimated redemption amount are affected by corresponding charges against retained earnings, or in the absence of retained earnings, additional paid-in-capital.

The Company assesses the fair value of the redeemable noncontrolling interests in Reach Media as of the end of each reporting period. The fair value of the redeemable noncontrolling interests as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, was approximately $16.5 million and $25.3 million, respectively. The redeemable noncontrolling interests in Reach Media are measured at fair value using a discounted cash flow methodology as of December 31, 2022. Significant inputs to the discounted cash flow analysis include revenue growth rates, future operating profit margins, discount rate. As of December 31, 2023 the fair value is measured using an exit price methodology. Significant inputs to the exit price analysis include revenue growth rates, future operating profit margins, discount rate and an exit multiple. Different estimates and assumptions may result in a change to the fair value of the redeemable noncontrolling interests amount previously recorded.

Capital and Commercial Commitments

Indebtedness

As of December 31, 2023, we had approximately $725.0 million of our 2028 Notes outstanding within our corporate structure. See Note 10 - Long-Term Debt of our consolidated financial statements. The Company had no other indebtedness.

Lease Obligations

We have non-cancelable operating leases for office space, studio space, broadcast towers and transmitter facilities that expire over the next forty-nine years.

Operating Contracts and Agreements

We have other operating contracts and agreements including employment contracts, on-air talent contracts, severance obligations, retention bonuses, consulting agreements, equipment rental agreements, programming related agreements, and other general operating agreements that expire over the next five years.

Royalty Agreements

Musical works rights holders, generally songwriters and music publishers, have been traditionally represented by performing rights organizations, such as the ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. The market for rights relating to musical works is changing rapidly. Songwriters and music publishers have withdrawn from the traditional performing rights organizations, particularly ASCAP and BMI, and new entities, such as GMR, have been formed to represent rights holders. These organizations negotiate fees with copyright users, collect royalties and distribute them to the rights holders. These licenses periodically come up for renewal, and as a result certain of our PRO licenses are currently the subject of renewal negotiations. The outcome of these renewal negotiations could impact, and potentially increase, our music license fees. In addition, there is no guarantee that additional PROs will not emerge, which could impact, and in some circumstances increase, our royalty rates and negotiation costs.

The Radio Music Licensing Committee (the “RMLC”), of which we are a represented participant: has negotiated and entered into, on behalf of participating members, an Interim License Agreement with the ASCAP effective January 1, 2022 and to remain in effect until the date on which the parties reach agreement as to, or there is court determination of, new interim or final fees, terms, and conditions of a new license for the five year period commencing on January 1, 2022 and concluding on December 31, 2026. On February 7, 2022, the RMLC and GMR reached a settlement and achieved certain conditions which effectuate a four-year license to which the Company is a party for the period April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2026. The license includes an optional three-year extended term that the Company may effectuate prior to the end of the initial term. The RMLC is negotiating with BMI and SESAC.

Reach Media Redeemable Noncontrolling Interests

Beginning on January 1, 2018, the noncontrolling interest shareholders of Reach Media have had an annual right to require Reach Media to purchase all or a portion of their shares at the then current fair market value for such shares (the “Put Right”). This annual right is exercisable for a 30-day period beginning January 1 of each year. The purchase price for such shares may be paid in cash and/or registered Class D common stock of Urban One, at the discretion of Urban One. The noncontrolling interest shareholders of Reach Media exercised 50% of their Put Right on January 29, 2024. Management, at this time, cannot reasonably determine the period when and if the remaining portion of the Put Right will be exercised by the noncontrolling interest shareholders.

Contractual Obligations Schedule

The following table represents our scheduled contractual obligations as of December 31, 2023:

(In thousands)

(1) Includes interest obligations based on effective interest rates on senior secured notes outstanding as of December 31, 2023.

(2) Includes employment contracts (including the Employment Agreement Award), severance obligations, on-air talent contracts, consulting agreements, equipment rental agreements, programming related agreements, launch liability payments, asset-backed credit facility (if applicable) and other general operating agreements. Also includes contracts that our cable television segment has entered into to acquire entertainment programming rights and programs from distributors and producers. These contracts relate to their content assets as well as prepaid programming related agreements.

Of the total amount of other operating contracts and agreements included in the table above, approximately $106.0 million has not been recorded on the balance sheet as of December 31, 2023, as it does not meet recognition criteria. Approximately $33.5 million relates to certain commitments for content agreements for our cable television segment, approximately $29.2 million relates to employment agreements, and the remainder relates to other agreements.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

The Company currently is under a letter of credit reimbursement and security agreement with capacity of up to $1.2 million which expires on October 8, 2024. As of December 31, 2023, the Company had letters of credit totaling approximately $0.8 million under the agreement for certain operating leases and certain insurance policies. Letters of credit issued under the agreement are required to be collateralized with cash. In addition, the Current ABL Facility provides for letter of credit capacity of up to $5.0 million subject to certain limitations on availability.

(a) Evaluation of disclosure controls and procedures

We have carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of our CEO and the Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”), of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the period covered by this report. Disclosure controls and procedures, as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act, are controls and procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed or submitted under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms.

In designing and evaluating the disclosure controls and procedures, our management recognized that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can only provide reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objectives and management necessarily was required to apply its judgment in evaluating the cost-benefit relationship of possible controls and procedures. Our disclosure controls and procedures are designed to provide a reasonable level of assurance of reaching our desired disclosure controls objectives. Based on this evaluation, our CEO and CFO concluded that the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures were not effective as of December 31, 2023 as a result of material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting as described below.

(b) Management’s report on internal control over financial reporting

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as defined in Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f). Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our CEO and CFO, we conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting based on criteria established in Internal Control – Integrated Framework (2013) published by the COSO.

We identified certain control deficiencies in the design and implementation of our internal control over financial reporting that constituted material weaknesses. A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting such that there is reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our consolidated annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. Specifically, we did not design and or implement an effective control environment or control activities as further detailed below:

• Control Environment, Risk Assessment, Information and Communication, and Monitoring – We did not have appropriately designed entity-level controls impacting the (1) control environment, (2) risk assessment procedures, (3) identification of control activities and (4) monitoring activities to prevent or detect material

misstatements to the financial statements and assess whether the components of internal control were present and functioning. We did not adequately communicate the relevant information, including objectives and responsibilities, necessary to support the functioning of internal controls over financial reporting. We did not develop and perform sufficient ongoing evaluations to ascertain whether the components of internal control were present and functioning. These deficiencies were attributed to an insufficient number of qualified resources with the requisite knowledge to effectively perform control design and execution activities and oversee internal control over financial reporting, and with an appropriate level of GAAP knowledge and experience that is commensurate with the Company’s financial reporting requirements.

• IT General Control Activities – The Company has not sufficiently designed and maintained information technology general controls in the areas of user access, program change management and IT Operations for certain information technology systems that support the Company’s financial reporting and other processes. Specifically, the Company did not maintain (1) user access controls that adequately restrict privileged and end-user access to certain financial applications, system infrastructure, programs, and data to appropriate company personnel, including consideration of segregation of incompatible duties; (2) change management controls for certain financial applications and related system infrastructure to provide reasonable assurance that IT program and data changes are authorized, sufficiently tested, approved, and implemented appropriately; and (3) IT operations controls for certain financial applications to monitor that scheduled financial programs have run and were completed without errors.
• Control Activities and Information and Communication - Management has determined that the Company did not have adequate selection and development of effective control activities resulting in the following material weaknesses:
• Management did not have properly designed internal controls over its financial statement close process. This includes an inadequate level of precision in management’s review during the financial statement close process, an inadequate evaluation and review of the accounting for significant and non-recurring transactions, ineffective design and operating effectiveness of controls to support proper segregation of duties related to the review of manual journal entries and an inadequate review as part of its reporting and disclosure process.
• Management did not have properly designed management review controls over matters that require significant judgment. Specifically, controls are not designed to sufficiently evaluate the completeness and accuracy of data used in account analyses related to judgmental areas. Additionally, the Company’s management review controls are not operating effectively, as sufficient evidence was not maintained to demonstrate that reviews occurred with a sufficient level of precision to detect a material misstatement.
• Management did not have appropriately designed internal controls related to the approval of IT equipment purchases and the related recognition of this equipment as a fixed asset. Specifically, the Company did not have effective internal controls in place to ensure IT equipment was being purchased for a valid business purpose. Additionally, the Company did not have properly designed internal controls to support the existence of its IT assets.

Considering the material weaknesses in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting, we performed additional procedures to ensure that our consolidated financial statements included in this Form 10-K were prepared in accordance with GAAP. Following such additional procedures, our management, including our CEO and CFO, has concluded that our consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, our financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the periods presented in this Annual Report, in conformity with GAAP.

The Company’s independent registered public accounting firm has issued an attestation report on our internal control over financial reporting, which is included in Part IV, Item 15 of this Form 10-K under the caption “Reports of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm.”

Remediation of the Material Weaknesses in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

In response to the material weaknesses identified, management designed a remediation plan which was approved by the Audit Committee and Board of Directors. As of June 7,2024, management has made progress to remediate the control deficiencies contributing to the material weaknesses, as described below:

• We provided training to new and existing personnel on proper execution of designed control procedures;
• As part of our ongoing effort to expand our accounting department, we hired a Corporate Controller and a Senior VP – Finance/Chief Accounting Officer and engaged external resources to augment our accounting team. We developed a preliminary hiring plan which has been approved by the Audit Committee and continued to assess our personnel needs, expertise and requirements and will hire personnel as needed.
• We engaged external resources with the appropriate depth of expertise to establish a robust financial controls governance structure, conduct a financial risk assessment, establish internal materiality thresholds, and identify key business processes.
• We conducted process and control walkthroughs of all key processes to identify risk points and established corresponding controls to address identified design gaps.
• We have initiated the process to document, implement and redesign controls, policies, and procedures with an appropriate level of precision to detect a material misstatement, and to retain sufficient documentation to support the operating effectiveness of the controls. The control enhancement procedures are focused on:
• Increasing the precision and specificity of our control activities, addressing completeness and accuracy of the information used in performing management review controls, as well as documenting sufficient evidence of management’s review supporting its conclusions; and
• Modifying our journal entry operating procedures to establish a formal hierarchy of review of journal entries to enforce proper segregation of duties in advance of implementing a new general ledger system.
• Assessing roles and permissions across relevant financial systems and restricting access based on job responsibilities.
• Redesigning information technology general controls across relevant systems related to user access and change management.
• We will also seek to improve the process of assessing the effectiveness of the control environment by;
• Implementing a Governance Risk and Compliance (“GRC”) tool to manage the control assessment annually; and
• Designing and implementing an ongoing controls evaluation strategy to be executed by an independent party

Management is committed to the remediation of the material weaknesses described above, as well as the continued improvement of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. The actions that we are taking are subject to ongoing senior management review, as well as oversight of the audit committee of our board of directors. We may also conclude that additional measures may be required to remediate the material weaknesses. We will not be able to conclude that we have remediated a material weakness until the applicable controls operate for a sufficient period of time and management has concluded, through formal testing, that these controls are operating effectively. We will continue to monitor the design and effectiveness of these and other processes, procedures and controls and make any further changes management deems appropriate.

(c) Changes in internal control over financial reporting

During the fourth quarter of 2023, we hired a Senior VP – Finance/Chief Accounting Officer and engaged additional external resources to augment our accounting team. We conducted process and control walkthroughs of key processes to identify risk points and established corresponding controls to address identified design gaps. We modified our journal entry operating procedures to establish a formal hierarchy of review of journal entries and assessed roles and permissions across relevant financial systems and restricting access based on job responsibilities. We also redesigned information technology general controls across relevant systems related to user access and change management. Except for these matters, there were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting during the three months ended December 31, 2023 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.