Cumulus Media Inc. today announced operating results for the three months and year ended December 31, 2019. For the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company reported net revenue of $1,113.4 million, a decrease of 2.4% from the year ended December 31, 2018, net income of $61.3 million and Adjusted EBITDA of $213.0 million, a decrease of 9.1% from the year ended December 31, 2018. For the three months ended December 31, 2019, the Company reported net revenue of $285.5 million, a decrease of 7.7% from the three months ended December 31, 2018, net income of $1.6 million and Adjusted EBITDA of $50.7 million, a decrease of 22.8% from the three months ended December 31, 2018.
For the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company reported same station net revenue, excluding the impact of political, of $1,103.2 million, an increase of 1.4% from the year ended December 31, 2018, and same station Adjusted EBITDA, excluding the impact of political, of $206.8 million, an increase of 0.5% from the year ended December 31, 2018. For the three months ended December 31, 2019, the Company reported same station net revenue, excluding the impact of political, of $282.4 million, a decrease of 1.7% from the three months ended December 31, 2018, and same station Adjusted EBITDA, excluding the impact of political, of $47.9 million, a decrease of 8.0% from the three months ended December 31, 2018.
2019 Highlights
• Same Station Revenue Growth for Second Consecutive Year, Driven by Industry-Leading Digital Growth of Nearly 60%
• Same Station Adjusted EBITDA Growth for Third Consecutive Year, Excluding Political
• Completion of Significantly Accretive M&A and Swap Transactions that Generated $146.5 Million in Gross Proceeds and Created Market-Leading Clusters
• $220 Million of Debt Paydown, Reducing Net Leverage to 4.7x
• Over $275 Million of Debt Paydown Since Emergence from Chapter 11 Equating to Approximately $13.75 per Share
• Full Recapitalization of Balance Sheet that Lowered Interest Costs and Extended Maturities
Mary G. Berner, President and Chief Executive Officer of Cumulus Media, said, “I am very proud of the Company’s 2019 results. On a same station basis, our team has now delivered the second year in a row of revenue growth and, excluding the impact of political, the third year in a row of Adjusted EBITDA growth. This performance was driven in large part by the industry-leading growth of our digital businesses and active cost management across our platforms. Additionally, we made strong progress against our financial goals during the year, paying down $220 million of debt with cash from operations and highly accretive divestitures, reducing net leverage to 4.7x. This year’s results reflect the success of our consistent focus on key strategies to create value for our investors.”
Berner continued, “Despite a choppy environment and an expected political headwind, fourth quarter revenue finished in-line with the pacing we shared during our last earnings call, and, with some slight favorability on expenses, we delivered Adjusted EBITDA that was somewhat better than we had indicated. As we move into the new year, we are further expanding our delivery of compelling audio experiences and digital offerings that connect and support our advertisers and listeners. And, we are optimistic about 2020 and our continuing ability to drive strong operating and financial performance while aggressively reducing net leverage to below 4.0x.”
