Urban One, Inc. has reported its results for the quarter ended March 31, 2018. Net revenue was approximately $99.6 million, a decrease of 1.6% from the same period in 2017. Broadcast and digital operating income1 was approximately $32.5 million, a decrease of 7.0% from the same period in 2017. The Company reported operating income of approximately $7.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018, compared to $16.5 million for the same period in 2017. Net loss was approximately $22.6 million or $0.48 per share (basic) compared to net loss of approximately $2.3 million or $0.05 per share (basic) for the same period in 2017. Adjusted EBITDA2 was approximately $28.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018, compared to $27.7 million for the same period in 2017, an increase of 2.7%.
Alfred C. Liggins, III, Urban One’s CEO and President stated, “I was pleased that we were able to grow our Adjusted EBITDA, despite some softness in the radio markets and ratings challenges at TV One. According to Miller Kaplan, our radio clusters outperformed their markets by 190 Bps. TV One ratings for primetime in the P25-54 demographic were down 9% vs Q1 2017, and sequentially flat vs. Q4 2017. Digital revenues continue to perform well, driven by our 2017 acquisition of the Bossip and Madame Noire brands and websites. Our cash generation for the quarter was strong; we added approximately $6.3 million of cash to the balance sheet while repurchasing $11.0 million of our 9.25% 2020 Notes, which re-affirms our commitment to reducing the Company’s leverage. Finally, we recently entered into a binding agreement to sell WPZR in Detroit for $12.7 million, which represents a high double-digit seller’s multiple and will further help to reduce our net leverage. Pro-forma for the asset sale, our net leverage ratio at March 31, 2018 was approximately 6.68x.”
