Business News

American Media Operations, Inc. Reports Results for First Quarter of Fiscal Year 2009

2008-08-14 15:57:00

- Revenue Decreases Slightly to $119 Million, Offset by Decline in Expenses

                                     -



    NEW YORK, Aug. 14 /EMWNews/ -- American Media, Inc. (AMI), the

leading publisher of celebrity journalism and health and fitness magazines

in the U.S., said that its subsidiary American Media Operations, Inc.

(AMOI) today reported its financial results for the first quarter ended

June 30, 2008.



    Revenue



    Revenue for the first quarter of fiscal year 2009 was $119 million,

compared to $121 million in the first quarter of fiscal year 2008,

representing a 2% decrease. The decrease in revenue in the first quarter of

fiscal year 2009 primarily reflected the general market weakness for

advertising spending due to the current U.S. economic slowdown, which led

to a decline in the Company's total advertising revenue.



    Operating Income



    Operating income for the first quarter of fiscal year 2009 was $26

million, or $744,000 lower than the prior year's first quarter. The slight

decrease in operating income in the first quarter ended June 30, 2008 was

primarily due to the above-mentioned decrease in revenue, partially offset

by cost reductions generated by the Company as it implemented its

management action plans.



    Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization

("EBITDA") and Bank EBITDA



    EBITDA for the first quarter of fiscal year 2009 was $32 million,

compared to $34 million in the first quarter of fiscal year 2008,

representing a 6% decrease. Bank EBITDA for the first quarter of fiscal

year 2009 was $33 million, as compared to $36 million in the first quarter

of fiscal year 2008, representing an 8% decrease. The decrease in EBITDA

and Bank EBITDA resulted from the reasons mentioned above.



    For a reconciliation of EBITDA and Bank EBITDA to Net Income (Loss),

please refer to the table below.



    Cash



    At June 30, 2008, the Company had cash and cash equivalents of $20

million, as well as $26 million outstanding on its revolving credit

facility.



    Comments By Senior Management



    AMOI Chairman and Chief Executive Officer David Pecker said,

"Publishers Information Bureau (PIB) shows that industry advertising pages

were down 8.7% for the period January 1 through July 31, 2008. AMOI's

advertising pages were down only 3.2%, which was the smallest decline of

any publisher with more than 3,000 advertising pages."



    "In addition, the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) reported that

industry sales at the newsstand declined 6.3% in the first six months of

calendar 2008, as compared to the same period last year. Despite this,

AMOI's circulation revenue increased by 2% in our fiscal 2009 first

quarter," continued Mr. Pecker. "When our total results are considered in

light of what is occurring in the industry, our Company's unique balance

between advertising and circulation revenue stands out as one of its

greatest strengths."



    AMOI Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Dean Durbin

said, "We will continue to operate our business in a disciplined fashion in

fiscal 2009, targeting the opportunities outlined in our management action

plan, and project $21 million of cost savings related to SG&A, staff and

production, as well as revenue enhancements of $5 million."



    About American Media, Inc.



    American Media, Inc. is the leading publisher of celebrity journalism

and health and fitness magazines in the U.S. These include Star, Shape,

Men's Fitness, Fit Pregnancy, Natural Health, and National Enquirer. In

addition to print properties, AMI owns Distribution Services, Inc., the

country's #1 in-store magazine merchandising company.



    This press release contains "forward-looking statements," within the

meaning of the federal securities laws that involve risks and

uncertainties. All statements herein that address activities, events or

developments that the Company expects or anticipates will or may occur in

the future, including the Company's estimates of financial performance and

such things as business strategy, measures to implement strategy,

competitive strengths, goals, references to future success and other

events, are generally forward-looking statements.



    The Company's actual results may differ materially from its estimates.

Whether actual results, events and developments will conform to the

Company's expectations is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties

and important factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company.

Among the risks and uncertainties which could cause the Company's actual

results to differ from those contemplated by its forward-looking statements

are the risk that the Company may not be able to refinance its debt; the

Company may not be able to successfully develop its magazine operations so

that they continue to generate sufficient cash flow to enable the Company

to meet its obligations under its senior credit facility and bond

indentures, including the financial covenants under its senior credit

facility; the Company's ability to comply with covenant requirements in its

agreements with its lenders and in its indentures; the Company's ability to

implement and maintain an effective system of internal controls over

financial reporting; actions of rating agencies; industry and general

economic conditions; the Company's ability to realize its expected benefits

from cost savings and revenue enhancement initiatives; and the risks and

uncertainties contained in the Company's periodic reports filed with the

Securities and Exchange Commission. Consequently, all forward-looking

statements made herein are qualified by these cautionary statements and

there can be no assurance that the results, events or developments

referenced herein will occur or be realized.




Contact: Todd Fogarty Kekst and Company 212-521-4854 Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures to GAAP Financial Measures The following table reconciles the differences between net income (loss) as determined under GAAP, EBITDA, and Bank EBITDA.
AMERICAN MEDIA OPERATIONS, INC. Three Months Ended June 30, June 30, 2007 2008 (Dollars in Millions) Net (loss) income $(0.1) $0.4 Add: Interest expense 24.7 23.5 Benefit for income taxes (0.5) (0.3) Depreciation and amortization 3.3 2.7 Amortization of deferred debt costs 2.7 2.7 Amortization of deferred rack costs 3.5 3.0 EBITDA $33.6 $32.0 Add: Investment in launches and re- launches 0.1 (0.5) Restructuring costs and severance 0.2 0.3 Professional fees 2.0 0.5 Management fees 0.5 0.5 Other - 0.6 Bank EBITDA $36.4 $33.4 Note: EBITDA represents the sum of net income or loss, interest expense, income taxes, depreciation of property and equipment, amortization of intangible assets, deferred debt costs and deferred rack costs, senior subordinated notes issued and provision for impairment of intangible assets and goodwill. Bank EBITDA is used in calculating covenant compliance under the Company's credit agreement. Bank EBITDA is defined as EBITDA excluding certain allowable charges. EBITDA and Bank EBITDA are not measures of financial performance in accordance with GAAP. You should not consider them as alternatives to net loss as a measure of operating performance. Our calculation of EBITDA and Bank EBITDA may be different from the calculations used by other companies and therefore comparability may be limited. We present EBITDA to provide additional information regarding our performance and because it is a measure by which we gauge our profitability. In addition, information concerning Bank EBITDA is being presented because it reflects important components included in the financial covenants of the Company's credit agreement. Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (in thousands) ASSETS March 31, 2008 June 30, 2008 CURRENT ASSETS: Cash and cash equivalents $64,166 $19,576 Trade receivables, net 57,074 53,647 Inventories 28,629 29,744 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 14,229 15,041 Total current assets 164,098 118,008 NON-CURRENT ASSETS: Property and equipment, net 5,097 4,992 Deferred debt costs, net 14,050 11,304 Deferred rack costs, net 7,749 9,064 Other long-term assets 2,750 2,700 Goodwill 359,663 359,663 Other identified intangibles, net 387,752 385,875 TOTAL ASSETS $941,159 $891,606 LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDER'S DEFICIT CURRENT LIABILITIES: Term loan $12,629 $4,500 Senior subordinated notes, net - 413,393 Accounts payable 42,511 40,022 Accrued expenses and other liabilities 65,210 66,913 Accrued interest 24,247 16,540 Deferred revenues 41,666 43,656 Total current liabilities 186,263 585,024 NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES: Term loan and revolving credit facility 497,371 462,246 Senior subordinated notes, net 567,681 154,662 Deferred income taxes 88,926 88,359 Total liabilities 1,340,241 1,290,291 STOCKHOLDER'S DEFICIT: Total stockholder's deficit (399,082) (398,685) TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDER'S DEFICIT $941,159 $891,606 Consolidated Statements of Income (Loss) (in thousands) Fiscal Quarters Ended June 30, June 30, 2007 2008 OPERATING REVENUES: Circulation $66,357 $67,709 Advertising 46,503 42,245 Other 8,272 8,868 Total operating revenues 121,132 118,822 OPERATING EXPENSES: Editorial 12,639 12,697 Production 35,346 33,271 Distribution, circulation and other cost of sales 20,638 20,970 Selling, general and administrative 22,929 23,620 Depreciation and amortization 3,284 2,712 Total operating expenses 94,836 93,270 OPERATING INCOME 26,296 25,552 OTHER INCOME (EXPENSE): Interest expense (24,691) (23,493) Amortization of deferred debt costs (2,686) (2,746) Other income, net 634 306 Total other expense (26,743) (25,933) LOSS BEFORE BENEFIT FOR INCOME TAXES AND (LOSS) INCOME FROM DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS (447) (381) BENEFIT FOR INCOME TAXES (508) (269) INCOME (LOSS) FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS 61 (112) (LOSS) INCOME FROM DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS, NET OF INCOME TAXES (184) 500 NET (LOSS) INCOME $(123) $388 Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (in thousands) Fiscal Quarters Ended June 30, 2007 June 30, 2008 Cash Flows from Operating Activities: Net cash used in operating activities $(20,791) $(690) Cash Flows from Investing Activities: Purchases of property and equipment (468) (730) Proceeds from sale of assets 385 5 Proceeds from sale of discontinued operations - 500 Investment in Mr. Olympia, LLC (300) (300) Net cash used in investing activities (383) (525) Cash Flows from Financing Activities: Term loan and revolving credit facility principal repayments - (43,254) Payment of deferred debt costs (942) (128) Net cash used in financing activities (942) (43,382) Effect of exchange rate changes on cash (4) 7 Net Decrease in Cash and Cash Equivalents (22,120) (44,590) Cash and Cash Equivalents, Beginning of Period 60,414 64,166 Cash and Cash Equivalents, End of Period $38,294 $19,576

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