Business News
American Media Operations, Inc. Reports Results for First Quarter of Fiscal Year 2009
Friday 15. August 2008 - Revenue Decreases Slightly to $119 Million, Offset by Decline in Expenses
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.”