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UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

Form 10-K

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For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023

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For the transition period from                   to

Commission File No. 0-25969

URBAN ONE, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

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1010 Wayne Avenue,

14th Floor

Silver Spring, Maryland 20910

(Address of principal executive offices)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code

(301) 429-3200

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

None

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.  Yes  ☐  No  ☒

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act.  Yes  ☐  No  ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.  Yes  ☒  No  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).  Yes  ☒  No  ☐

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of the registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. Yes  ☐  No  ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large accelerated filer  ☐          Accelerated filer  ☒          Non-accelerated filer  ☐

Smaller reporting company  ☒          Emerging growth company  ☐

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. Yes  ☒  No  ☐

If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements.  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. Yes  ☐  No ☒ 

The number of shares outstanding of each of the issuer’s classes of common stock is as follows:

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The aggregate market value of common stock held by non-affiliates of the Registrant, based upon the closing price of the Registrant’s Class A and Class D common stock on June 30, 2023, was approximately $130.0 million.

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URBAN ONE, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

Form 10-K

For the Year Ended December 31, 2023

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CERTAIN DEFINITIONS

Unless otherwise noted, throughout this report, the terms “Urban One,” “the Company,” “we,” “our,” and “us” refer to Urban One, Inc. together with all of its subsidiaries.

We use the terms “local marketing agreement” (“LMA”) or time brokerage agreement (“TBA”) in various places in this report. An LMA or a TBA is an agreement under which a Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) licensee of a radio station makes available, for a fee, airtime on its station to another party. The other party provides programming to be broadcast during the airtime and collects revenues from advertising it sells for broadcast during that programming. In addition to entering into LMAs or TBAs, we will, from time to time, enter into management or consulting agreements that provide us with the ability, as contractually specified, to assist current owners in the management of radio station assets that we have contracted to purchase, subject to FCC approval. In such arrangements, we generally receive a contractually specified management fee or consulting fee in exchange for the services provided.

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 accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”). Nevertheless, broadcast and digital operating income is a significant basis 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 and long-lived intangible 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 our historic use of station operating income; however, it reflects our more diverse business, and therefore, may not be similar 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.

Unless otherwise indicated:

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Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Our disclosure and analysis in this annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 (“Form 10-K”) concerning our operations, cash flows and financial position, contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements do not relay historical facts, but rather reflect our current expectations concerning future operations, results and events. All statements other than statements of historical fact are “forward-looking statements” including any projections of earnings, revenues or other financial items; any statements of the plans, strategies and objectives of management for future operations; any statements concerning proposed new activities, services or developments; any statements regarding future economic conditions or performance; any statements of belief; and any statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. You can identify some of these forward-looking statements by our use of words such as “anticipates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “seeks,” “likely,” “may,” “estimates” and similar expressions. You can also identify a forward-looking statement in that such statements discuss matters in a way that anticipates operations, results or events that have not already occurred but rather will or may occur in future periods. We cannot guarantee that we will achieve any forward-looking plans, intentions, results, operations or expectations. Because these statements apply to future events, they are subject to risks and uncertainties, some of which are beyond our control that could cause actual results to differ materially from those forecasted or anticipated in the forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties and factors include (in no particular order), but are not limited to:

•public health crises, epidemics and pandemics such as COVID-19 and other future pandemics and their impact on our business and the businesses of our advertisers, including disruptions and inefficiencies in the supply chain;

•lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic (particularly in our largest markets, Atlanta; Baltimore; Charlotte; Dallas; Houston; Indianapolis; and Washington, DC), including changes in social and business dynamics and the impact of any future outbreaks or variants and reduced government stimulus, the impact on our employees, and the extent of the impact of the changes in social and business dynamics on overall demand for advertising across our various media;

•recession, economic volatility, financial market unpredictability and fluctuations in the United States and other world economies that may affect our business and financial condition, and the business and financial conditions of our advertisers;

•our degree of leverage, certain cash commitments related thereto, and potential inability to finance strategic transactions given fluctuations in market conditions;

•fluctuations in the local economies of the markets in which we operate (particularly our largest markets, Atlanta; Baltimore; Charlotte; Dallas; Houston; Indianapolis; and Washington, DC) or fluctuations within individual business sectors experiencing a downturn even in the absence of a broader recession could negatively impact our ability to meet our cash needs;

•increased costs due to inflation or any changes in music royalty fees;

•risks associated with the implementation and execution of our business diversification strategy, including our strategic actions with respect to expansion into gaming;

•risks associated with our investments or potential investment in gaming businesses;

•regulation by the FCC relative to maintaining our broadcasting licenses, enacting media ownership rules and enforcing of indecency rules;

•changes in our key personnel and on-air talent;

•increases in competition for and in the costs of our programming and content, including on-air talent and content production or acquisitions availability/costs;

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•financial losses that may be incurred due to impairment charges against our broadcasting licenses, goodwill, and other intangible assets;

•increased competition for advertising revenues with other radio stations, broadcast and cable television, newspapers and magazines, outdoor advertising, direct mail, internet radio, satellite radio, smart phones, tablets, and other wireless media, the internet, social media, and other forms of advertising;

•the impact of our acquisitions, dispositions and similar transactions, as well as consolidation in industries in which we and our advertisers operate;

•developments and/or changes in laws and regulations, such as the California Consumer Privacy Act or other similar federal or state regulation through legislative action and revised rules and standards;

•disruptions to our technology network including computer systems and software, whether by man-made or other disruptions of our operating systems, structures or equipment, including as we further develop alternative work arrangements, as well as natural events such as pandemic, severe weather, fires, floods and earthquakes;

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

•failure to meet the continued listing standards of NASDAQ Stock Market (“NASDAQ”), which could cause our common stock to be delisted, and which could have a material adverse effect on the liquidity and market price of our common stock and expose the Company to litigation; and

•other factors mentioned in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) including the factors discussed in detail in Item 1A, “Risk Factors,” contained in this report.

You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which reflect our views based only on information currently available to us as of the date of this report. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements because of new information, future events or otherwise.

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PART I

ITEM 1. BUSINESS

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.

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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.

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