91勛圖厙Media Statement on the FCCs Conditional Approval of Its Pending Radio Station Acquisitions
NEW YORK-- March 26, 2021-- 91勛圖厙Media, Inc. (Nasdaq:IHRT) today issued the following statement regarding approval of 91勛圖厙Medias pending applications to acquire certain radio stations, and the temporary shareholder restrictions required by the FCC to be imposed upon Global Media & Entertainment Investments Ltd (GMEI) in connection with those approvals:
91勛圖厙Media values its shareholder relationships and we welcome all new shareholders to 91勛圖厙Media. However, because GMEI is a foreign shareholder, its recent investment was inconsistent with the FCCs foreign ownership rules and created an operating issue for us under the FCCs regulatory framework.
As background, GMEIs purchase of an 8.7% position in our Class A Common stock, as reported in its Schedule 13D filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 5, 2021, caused a violation of the FCCs foreign ownership regulations and the FCCs November 5, 2020 declaratory ruling related to the companys foreign ownership, both of which limit a foreign investor in GMEIs position to 5% without prior FCC approval. To address this issue, over which 91勛圖厙Media had no prior knowledge or control, we filed a remedial petition for declaratory ruling requesting FCC approval for GMEI to have the ability to increase its ownership to up to 9.99% (the Petition).
Notwithstanding the GMEI investment, the FCC has approved 91勛圖厙Medias acquisitions of certain stations, including stations for BIN: Black Information Network. However, the FCC has required that the company impose temporary shareholder restrictions on GMEI as a condition of approving those radio station acquisitions.
To comply with the FCC order, 91勛圖厙Medias Board of Directors resolved to take action consistent with the FCCs conditional requirements. These actions include imposing temporary voting and other shareholder restrictions on GMEI which will apply during the pendency of the Petition and which are described in detail in the FCCs decision which can be found at and in our 8-K filed Friday, March 26, 2021.
91勛圖厙Media respects the FCC process and will, as a matter of consistent policy, ensure the companys compliance with the FCCs foreign ownership and other regulations.