Beasley Media Reports 2Q Operating Loss

Beasley Broadcast Group today announced operating results for the three-month period ended June 30, 2023. For further information, the Company has posted a presentation to its website regarding the second quarter highlights and accomplishments which management will review on today’s conference call.

Despite a 4.3% year-over-year decline in operating expenses and flat corporate expenses compared to the second quarter of 2022, Beasley reported a 2023 second quarter operating loss of $4.5 million in the second quarter of 2023 compared to an operating loss of $4.5 million in the second quarter of 2022.  The second quarter of 2023 operating loss largely reflects the impact of $10.0 million of non-cash impairment losses compared to $8.6 million of non-cash impairment losses in the second quarter of 2022.

Beasley reported a net loss of $10.4 million, or $0.35 per diluted share, in the three months ended June 30, 2023, compared to a net loss of $14.5 million, or $0.49 per diluted share, in the three months ended June 30, 2022. The net loss in both period primarily reflects the aforementioned impairment charges and other items discussed above.

Adjusted EBITDA (a non-GAAP financial measure) increased 16.8% to $7.7 million in the second quarter of 2023 compared to Adjusted EBITDA of $6.6 million in the second quarter of 2022. The increase is primarily attributable to lower operating expenses as a percentage of net revenue compared to the prior-year period.

Caroline Beasley

Commenting on the financial results, Caroline Beasley, Chief Executive Officer, said, “Despite ongoing challenges related to the economy and softness in the national spot market, Beasley’s successful digital transformation, continued local audio leadership and revenue diversification initiatives, combined with our proactive initiatives to reduce expenses, resulted in net loss declining by more than $4.0 million in both the quarter and year-to-date periods, compared to the same periods in 2022, as well as quarterly adjusted EBITDA growth of 16.8%  and 2023 year-to-date Adjusted EBITDA growth of 28.1%.

“During the quarter, we made additional progress with reducing leverage and strengthening our balance sheet as we repurchased another $3 million of our debt at a discount and lowered quarterly interest expense which support our goal to drive cash flow growth.  We are generating cash from operations, and we expect to continue to generate positive cash flow for the full year.

“Our digital strategy delivered second quarter digital revenue growth of 14.8% year-over-year, and accounted for 19.4% of total second quarter revenue. Our digital revenue is primarily derived from our owned and operated assets, with our proprietary content creation driving the largest increase with the best margins and third-party products that come with a higher cost. Our talented sales teams have been able to combine our over-the-air and digital platform offerings to create marketing campaigns and brand solutions that provide great results for our clients. Our continued strong digital revenue growth has moved us to within a few basis points of reaching the bottom end of our goal of digital revenue accounting for 20% to 30% of total revenue and we remain laser focused on this initiative as a means to diversify and complement revenue in a cash flow positive manner. 

“In summary, the experience of our team and strong competitive positions in our markets combined with the meaningful actions we have taken to reduce costs and improve operating efficiencies were again evident in the strength of our second quarter results. Looking ahead, we are closely monitoring local and national economies and believe that our current operating structure will result in positive cash flow for the balance of the year and for the full year 2023.”