The New York Times Company (NYSE: NYT) today will discuss its business,
strategy and management’s outlook during the UBS 38th Annual Global
Media and Communications Conference.
“Our results reflect the steady progress we have made this year,” said
Janet L. Robinson, president and chief executive officer. “The
improvement in print advertising trends and solid growth in digital
advertising reaffirms that advertisers are committed to reaching our
sizeable and highly desirable audience across multiple platforms. We
have remained vigilant in managing our expenses and re-engineering our
cost base, and as a result we expect our full year 2010 operating profit
excluding depreciation, amortization, severance and special items to
show significant improvement over 2009.”
The Company expects fourth-quarter print advertising revenues to improve
from third-quarter levels, with a decline of approximately 4 percent
year-over-year, although it has limited visibility into December.
Digital advertising revenues continue to post healthy gains and are
expected to be up approximately 10 percent in the fourth quarter of
2010. Circulation revenues are expected to decrease 4 to 5 percent in
the fourth quarter.
The Company projects fourth-quarter operating costs to decrease 2 to 3
percent, and operating costs excluding depreciation, amortization and
severance to be comparable to the same period in 2009. These costs
reflect significantly higher newsprint prices and costs associated with
the launch of the NYTimes.com pay model. The expected decrease in
operating costs on a GAAP basis for the fourth quarter of 2010 is due in
large part to approximately $25 million in severance costs in the fourth
quarter of 2009.
As previously stated, the Company expects higher year-over-year
newsprint prices in the fourth quarter to negatively affect operating
expenses by approximately $13 million, excluding a favorable impact on
operating expenses of lower consumption.
In addition, the following are the Company’s expectations on a pre-tax
basis for the fourth quarter of 2010:
-
Depreciation and amortization: approximately $30 million.
-
Capital expenditures: $20 to $25 million.
-
Interest expense, net: approximately $23 million.
-
Income from joint ventures: approximately breakeven.
Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters
discussed in this press release are forward-looking statements that
involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to
differ materially from those predicted by such forward-looking
statements. These risks and uncertainties include national and local
conditions, as well as competition, that could influence the levels
(rate and volume) of retail, national and classified advertising and
circulation generated by our various markets, material increases in
newsprint prices and the development of our digital businesses. They
also include other
risks detailed from time to time in the Company’s publicly filed
documents, including the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the
year ended December 27, 2009. The Company undertakes no obligation to
publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a
result of new information, future events or otherwise.
The New York Times Company, a leading media company with 2009 revenues
of $2.4 billion, includes The New York Times, the International Herald
Tribune, The Boston Globe, 15 other daily newspapers and more than 50
Web sites, including NYTimes.com, Boston.com and About.com. The
Company’s core purpose is to enhance society by creating, collecting and
distributing high-quality news, information and entertainment.
This press release can be downloaded from www.nytco.com
