Company Description
Gray Media, Inc. (NYSE: GTN) is a multimedia company in the television broadcasting and digital media industry. According to company disclosures, Gray Media is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia and is described as the nation’s largest owner of top-rated local television stations and digital assets. Its stations serve 113 television markets that collectively reach approximately 37 percent of U.S. television households. Within those markets, Gray reports that its portfolio includes 78 markets with the top-rated television station and 99 markets with the first and/or second highest rated television station during 2024. Gray Media also states that it operates the largest Telemundo Affiliate group, with 44 markets.
Gray Media’s core business centers on owning and operating local television stations and related digital assets. These stations carry a variety of network affiliations, including NBC and other major networks. For example, Gray has announced a multi-year deal that extends and renews station affiliation agreements for all 54 markets in which it owns and operates NBC-affiliated television stations, covering more than 14 million households. Through these local stations, Gray provides local news, sports, and entertainment programming to audiences across numerous U.S. markets.
Beyond its broadcast stations, Gray Media owns Gray Digital Media, which it describes as a full-service digital agency. Gray Digital Media offers national and local clients digital marketing strategies using digital products and services that the company characterizes as advanced. This digital agency complements Gray’s broadcast footprint by working with advertisers and organizations that seek to reach audiences through digital channels in addition to traditional television.
Gray Media also highlights a group of additional media properties focused on video production and studio operations. These include Raycom Sports, Tupelo Media Group, and PowerNation Studios, which the company identifies as video production companies. In addition, Gray owns studio production facilities known as Assembly Atlanta and Third Rail Studios. These properties support content creation, sports and entertainment production, and studio-based projects that align with Gray’s broader media operations.
The company’s television broadcasting activities include local news operations and sports programming. For example, Gray has announced agreements to broadcast Ohio Valley Conference basketball across multiple markets and to simulcast Memphis Grizzlies NBA games free over-the-air across several Tennessee and regional markets. These arrangements illustrate how Gray uses its station group and regional sports and entertainment networks to distribute live sports content to local audiences.
Gray Media’s capital structure and financing activities are detailed in its SEC filings. The company has issued various series of senior secured notes, including 7.250% Senior Secured First Lien Notes due 2033 and 9.625% Senior Secured Second Lien Notes due 2032, as described in its Form 8-K reports. These filings explain that the proceeds from such notes have been used to repay portions of term loans, redeem portions of other notes, pay offering-related fees and expenses, and for general corporate purposes. The indentures governing these notes include covenants that limit additional indebtedness, certain payments, affiliate transactions, asset sales, and other corporate actions, subject to specified exceptions.
Gray Media has also reported that its Board of Directors has authorized quarterly cash dividends on its common stock and Class A common stock, as disclosed in Form 8-K filings. The company periodically issues press releases and investor presentation materials, which are referenced in its Regulation FD disclosures, to provide information to current and prospective investors about its operations, financial results, and capital allocation decisions.
According to its public communications, Gray Media continues to engage in selective acquisitions of highly rated stations that share the culture and values of its existing television stations. An example is its agreement to acquire WBBJ 7, an ABC affiliate in Jackson, Tennessee, which has long been described as the most-watched local news television station in its market. Gray has stated that it anticipates funding this acquisition with cash on hand and that it views such transactions as part of a strategy to enhance shareholder value.
Gray Media’s role as a large owner of local television stations and digital assets positions it as a significant participant in local broadcasting and regional content production. Its combination of broadcast stations, digital marketing agency operations, sports and entertainment production companies, and studio facilities reflects a multimedia business focused on local markets, audience reach, and content creation across television and digital platforms.
Business Segments and Operations
From the information provided, Gray Media’s operations can be grouped into several categories:
- Local Television Stations: Ownership and operation of top-rated local television stations in 113 U.S. markets, including stations with NBC and other network affiliations.
- Digital Assets and Marketing: Operation of Gray Digital Media, which provides digital marketing strategies and digital products and services to national and local clients.
- Video Production Companies: Ownership of Raycom Sports, Tupelo Media Group, and PowerNation Studios, which are described as video production companies.
- Studio Production Facilities: Ownership of Assembly Atlanta and Third Rail Studios, which serve as studio production facilities for media projects.
- Sports and Entertainment Distribution: Regional networks and station groups that broadcast sports content such as Ohio Valley Conference basketball and Memphis Grizzlies games free over-the-air in selected markets.
Regulatory and Financial Reporting
Gray Media is incorporated in Georgia and files reports with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission under Commission File Number 001-13796. Its Form 8-K filings describe material events, including entry into material definitive agreements, creation of direct financial obligations, note offerings, redemptions of existing notes, dividend declarations, and the release of financial results. These filings also reference indentures and supplemental indentures that govern the terms of its notes, including maturity dates, interest payment schedules, redemption provisions, covenants, and events of default.
The company’s use of senior secured first lien and second lien notes, along with revolving credit facilities and term loans referenced in its filings, provides insight into how it finances its operations and manages its capital structure. Investors can review these filings to understand the priority of different debt instruments, collateral arrangements, and limitations on corporate actions that arise from the covenants in the indentures.
Stock Information
Gray Media, Inc. trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol GTN. The company has disclosed that it pays quarterly cash dividends on its common stock and Class A common stock, subject to authorization by its Board of Directors. Information about earnings results, dividends, and financing transactions is provided through press releases and SEC filings, including Form 8-K reports.