Company Description
Saga Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq: SGA) is a media company focused on acquiring, developing, and operating broadcast properties with a core emphasis on radio. According to its public disclosures, Saga’s business provides radio, digital, e‑commerce, local on-line news, and other non-traditional revenue initiatives. The company operates in 28 markets and provides services to national, regional, and local advertisers seeking to address their advertising needs through these media channels.
Saga is incorporated in Florida and identified in SEC filings as Saga Communications, Inc., with its Class A Common Stock trading on the Nasdaq under the symbol SGA. The company describes itself as being devoted to broadcast properties and related opportunities that are complementary to its core radio business. This includes digital offerings, e‑commerce activities, and local online news services that extend the reach of its broadcast operations.
Across its markets, Saga owns or operates broadcast properties that include FM and AM radio stations and metro signals. In certain disclosures, the company notes ownership or operation of 82 FM and 31 AM radio stations and 79 metro signals in 28 markets. These assets form the foundation of Saga’s media presence and are used to deliver programming and advertising for a variety of advertisers.
Business focus and operations
Saga’s stated business focus is on broadcast properties and related media initiatives. The company describes its activities as being devoted to acquiring, developing, and operating broadcast properties, while also pursuing opportunities that complement its radio operations. These complementary activities include digital media, e‑commerce, local on-line news services, and non-traditional revenue initiatives that relate to or support the company’s core radio business.
According to its press releases, Saga provides services to national, regional, and local advertisers. The company positions its radio, digital, and related media offerings as ways for advertisers to address their advertising requirements across the markets where Saga operates. In prior descriptions, Saga has also indicated that it seeks to operate top billing radio stations in mid-sized markets, and that a majority of its revenue is derived from the sale of advertising for broadcast on its stations.
Capital allocation and shareholder returns
Saga’s public announcements highlight an ongoing focus on capital allocation and shareholder distributions. The company’s Board of Directors has declared regular quarterly cash dividends on its Class A Common Stock, and Saga states that it intends to declare regular quarterly cash dividends in the future, subject to Board discretion and factors such as financial results and cash requirements. The company also notes that it has paid significant cumulative dividends to shareholders since its first special dividend in 2012.
In addition to dividends, Saga has used stock buybacks as part of its capital allocation approach. In one disclosed transaction, the company repurchased 184,215 shares of its common stock in a privately negotiated transaction, with the repurchased shares returned to treasury and no longer outstanding. Saga has also indicated that it may use proceeds from the sale of non-core assets, such as certain tower sites or other assets, to fund stock buybacks, including open market repurchases, block trades, or other forms of buybacks, subject to Board discretion.
Asset portfolio and tower transactions
Saga’s broadcast operations are supported by a portfolio of assets that includes telecommunications towers and related real property. In an asset transaction disclosed in an SEC filing, the company and certain subsidiaries entered into an asset purchase agreement to sell 24 telecommunications towers and related real property and other assets located at 22 sites for a total purchase price of approximately $10.7 million. The company reported that the sale closed for the 22 tower sites, with a portion of the proceeds paid to Saga and the remainder placed in escrow pending landlord consents for certain leases.
Simultaneously with that sale, each relevant subsidiary entered into Antenna Site Lease Agreements with the buyer for continued use of the towers. Under these leases, the subsidiaries agreed to lease the towers for 25-year terms with annual lease payments of $1.00 per annum. Saga has described this type of transaction as part of its efforts to optimize its portfolio of assets while continuing to operate its businesses efficiently and effectively.
Corporate governance and bylaws
Saga has also reported changes to its corporate governance framework. In an SEC filing, the company disclosed that its Board of Directors adopted Amended and Restated Bylaws. These bylaws, among other things, enhance procedural mechanics and disclosure requirements for shareholder nominations of directors and proposals for other business at shareholder meetings (excluding proposals submitted under Rule 14a‑8), establish timeliness requirements for such nominations and proposals, and specify additional disclosure obligations regarding relationships and potential conflicts of interest.
The amended bylaws also address matters such as the powers of the Board and the chair of shareholder meetings, procedures for fixing record dates for meetings and for shareholders entitled to call special meetings, and requirements for director candidates to complete questionnaires, be available for interviews, and make certain representations. These governance updates are part of the company’s formal framework for shareholder engagement and board nominations.
Financial reporting and non-GAAP measures
Saga regularly reports its financial results through quarterly earnings releases and related SEC filings. In these communications, the company presents results such as net operating revenue, station operating expense, operating income or loss, and net income or loss. Saga also discloses capital expenditures and provides selected balance sheet data, including working capital, net fixed assets, net intangible assets and other assets, total assets, long-term debt, and stockholders’ equity.
The company supplements its GAAP results with non-GAAP financial measures that it states are commonly used in the broadcasting industry. These include station operating income, same station financial information, pro forma financial information, trailing twelve-month consolidated EBITDA, and leverage ratio. Saga explains that these measures are used to assess financial performance, evaluate individual station and market-level performance, evaluate overall operations, and serve as a primary measure for incentive-based compensation and as an indicator of financial position. The company provides reconciliations of these non-GAAP measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures in its supplemental financial data tables.
Investor relations and market communications
Saga communicates with investors through earnings releases, conference calls, and investor conference presentations. The company announces the timing of its quarterly results and associated conference calls, provides dial-in information and conference entry codes, and often posts recordings and transcripts of calls on its website. Saga also participates in investor conferences, including events hosted by Noble Capital Markets, where its management presents and engages in question-and-answer sessions.
In its press releases and SEC filings, Saga often includes forward-looking statements identified by terms such as “will,” “may,” “believes,” “intends,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “guidance,” and similar expressions. The company notes that these statements involve risks and uncertainties, and it directs readers to the risk factors described in its periodic reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, particularly Item 1A of its Annual Report on Form 10‑K.
Regulatory status and incorporation
According to multiple Form 8‑K filings, Saga Communications, Inc. is incorporated in Florida and files reports with the SEC under Commission File Number 1‑11588 and IRS Employer Identification No. 38‑3042953. The filings show that the company continues to file current reports on Form 8‑K for material events, including dividend declarations, financial results, bylaw amendments, asset sales, and stock repurchases.
How Saga generates revenue
Based on the company’s own descriptions and prior summaries, Saga’s revenue is primarily tied to its broadcast and media operations. The company has stated that it is engaged in acquiring, developing, and operating broadcast properties, and that it operates radio stations in multiple markets. In earlier descriptions, Saga indicated that it aims to operate top billing radio stations in mid-sized markets and that a majority of its revenue is derived from the sale of advertising for broadcast on its stations. In more recent communications, Saga emphasizes that it provides radio, digital, e‑commerce, local on-line news, and non-traditional revenue initiatives to advertisers across national, regional, and local levels.
Summary
Overall, Saga Communications, Inc. is a Florida-incorporated media company whose Class A Common Stock trades on Nasdaq under the symbol SGA. The company is devoted to broadcast properties and related media initiatives, operating FM and AM radio stations and metro signals in 28 markets. It serves national, regional, and local advertisers through radio, digital, e‑commerce, local on-line news, and non-traditional revenue initiatives, while also engaging in capital allocation activities such as dividends, stock buybacks, and asset sales. Saga supplements its GAAP financial reporting with non-GAAP measures commonly used in the broadcasting industry and maintains a formal corporate governance framework through its bylaws and board-level actions.