SACRAMENTO, Calif., July 13, 2006 - The McClatchy Company (NYSE-MNI) today reported second quarter 2006 earnings of $44.1 million, or 94 cents per share, compared to earnings of $44.2 million, or 94 cents per share, in the second quarter of 2005.
The company implemented Financial Accounting Standard No. 123 (revised 2004), "Share-Based Payments" (FAS 123R), at the beginning of fiscal 2006. As a result, its second quarter 2006 earnings include $1.8 million of stock-related expense, or two cents per share. Excluding the impact of stock-related compensation, earnings in the second quarter were 96 cents per share.
Revenues in the second quarter of 2006 were $304.2 million, up 0.5% from 2005 second quarter revenues of $302.8 million, with 2006 advertising revenues of $258.9 million, up 1.3%, and circulation revenues of $39.3 million, down 4.4%.
Earnings for the first half of 2006 were $71.9 million or $1.53 per share compared to 2005 earnings of $76.5 million or $1.63 per share. Excluding the impact of stock-related compensation, earnings in the first half of 2006 were $1.58 per share. Revenues in the first half of 2006 were $586.2 million, up 0.4% from 2005 revenues of $583.7 million, with 2006 advertising revenues of $496.0 million, up 1.3%, and circulation revenues of $78.8 million, down 4.4%.
Commenting on second quarter results, Gary Pruitt, chairman and chief executive officer, said, "The advertising environment was much like the first quarter, although we were pleased to see a rebound in retail advertising revenues. Retail and direct marketing advertising were up in the quarter, but national advertising fell. Within classified, real estate was strong despite difficult comparisons, while employment and automotive advertising declined, the latter reflecting the continuing industry-wide trend. Employment advertising slowed in our largest markets, reflecting, in part, tougher comparisons to last year when this category was in recovery."
The company completed the acquisition of Knight-Ridder, Inc. on June 27, 2006, the second day of McClatchy's fiscal third quarter. Hence, Knight Ridder's results are not included in the company's second quarter or first half 2006 operating results. Mr. Pruitt said, "The completion of this acquisition was a landmark for McClatchy and the newspaper industry. Combining our journalism and proven newspaper operations with 20 quality newspapers in high-growth markets positions McClatchy as a leader in the news and information business. We look forward to doing more of what we do best: serving communities from Anchorage to Miami with independent, public-interest journalism in an age when the appetite for reliable information is greater than ever.
"As we look to the third quarter of 2006, we see overall advertising results similar to the first half for both our existing newspapers and the 20 newspapers joining us from Knight Ridder - with some differences in the various advertising categories. We are encouraged by the rebound in retail advertising. While our comparisons get a little easier in the area of automotive advertising, they are tougher in the real estate category where we have had a strong run of advertising growth, and employment shows some signs of weakening. Finally, we expect continued strong growth in online and direct marketing advertising. Looking at the fourth quarter, we see some improvement in advertising revenue as comparisons to 2005 ease."
Regarding McClatchy's acquisition of Knight Ridder, at closing on June 27, 2006, the company issued .5118 Class A shares of McClatchy stock for each Knight Ridder share, or about 35.0 million shares. The company also paid $40.00 in cash per share for each Knight Ridder share. Based on McClatchy's closing stock price on June 27th of $39.03, and including the assumption of $2.0 billion in debt, the total value of the consideration paid was $6.1 billion. Included in this value is all of Knight Ridder's equity investments, which consists of: