Item 1.01 Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement.
Acquisition of Raycom Media, Inc.
On January 2, 2019 (the “Closing Date”), Gray Television, Inc. (“Gray”, “we” or the “Company”), through its direct wholly owned subsidiary, East Future Group, Inc. (“Merger Sub”), completed its previously announced acquisition of Raycom Media, Inc. (“Raycom”). Pursuant to the Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”) with Raycom, Merger Sub merged with and into Raycom, with Raycom surviving the merger as a direct wholly owned subsidiary of Gray (the “Raycom Merger”).
As consideration for the Raycom Merger, the Company (i) issued 11,500,000 shares of the Company’s common stock, no par value per share (the “Common Stock”), (ii) paid $2.85 billion in cash and (iii) issued 650,000 shares of a new series of perpetual preferred stock of the Company with a stated face value of $1,000 per share (the “New Preferred Stock”). In addition, the Company also completed a series of previously announced divestitures on January 2, 2019 to facilitate regulatory approvals for the Raycom Merger.
In connection with the Raycom Merger, the Company entered into a Registration Rights Agreement (the “Registration Rights Agreement”) with certain Raycom stockholders party thereto, dated as of June 23, 2018. The Registration Rights Agreement provides that the Company will, not later than 4 business days after the closing of the Raycom Merger, file a registration statement covering resales of the shares of Common Stock issued in connection with the Raycom Merger. Subject to certain exceptions, the Company will bear all expenses in connection with the registration of such Common Stock.
The foregoing description of the Registration Rights Agreement does not purport to be complete and is subject to, and qualified in its entirety by, the full text of the Registration Rights Agreement, a copy of which is attached hereto as Exhibit 10.1 and incorporated herein by reference.
Release of Escrow Proceeds and Supplemental Indentures
In connection with the Raycom Merger, on November 16, 2018, Gray Escrow, Inc. (the “Escrow Issuer”), a special purpose wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, entered into an indenture (the “2027 Notes Indenture”) by and among the Escrow Issuer, the Company and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee (the “Trustee”), relating to the issuance by the Escrow Issuer of $750,000,000 aggregate principal amount of 7.000% Senior Notes due 2027 (the “2027 Notes”). Upon issuance of the 2027 Notes, the gross proceeds therefrom were deposited (the “Escrowed Funds”), in a segregated escrow account with Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as escrow agent. Upon the consummation of the Raycom Merger, the Escrowed Funds were released, and the Company used such funds, together with available cash on hand, proceeds from a $1.4 billion term loan under its New Credit Facility (as discussed below) and the issuance of Common Stock and New Preferred Stock to finance the Raycom Merger, including the payment of related fees and expenses.
In addition, upon the consummation of the Raycom Merger, the Escrow Issuer merged with and into the Company and the Company assumed the Escrow Issuer’s obligations under the 2027 Notes and the 2027 Notes Indenture, and certain of the Company’s subsidiaries, including certain acquired Raycom subsidiaries (the “Acquired Subsidiaries”), guaranteed such obligations on a senior unsecured basis pursuant to a Supplemental Indenture to the 2027 Notes Indenture, dated January 2, 2019, entered into among the Company, the guaranteeing subsidiaries and the Trustee (the “2027 Notes Supplemental Indenture”).
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