UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C.  20549

 

 

Form 8-K

 

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the

Securities Exchange Act of 1934

 

 

Date of Report (Date of earliest

event reported) September 20, 2012

 

SINCLAIR BROADCAST GROUP, INC.

(Exact name of registrant)

 

 

10706 Beaver Dam Road

Hunt Valley, MD  21030

(Address of principal executive offices and zip code)

 

(410) 568-1500

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

 

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

 

o    Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

 

o    Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

 

o    Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

 

o    Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

 

 

 

SINCLAIR BROADCAST GROUP, INC.

 

Item 1.01. Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement.

 

On September 20, 2012, Sinclair Television Group, Inc. (“STG”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. (the “Company”), entered into an amendment (the “Amendment”) of its fourth amended and restated credit agreement (as amended, the “Bank Credit Agreement”) with JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as administrative agent (the “Administrative Agent”), the guarantors party thereto (the “Guarantors”) and the lenders party thereto.

 

Pursuant to the Amendment, STG increased its incremental term loan capacity from $300.0 million to $500.0 million. Also under the Amendment, the level of permitted unsecured indebtedness increased from $450.0 million to $850.0 million, subject to certain limitations, and increased our ratio of our First Lien Indebtedness from 3.25 times EBITDA to 3.75 times EBITDA through December 31, 2014 with a decrease to 3.50 times EBITDA through maturity of the agreement. Other amended terms provided us with increased television station acquisition capacity, more flexibility under the other restrictive covenants and prepayments of the existing term loans. There were no changes pertaining to interest rates or maturities of the indebtedness under the Bank Credit Agreement.

 

The Bank Credit Agreement continues to contain certain (i) restrictive covenants, including, but not limited to, restrictions on indebtedness, liens, payments, investments, mergers, consolidations, liquidations and dissolutions, acquisitions, sales and other dispositions of assets, loans and advances and affiliate transactions and (ii) financial maintenance covenants, including an interest coverage ratio, a first lien secured indebtedness ratio and a total indebtedness ratio.  The Bank Credit Agreement also continues to include affirmative covenants, representations and warranties and events of default, including certain cross-default and cross-acceleration provisions, customary for an agreement of its type.

 

STG’s obligations under the Bank Credit Agreement remain (i) jointly and severally guaranteed by the Guarantors, which include the Company and certain subsidiaries of the Company and (ii) secured by a first-priority lien on substantially all of the tangible and intangible assets (whether now owned or hereafter arising or acquired) of STG and the subsidiaries of STG and the Company that are Guarantors and, with respect to the Company, the capital stock of certain of its directly owned subsidiaries.

 

The foregoing summary does not purport to be a complete statement of the terms under the Amendment or the Bank Credit Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, and such summary is qualified in its entirety by reference to the Amendment of the Bank Credit Agreement, a copy of which is attached as an exhibit to this filing.

 

2

 

Item 2.03.  Creation of a Direct Financial Obligation or an Obligation under an Off-Balance Sheet Arrangement of a Registrant.

 

The disclosure required by this Item 2.03 is included in Item 1.01 above and is incorporated herein by reference.

 

Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.

 

(d) Exhibits

 

10.1                           Fourth Amendment to the Fourth Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of September 20, 2012, by and among Sinclair Television Group, Inc., the guarantors party thereto, JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A., as administrative agent, and the lenders party thereto.

 

3

 

SIGNATURE

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

 

 

Dated: September 26, 2012

 

4