Summary of SAGA COMMUNICATIONS INC

Item 2. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results
of Operations
Results of Operations
The following discussion should be read in conjunction with the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and notes thereto of Saga Communications, Inc. and its subsidiaries contained elsewhere herein and the audited financial statements and Management Discussion and Analysis contained in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007. The following discussion is presented on both a consolidated and segment basis. Corporate general and administrative expenses, interest expense, other (income) expense, and income tax expense are managed on a consolidated basis and are therefore, reflected only in our discussion of consolidated results.
Our discussion of the results of operations of our operating segments focuses on their operating income because we manage our operating segments primarily on their operating income. We evaluate the operating performance of our markets individually. For purposes of business segment reporting, we have aligned operations with similar characteristics into two business segments: Radio and Television. The Radio segment includes twenty-three markets, which includes all ninety-one of our radio stations and five radio information networks. The Television segment includes three markets and consists of five television stations and four LPTV stations.
General
We are a broadcast company primarily engaged in acquiring, developing and operating radio and television stations. We actively seek and explore opportunities for expansion through the acquisition of additional broadcast properties. We review acquisition opportunities on an ongoing basis.
For additional information with respect to acquisitions, see "Liquidity and Capital Resources" below.
Radio Segment
Our radio segment's primary source of revenue is from the sale of advertising for broadcast on our stations. Depending on the format of a particular radio station, there are a predetermined number of advertisements available to be broadcast each hour.
Most advertising contracts are short-term, and generally run only for a few weeks. The majority of our revenue is generated from local advertising, which is sold primarily by each radio markets' sales staff. For the nine months ended September 30, 2008 and 2007, approximately 86% of our radio segment's gross revenue was from local advertising. To generate national advertising sales, we engage an independent advertising sales representative firm that specializes in national sales for each of our broadcast markets.
Our revenue varies throughout the year. Advertising expenditures, our primary source of revenue, generally have been lowest during the winter months, which include the first quarter of each year.
Our net operating revenue, station operating expense and operating income varies from market to market based upon the market's rank or size which is based upon population and the available radio advertising revenue in that particular market.
Our financial results are dependent on a number of factors, the most significant of which is our ability to generate advertising revenue through rates charged to advertisers. The rates a station is able to charge are, in large part, based on a station's ability to attract audiences in the demographic groups targeted by its advertisers. In a number of our markets this is measured by periodic reports generated by independent national rating services. In the remainder of our markets it is measured by the results advertisers obtain through the actual running of an advertising schedule. Advertisers measure these results based on increased demand for their goods or services and/or actual revenues generated from such demand. Various factors affect the rate a station can charge, including the general strength of the local and national economies, population growth, ability to provide popular programming, local market competition, target marketing capability of radio compared to other advertising media and signal strength. Because reaching a large and demographically attractive audience is crucial to a station's financial success, we endeavor to develop strong listener loyalty.

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When we acquire and/or begin to operate a station or group of stations we generally increase programming and advertising and promotion expenses to increase our share of our target demographic audience. Our strategy sometimes requires levels of spending commensurate with the revenue levels we plan on achieving in two to five years. During periods of economic downturns, or when the level of advertising spending is flat or down across the industry, this strategy may result in the appearance that our cost of operations are increasing at a faster rate than our growth in revenues, until such time as we achieve our targeted levels of revenue for the acquired station or group of stations.
The number of advertisements that can be broadcast without jeopardizing listening levels (and the resulting ratings) is limited in part by the format of a particular radio station. Our stations strive to maximize revenue by constantly managing the number of commercials available for sale and adjusting prices based upon local market conditions and ratings. While there may be shifts from time to time in the number of advertisements broadcast during a particular time of the day, the total number of advertisements broadcast on a particular station generally does not vary significantly from year to year. Any change in our revenue, with the exception of those instances where stations are acquired or sold, is generally the result of inventory sell out ratios and pricing adjustments, which are made to ensure that the station efficiently utilizes available inventory.
Our radio stations employ a variety of programming formats. We periodically perform market research, including music evaluations, focus groups and strategic vulnerability studies. Our stations also employ audience promotions to further develop and secure a loyal following. We believe that the diversification of formats on our radio stations helps to insulate us from the effects of changes in musical tastes of the public on any particular format.
The primary operating expenses involved in owning and operating radio stations are employee salaries including commissions, depreciation, programming expenses, and advertising and promotion expenses.
Similar to the fluctuations in the current general economic climate, radio revenue growth has been declining or stagnant over the last several years primarily in major markets that are dependent on national advertising. We believe that this decline in major market radio advertising revenue is the result of a lack of pricing discipline by radio operators and new technologies and media (such as the Internet, satellite radio, and MP3 players). These new technologies and media are gaining advertising share against radio and other traditional media. Conversely, radio revenue in the small to mid markets had been trending upward in recent months, however revenue for the fourth quarter 2008 and first quarter 2009 is currently trending significantly down due to the significant slowdown in the general economy.
We have begun several initiatives to offset the declines. We are continuing to expand our interactive initiative to provide a seamless audio experience across numerous platforms to connect with our listeners where and when they want, and are adding online components including streaming our stations over the Internet and on-demand options. We are seeing development potential in this area and believe that revenues from our interactive initiatives will continue to increase.
We also continue the rollout of HD Radio™. HD Radio utilizes digital technology that provides improved sound quality over standard analog broadcasts and also allows for the delivery of additional channels of diversified programming or data streams in each radio market. It is unclear what impact HD Radio will have on the industry and our revenue as the availability of HD receivers, particularly in automobiles, is not widely available.
During the nine months ended September 30, 2008 and 2007 and the years ended December 31, 2007 and 2006, our Columbus, Ohio; Manchester, New Hampshire; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and Norfolk, Virginia markets, when combined, represented approximately 61%, 62%, 60% and 64%, respectively, of our consolidated operating income. An adverse change in any of these radio markets or our relative market position in those markets could have a significant impact on our operating results as a whole.
A significant decline in the total available radio advertising dollars in the Columbus, Ohio (11%) and Norfolk, Virginia (20%) markets has resulted in a significant decline in our net operating revenue for the nine months ended September 30, 2008 as compared to the corresponding period of 2007. This decline in net operating revenue has directly affected the operating income of our radio stations in these markets. Additionally, we have experienced historical ratings softness in these markets which has also affected revenue. While we have seen recent increases in ratings, and revenue in the Columbus market for the quarter ended September 30, 2008 was up 9% over the quarter ended September 30, 2007, primarily due to an increase in political revenue, we do not expect any significant improvements in revenue in the Columbus and Norfolk markets in the foreseeable future.

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The following tables describe the percentage of our consolidated operating income represented by each of these markets: