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Competitive Impact Statement

Date
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Competitive Impact Statement
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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Department of Justice, Antitrust Division   
325 7th Street, N.W., Suite 300
Washington, DC 20530,

                  Plaintiff,

                  v.

BAIN CAPITAL, LLC
111 Huntington Ave.
Boston, MA 02199,

and

THOMAS H. LEE PARTNERS, L.P.
100 Federal St. 35th Fl.
Boston, MA 02110,

and

CLEAR CHANNEL
COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
200 E. Basse Rd.
San Antonio, TX 78209,

                  Defendants.


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Civil Action No. 1:08-cv-00245

Filed: Feb. 13, 2008

Assigned To: Robertson, James

Assign Date: 2/13/2008

Description: Antitrust

COMPETITIVE IMPACT STATEMENT

Plaintiff United States of America ("United States"), pursuant to Section 2(b) of the Antitrust Procedures and Penalties Act ("APPA" or "Tunney Act"), 15 U.S.C. § 16(b)-(h), files this Competitive Impact Statement relating to the proposed Final Judgment submitted for entry in this civil antitrust proceeding.

I. Nature and Purpose of the Proceeding

Defendants entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger dated November 16, 2006, pursuant to which a private equity group of investors led by Bain Capital, LLC ("Bain") and Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P. ("THL") will acquire a 70 percent interest in Clear Channel Communications Inc. ("Clear Channel"), the largest operator of radio stations in the United States.

Plaintiff filed a civil antitrust Complaint on February 13, 2008 seeking to enjoin the proposed acquisition of a controlling interest in Clear Channel by Bain and THL. The Complaint alleges that, because Bain and THL hold sizeable interests in two radio operators that compete with Clear Channel — Cumulus Media Partners LLC ("CMP") and Univision Communications, Inc. ("Univision") — the proposed acquisition would substantially lessen competition in the provision of radio advertising and Spanish-language radio advertising in several relevant geographic markets, in violation of Section 7 of the Clayton Act, 15 U.S.C. § 18. This loss of competition likely would result in the lessening or elimination of competition in the sale and provision of advertising on radio stations in the relevant markets, and increased prices and reduced services associated with advertising on radio stations in those relevant markets.

At the same time the Complaint was filed, plaintiff also filed a Hold Separate Stipulation and Order and a proposed Final Judgment, which, as explained more fully below, are designed to eliminate the anticompetitive effects of the acquisition. Under the proposed Final Judgment, defendants are required to divest radio stations in Cincinnati, Ohio; Houston/Galveston, Texas ("Houston"); Las Vegas, Nevada; and San Francisco, California (collectively, the "Divestiture Assets"). Under the Hold Separate Stipulation and Order, defendants will take certain steps to ensure that the Divestiture Assets will remain independent of and uninfluenced by defendants during the pendency of the ordered divestiture, and that competition is maintained during the pendency of the ordered divestiture.

Plaintiff and defendants have stipulated that the proposed Final Judgment may be entered after compliance with the APPA. Entry of the proposed Final Judgment would terminate this action, except that the Court would retain jurisdiction to construe, modify, or enforce the provisions of the proposed Final Judgment and to punish violations thereof.

II. Description of the Events Giving Rise to the Alleged Violations

  1. Defendants, Other Relevant Entities, and the Proposed Transaction

Defendant Bain is a Delaware limited liability company headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. Bain is one of the world's leading private investment firms with over $40 billion in assets under management. Defendant THL is a Delaware limited partnership headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts and also is one of the world's leading private investment firms. THL currently manages approximately $12 billion of committed capital. Bain and THL raise pools of capital from private investors, controlling and managing that capital through private equity funds and co-investment vehicles that invest in discrete opportunities, such as venture capital, public equity, and leveraged debt assets. Bain and THL, either directly or indirectly through management teams they install, typically manage and operate the assets in which they invest.

Defendant Clear Channel is a diversified media company incorporated in Texas and headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. Clear Channel owns various media outlets including radio stations, domestic and international outdoor advertising assets, television stations, and a media representation firm. Radio broadcasting is Clear Channel's largest business segment, representing over 50 percent of Clear Channel's total revenue. As of February 5, 2008, Clear Channel owned 833 radio stations in the United States, 508 of which were located within the top 100 markets as ranked by Arbitron, an international media marketing and research firm, including stations in Cincinnati, Houston, Las Vegas, and San Francisco.

Bain and THL are owners, along with the Blackstone Group, Cumulus Broadcasting, Inc., and their affiliates, of CMP, a limited liability company formed in 2005. Bain and THL each control 25 percent of the voting interests of CMP and designate two members to its eight member Board of Directors. Together, Bain and THL control 50 percent of the voting interests of CMP and designate one-half of the members of its Board of Directors. As of February 5, 2008, CMP owned 34 radio stations in various markets, including stations that compete head-to-head with Clear Channel stations in Cincinnati and Houston.

THL is an owner, along with Haim Saban, TPG Capital, Providence Equity, Madison Dearborn, and their affiliates, of Univision, the largest broadcaster of Spanish-language television programming in the United States. Univision is headquartered in New York City. THL, through affiliated funds and co-investment vehicles, currently holds a 20 percent equity interest and a 14 percent voting interest in Univision and designates three members to Univision's 17 member Board of Directors. Univision owns 70 radio stations that broadcast in Spanish language in several markets, including Houston, Las Vegas, and San Francisco, where Univision radio stations compete head-to-head with Clear Channel's Spanish-language radio stations.

Bain and THL are planning to acquire, each through various affiliated funds, substantial ownership interests in Clear Channel (the "transaction"). The anticipated value of the transaction is $28 billion. Under the purchase arrangement, Bain and THL each will acquire at least a 35 percent voting and economic interest in Clear Channel, with the remaining interest of up to 30 percent staying in the hands of those current Clear Channel investors and option-holders who elect to retain an equity interest in Clear Channel rather than to receive cash for their shares and/or stock options. Bain and THL each also will acquire the right to designate four directors of the 12 member Clear Channel Board of Directors. If the transaction is consummated, Bain and THL together will control at least 70 percent of the voting interests of Clear Channel and designate two-thirds of the members of the Board of Directors. This acquisition is the subject of the Complaint and proposed Final Judgment filed by plaintiff.

III. The Competitive Effects of the Acquisition

Given their existing ownership interests in CMP and Univision, the effect of Bain's and THL's acquisition of substantial partial ownership interests in Clear Channel may be to substantially lessen competition in markets in which stations owned by CMP or Univision — Houston, Cincinnati, Las Vegas, and San Francisco — compete head-to-head with Clear Channel stations.

  1. Relevant Product Markets
    1. Radio Advertising is a Relevant Product Market

Radio stations employ various formats for their programming, such as Adult Contemporary, Sports, or Rock. A station's format can be important in determining the size and characteristics of its listening audience. Companies that operate radio stations, such as Clear Channel, CMP, and Univision, sell advertising time to local and national advertisers in each geographic market where they operate those stations. Advertising rates charged by a radio station are based primarily on the station's ability to attract listening audiences having certain demographic characteristics in the market area that advertisers want to reach, as well as on the number of stations and the relative demand for radio in the market.

Many local and national advertisers purchase radio advertising time because they consider it preferable to advertising in other media to meet their specific needs. They may consider radio advertising time to be more cost-effective than other media to reach their target audiences. They may also consider radio advertising to be more efficient than other media to reach their target audiences. Additionally, radio stations render certain services or promotional opportunities to advertisers that the advertisers cannot exploit as effectively using other media. For these reasons, many local and national advertisers that purchase radio advertising time view radio as a necessary advertising medium, sometimes as a complement to other media. A substantial number of advertisers with strong radio preferences would not turn to other media if faced with a small but significant increase in the price of advertising time on radio stations.

Radio stations generally can identify advertisers with strong radio preferences. Radio stations also negotiate prices individually with advertisers. Consequently, radio stations can charge different advertisers different prices. Because of this ability to price discriminate among customers, radio stations may charge higher prices to the substantial number of advertisers that view radio as particularly effective for their needs, while maintaining lower prices for other advertisers.

In the event of a price increase in radio advertising time, some local and national advertisers may switch some of their advertising to other media rather than absorb a price increase in radio advertising time. However, the existence of such advertisers would not prevent radio stations from profitably raising their prices by a small but significant amount for the substantial number of advertisers that would not switch.

Accordingly, the Complaint alleges that the provision of advertising time on radio stations is a line of commerce and a relevant product market within the meaning of Section 7 of the Clayton Act.

    1. Spanish-language Radio Advertising is a Relevant Product Market

In markets with a large Hispanic population, many local and national advertisers also consider Spanish-language radio to be particularly effective or necessary to reach their desired customers, especially consumers who listen predominantly or exclusively to Spanish-language radio. A substantial number of these advertisers consider Spanish-language radio, either alone or as a complement to other media, to be the most effective way to reach their target audience, and do not consider other media, including non-Spanish-language radio, to be a reasonable substitute. These advertisers would not turn to other media, including radio that is broadcast in a language other than Spanish, if faced with a small but significant increase in the price of advertising time on Spanish-language radio.

Accordingly, the Complaint alleges that the provision of advertising time on Spanish-language radio stations to these advertisers is a line of commerce and a relevant product market within the meaning of Section 7 of the Clayton Act.

  1. Relevant Geographic Markets

Local and national advertisers buy radio advertising time on stations within areas defined by an Arbitron Metro Survey Area ("MSA"). An MSA is the geographic unit that is widely accepted by radio stations, advertisers, and advertising agencies as the standard geographic market to use in evaluating radio audience size and composition.

Local and national advertising that is placed on radio stations in an MSA is aimed at reaching listening audiences in that MSA. Radio stations in other MSAs do not provide effective access to these audiences. If there were a small but significant price increase within an MSA, an insufficient number of advertisers would switch their advertising time purchases to radio stations outside the MSA to make the price increase unprofitable.

In the Houston and Cincinnati MSAs, Clear Channel and CMP stations compete against each other and against other stations in the provision of radio advertising time to advertisers, regardless of the language broadcast over the station. If there were a small but significant increase in radio advertising prices within the Houston MSA or the Cincinnati MSA, an insufficient number of advertisers seeking to reach listeners in the Houston MSA or the Cincinnati MSA would switch their advertising time purchases to radio stations outside that MSA to make the price increase unprofitable. Accordingly, the Complaint alleges that the Houston and Cincinnati MSAs (the "Overlap Markets") are each relevant geographic markets within the meaning of Section 7 of the Clayton Act.

In the Houston MSA, Las Vegas MSA, and San Francisco MSA, Clear Channel and Univision compete against each other in the provision of Spanish-language radio advertising time to advertisers. If there were a small but significant increase in Spanish-language radio advertising prices in the Houston MSA, Las Vegas MSA, or San Francisco MSA, an insufficient number of advertisers seeking to reach listeners in the any of those MSAs would switch their Spanish-language advertising purchases to radio stations outside that MSA to make the price increase unprofitable. Accordingly, the Complaint alleges that the Houston, Las Vegas, and San Francisco MSAs (the "Spanish-language Overlap Markets") are each relevant geographic markets within the meaning of Section 7 of the Clayton Act.

  1. Competition in the Relevant Markets
    1. Competition in Radio Advertising in Houston and Cincinnati

Advertisers that use radio to reach their target audience select radio stations on which to advertise based upon a number of factors including, among others, the size and characteristics of the station's audience. Many advertisers seek to reach a large percentage of their target audience by selecting those stations with a listening audience that is highly correlated to the advertisers' target audience.

Clear Channel and CMP vigorously compete for listeners and closely monitor each other's competitive position in the Cincinnati MSA and the Houston MSA. Their stations are similarly formatted and programmed with an eye toward attracting listeners from each other.

Clear Channel and CMP stations in Houston and Cincinnati also currently compete vigorously for radio advertisers that seek to reach the specific demographic groups listening to their stations. For many local and national advertisers buying radio advertising time in the Houston MSA and the Cincinnati MSA, Clear Channel and CMP stations are each other's next best substitutes. During individualized rate negotiations, the substantial number of advertisers that desire to reach these listeners can benefit from this competition by "playing off" Clear Channel and CMP stations against each other to reach better terms.

Radio station ownership in Houston and Cincinnati is highly concentrated, with Clear Channel and CMP's combined advertising revenue share exceeding 37 percent in Houston and 65 percent in Cincinnati. Additionally, Clear Channel and CMP's combined listener share exceeds 34 percent in Houston and 59 percent in Cincinnati.

    1. Competition in Spanish-language Radio Advertising in Houston, Las Vegas, and San Francisco

Clear Channel and Univision currently are vigorous competitors and closely monitor each other's competitive position for Spanish-language listeners in the Houston, Las Vegas, and San Francisco MSAs, each of which has a large Hispanic population. Their stations in these markets are similarly formatted and programmed with an eye toward attracting Spanish-language listeners from each other.

Clear Channel and Univision stations also currently compete vigorously for radio advertisers that seek to reach Spanish-language listeners. For many local and national advertisers, buying Spanish-language radio advertising time in the Houston, Las Vegas, and San Francisco Spanish-language Overlap Markets, Clear Channel and Univision stations are each other's next best substitutes. During individualized rate negotiations, the substantial number of advertisers that desire to reach these listeners can benefit from this competition by "playing off" Clear Channel and Univision stations against each other to reach better terms.

Spanish-language radio station ownership in Houston, Las Vegas, and San Francisco is highly concentrated. Clear Channel and Univision's combined Spanish-language listener share exceeds 75 percent in Houston, 73 percent in Las Vegas, and 70 percent in San Francisco. Additionally, Clear Channel and Univision's combined Spanish-language advertising revenue share exceeds 79 percent in Houston, 78 percent in Las Vegas, and 63 percent in San Francisco.

  1. Anticompetitive Effects of the Transaction in Houston and Cincinnati Radio Advertising Markets

Clear Channel is one of only a few radio companies competing with CMP in the sale of radio advertising in Houston and Cincinnati, and within those markets, the two companies are each other's next best substitutes for advertisers seeking to reach several key demographic groups. Bain and THL currently control CMP; together they hold 50 percent of the voting and equity interests and have the right to choose half of the members of its Board of Directors. CMP's Board of Directors cannot make decisions without the agreement of either Bain or THL, which have access to CMP's non-public, competitively sensitive information and its officers and employees. These ownership interests and associated rights give each of Bain and THL, as well as Bain and THL acting together, influence over, if not outright control of, CMP's management decisions.

Upon consummation of their proposed acquisition of interests in Clear Channel, defendants Bain and THL together would also control Clear Channel. Together, they would own at least 70 percent of the equity and voting interests of Clear Channel and have the right to select eight of Clear Channel's 12 directors. In addition, Bain and THL would have access to Clear Channel's non-public, competitively sensitive information and its officers and employees. After the acquisition, each of Bain and THL, as well as Bain and THL acting together, would have influence over, if not outright control of, Clear Channel's management decisions.

Bain and THL, either directly or indirectly through management teams they install, typically manage and operate the assets in which they invest. As significant equity holders in both Clear Channel and CMP, Bain and THL each would seek to maximize the value of their investments by increasing the profitability of those companies. With respect to their interests in CMP and Clear Channel, Bain and THL's interests would be aligned and they would be expected to work together to achieve maximum profits at the two companies, including by using their control, influence, and access to information to reduce competition between Clear Channel and CMP in order to increase the companies' total profits.

Bain or THL, or Bain and THL acting together, would have the incentive and ability to use their ownership, control and influence, and access to information as to both Clear Channel and CMP to reduce competition between the companies in markets where they are significant competitors. They could accomplish such a reduction in competition in at least four ways:

  1. Through their control of or influence over both Clear Channel and CMP, Bain or THL, or Bain and THL working together, could cause Clear Channel and CMP to coordinate their competitive behavior in a manner that increased both companies' profits but harmed consumers;
  2. Through their governance rights relating to both Clear Channel and CMP, Bain or THL, or Bain and THL working together, could install a management team at one of the companies motivated to act in the interest of Bain and THL, and thereby reduce the vigor of its competition against the other company in which Bain and THL had a significant stake;
  3. Through their access to non-public, competitively sensitive information of both Clear Channel and CMP, and through their contacts with management at both Clear Channel and CMP, Bain or THL, or Bain and THL working together, could facilitate coordination between Clear Channel and CMP; and
  4. Through their control of or influence over both Clear Channel and CMP, Bain or THL, or Bain and THL working together, could cause either Clear Channel or CMP to forbear from competing against the other, knowing that a significant portion of lost sales would be recaptured by a company in which Bain and THL had a significant ownership interest.

For example, Clear Channel's management team, acting pursuant to either Bain's or THL's corporate influence, or pursuant to their joint voting control, could be expected to increase the price of advertising at Clear Channel to those advertisers that view CMP as Clear Channel's closest alternative, knowing that Bain and THL would reap the benefits of the price increase at Clear Channel and recapture the lost profits from any advertisers that chose to switch to CMP. Alternatively, the transaction would result in higher prices for purchasers of radio advertising if management teams at Clear Channel and CMP, acting pursuant to either Bain's or THL's influence or their joint voting control, were to go along with price increases at the other's stations, which would be known to Bain and THL even if not publicly disclosed. Given that Houston and Cincinnati are highly concentrated markets, advertisers would find it difficult or impossible to "buy around" Clear Channel and CMP, i.e., to effectively reach their targeted audience without using Clear Channel or CMP radio stations.

Thus, the Complaint alleges that Bain's and THL's proposed acquisitions of ownership interests in Clear Channel, if consummated, would substantially reduce competition for radio advertising in the Houston and Cincinnati Overlap Markets.

  1. Anticompetitive Effects of the Acquisition in Houston, Las Vegas, and San Francisco Spanish-language Radio Markets

Clear Channel is one of only a few radio companies competing with Univision for Spanish-language radio advertising time in Houston, Las Vegas, and San Francisco, and within those markets, the two companies are each other's next best substitutes for advertisers targeting Spanish-language listeners. THL currently has a 20 percent equity interest and a 14 percent voting interest in Univision, as well as the right to designate three Univision board members. THL also has access to Univision's non-public, competitively sensitive information and its officers and employees. Significant corporate decisions at Univision require the assent of three of its five owners. THL's ownership interest and associated rights give it influence over Univision's management decisions.

Upon consummation of the proposed acquisition of Clear Channel, defendant THL wouldown at least 35 percent of the equity and voting interest of Clear Channel, as well as a right to choose four of its 12 directors. In addition, after the acquisition, THL would have access to Clear Channel's non-public, competitively sensitive information and its officers and employees. THL's ownership interest and associated rights would give it influence over Clear Channel's management decisions.

As a significant equity holder in both Clear Channel and Univision, THL would seek to maximize the value of its investments by increasing the profitability of those companies. THL likely would work to achieve maximum profits at the two companies, including by using its influence and access to information to reduce competition between Clear Channel and Univision, in order to increase THL's total profits.

THL would have the incentive and ability to use its ownership, control and influence, and access to information as to both Clear Channel and Univision to reduce competition between the companies in markets where they are significant competitors. THL could accomplish such a reduction in competition in at least four ways:

  1. Through its influence over both Clear Channel and Univision, THL could cause Clear Channel and Univision to coordinate their competitive behavior in a manner that increased both companies' profits but harmed consumers;
  2. Through its governance rights relating to both Clear Channel and Univision, THL could work to install a management team at one of the companies motivated to act in THL's interests, or influence a management team to account for THL's interests, and thereby reduce the vigor of its competition against the other company in which THL had a significant stake;
  3. Through its access to non-public, competitively sensitive information of both Clear Channel and Univision, and through its contacts with management at both Clear Channel and Univision, THL could facilitate coordination between Clear Channel and Univision; and
  4. Through its influence over both Clear Channel and Univision, THL could cause either Clear Channel or Univision to forbear from competing against the other, knowing that a significant portion of lost sales would be recaptured by a company in which THL had a significant ownership interest.

For example, as a result of the acquisition, with access to both companies' non-public competitively sensitive information, THL would have the ability and the incentive to facilitate the coordination of pricing and other competitive decisions between Clear Channel and Univision in the Spanish-language Overlap Markets. Given that those markets are highly concentrated, advertisers would find it difficult or impossible to "buy around" Clear Channel and Univision, i.e., to effectively reach their targeted audience without using Clear Channel or Univision radio stations, resulting in higher prices and lower service levels for purchasers of Spanish-language radio advertising. Thus, the Complaint alleges that THL's acquisition of a substantial partial ownership interest in Clear Channel would substantially lessen competition in the sale of Spanish-language radio advertising in Houston, Las Vegas, and San Francisco, in violation of Section 7 of the Clayton Act, as amended, 15 U.S.C. § 18.

  1. Federal Communication Commission Obligations

In order to meet FCC radio ownership rules, Bain and THL, prior to consummating their acquisition of ownerships interests in Clear Channel, plan to convert all of their governance rights and ownership interests in CMP into passive equity interests, which means they will no longer have voting rights and will withdraw all Bain and THL directors from the CMP Board. For the same reason, THL likewise plans to convert its interests in Univision to passive equity interests, and withdraw from the Univision Board.

Such changes would not eliminate the potential for the competitive harm in the markets where Clear Channel competes with CMP or Univision. Because the FCC-required conversions would not reduce the magnitude of any defendant's equity stake in the three companies, the defendants would still profit from any reduction in competition between either Clear Channel and CMP or between Clear Channel and Univision. In addition, the FCC-required conversions would not affect Bain or THL's control of Clear Channel, or eliminate their access to non-public, confidential information and officers and employees at Clear Channel, CMP, and Univision.

As a result, the conversions would not eliminate the ability of Bain and THL, whether acting individually or together, to cause a reduction in competition. For example, Bain and/or THL would still have the incentive and ability, given their combined 70 percent share in Clear Channel, to influence Clear Channel's management team to increase the price of advertising at Clear Channel to those advertisers that view CMP as Clear Channel's closest alternative, knowing that Bain and THL would reap the benefits of the price increase at Clear Channel and recapture the lost profits from any advertisers that chose to switch to CMP. Alternatively, because the FCC regulatory scheme does not require that THL relinquish its access to non-public, confidential information at either Clear Channel or Univision, THL could still have the ability to be an information conduit between the two companies so as to facilitate the coordination of pricing and other competitive decisions between them in the Spanish-language Overlap Markets. Accordingly, a decree mandating divestitures is necessary to restore competition.

  1. Entry Will Not Mitigate the Likely Anticompetitive Effects

Successful entry into the Houston or Cincinnati Overlap Markets or the Houston, Las Vegas, or San Francisco Spanish-language Overlap Markets would not be timely, likely, or sufficient to offset the anticompetitive effects resulting from this transaction.

Entry could occur by obtaining a license for new radio spectrum or by reformatting an existing station. However, acquisition of new radio spectrum is highly unlikely because spectrum is a scarce and expensive commodity. Reformatting by existing stations in any of the relevant geographic markets would not be sufficient to mitigate the competitive harm likely to result from this acquisition. For those stations in these markets that have large shares in other coveted demographics, a format shift solely in response to small but significant increases in price by Clear Channel, CMP, or Univision is not likely because it would not be profitable. For those radio stations that may have incentives to change formats in response to small but significant increases in price by Clear Channel, CMP, and Univision, their shift would not be sufficient to mitigate the anticompetitive effects resulting from this acquisition.

IV. Explanation of the Proposed Final Judgment

  1. Clear Channel Radio Stations Must Be Divested

The proposed Final Judgment will eliminate the anticompetitive effects that would result from Bain's and THL's acquisition of substantial ownership interests in Clear Channel. Paragraph IV(A) of the proposed Final Judgment requires defendant Clear Channel, within 90 days after the closing of their transaction, or five calendar days after notice of the entry of the Final Judgment by the Court, whichever is later, to divest certain of its radio stations in Houston, Cincinnati, Las Vegas, and San Francisco. In order to maximize the likelihood that appropriate radio stations are divested promptly to qualified buyers, the proposed Final Judgment provides Clear Channel with the flexibility to choose between two equivalently effective divestiture packages in Houston and Cincinnati.

The Divestiture Assets comprise the following stations and all tangible and intangible assets used in their operation:

  1. the Clear Channel Assets are:
    1. a Houston station -- either KHMX or, at the discretion of the defendants, KTBZ;
    2. two Cincinnati stations -- either WLW and WKFS or, at the discretion of the defendants, WOFX and WNNF;
  2. the Clear Channel Spanish-language Assets are:
    1. KLOL, a Houston Spanish-language station;
    2. KWID, a Las Vegas Spanish-language station; and
    3. KSJO, a San Francisco Spanish-language station.

These stations must be divested to acquirer(s) that, in the United States' sole judgment, will use them as part of viable, ongoing businesses engaged in commercial radio broadcasting or Spanish-language radio broadcasting. The proposed Final Judgment requires defendants to take all reasonable steps necessary to accomplish the divestiture quickly and to cooperate with prospective acquirers.

The sale of the Divestiture Assets according to the terms of the proposed Final Judgment will eliminate the anticompetitive effects of the acquisition in the Houston and Cincinnati Overlap Markets for radio advertising and in the Houston, Las Vegas, and San Francisco Spanish-language Overlap Markets for Spanish-language radio advertising. In each market, the divestitures will establish a new, independent, and economically viable competitor.

The proposed Final Judgment relieves the defendants of some or all of their obligations to divest under three sets of circumstances. First, the proposed Final Judgment takes into account that the FCC has required that Clear Channel sell a San Francisco station in order to comply with FCC media ownership limitations. Paragraph IV(D) of the proposed Final Judgment thus provides that, if the San Francisco station has been transferred to an FCC-authorized trust prior to the completion of the required divestitures, defendants' obligation to divest that station is suspended and will be eliminated if the station is sold under the terms of the FCC-authorized trust, in which case the objectives of the proposed Final Judgment would have been achieved.

Second, if Bain and THL both divest 100 percent of their interests in CMP, thereby eliminating the overlap between CMP and Clear Channel achieved by the transaction, Paragraph IV(B) of the proposed Final Judgment would no longer require that the defendants divest those stations that comprise the Clear Channel Assets. If these assets are not divested, Paragraph XI(D) of the proposed Final Judgment would bar the reacquisition by Bain or THL of any interest in CMP so long as they continue to have some interest in Clear Channel.

Third, if THL divests 100 percent of its interests in Univision, thereby eliminating the overlap between Univision and Clear Channel achieved by the transaction, Paragraph IV(C) of the proposed Final Judgment would no longer require that the defendants divest those stations that comprise the Clear Channel Spanish-language Assets. If these assets are not divested, however, Paragraph XI(E) of the proposed Final Judgment would bar the reacquisition of by THL of any interest in Univision so long as it continues to have some interest in Clear Channel.

  1. Timing of Divestitures

In antitrust cases involving mergers or joint ventures in which the United States seeks a divestiture remedy, it requires completion of the divestiture within the shortest time period reasonable under the circumstances. As noted above, the proposed Final Judgment requires defendant Clear Channel to complete the divestitures within 90 days after the transaction closes, or five calendar days after notice of the entry of the Final Judgment by the Court, whichever is later. The United States in its sole discretion may extend the time period for divestiture by up to 60 days.

In this matter, Paragraph IV(A) of the proposed Final Judgment also provides for an additional extension in certain circumstances. This extension takes into account the FCC's role in connection with transfers of radio stations from one operator to another. If the defendants have found a buyer or buyers for the assets (and the buyers have been approved by the United States) and have filed applications with the FCC seeking approval to assign or transfer the licenses within the initial period for divestiture, but the FCC has not yet issued a final order approving such transfers, the proposed Final Judgment allows for an extension of the divestiture period until ten days after the FCC's order approving the transfer is issued.

The divestiture timing provisions of the proposed Final Judgment will ensure that the divestitures are carried out in a timely manner, and at the same time will permit defendants an adequate opportunity to accomplish the divestitures consistent with their FCC obligations. Even if the Clear Channel stations have not been divested upon consummation of the transaction, there should be no adverse impact on competition given the limited duration of the period of common ownership and the detailed requirements of the Hold Separate Stipulation and Order.

  1. Use of a Trustee

In the event that the defendants do not accomplish the divestiture within the periods prescribed in the proposed Final Judgment, the Final Judgment provides that the Court will appoint a trustee selected by plaintiff to effect the divestiture.

Section V details the requirements for the establishment of the divestiture trust, the selection and compensation of the trustee, and the responsibilities of the trustee in connection with the divestiture. The trustee will have the sole responsibility, under Paragraph V(B), for the sale of the stations to be divested. The trustee has the authority to accomplish the divestiture at the earliest possible time and "at such price and on such terms as are then obtainable upon reasonable effort by the trustee."

The proposed Final Judgment provides that defendants will pay all costs and expenses of the trustee. The trustee's commission will be structured, under Paragraph V(D) of the proposed Final Judgment, so as to provide an incentive for the trustee based on the price and terms obtained and the speed with which the divestiture is accomplished. After his or her appointment becomes effective, the trustee will file monthly reports with the Court and plaintiff setting forth his or her efforts to accomplish the divestiture. At the end of six months, if the divestiture has not been accomplished, the trustee and plaintiff will make recommendations to the Court, which shall enter such orders as appropriate in order to carry out the purpose of the Final Judgment, including extending the trust or term of the trustee's appointment.

  1. The Hold Separate Stipulation and Order

The Hold Separate Stipulation and Order, filed at the same time as the Complaint, ensures that, pending divestiture of the Clear Channel stations, (i) defendants will take no steps to limit those stations' ability to operate as competitively independent, economically viable, and ongoing business concerns, (ii) defendants will not influence those stations' business, and (iii) competition will be maintained. The Hold Separate Stipulation and Order requires Clear Channel to hold the stations to be divested separate as independent, ongoing, economically viable, and active competitors in their particular markets. This means that their management, including decision-making functions relating to marketing and pricing, will be kept separate and apart from, and not influenced by, defendants Bain or THL or Clear Channel's other operations.

V. Remedies Available to Potential Private Litigants

Section 4 of the Clayton Act, 15 U.S.C. § 15, provides that any person who has been injured as a result of conduct prohibited by the antitrust laws may bring suit in federal court to recover three times the damages the person has suffered, as well as costs and reasonable attorneys' fees. Entry of the proposed Final Judgment will neither impair nor assist the bringing of any private antitrust damage action. Under the provisions of Section 5(a) of the Clayton Act, 15 U.S.C. § 16(a), the proposed Final Judgment has no prima facie effect in any subsequent private lawsuit that may be brought against defendants.

VI. Procedures Available for Modification of the Proposed Final Judgment

Plaintiff and defendants have stipulated that the proposed Final Judgment may be entered by the Court after compliance with the provisions of the APPA, provided that plaintiff has not withdrawn its consent. The APPA conditions entry upon the Court's determination that the proposed Final Judgment is in the public interest.

The APPA provides a period of at least sixty (60) days preceding the effective date of the proposed Final Judgment within which any person may submit to plaintiff written comments regarding the proposed Final Judgment. Any person who wishes to comment should do so within sixty (60) days of the date of publication of this Competitive Impact Statement in the Federal Register or the last date of publication in a newspaper of the summary of this Competitive Impact Statement; whichever is later. All comments received during this period will be considered by the United States Department of Justice, which remains free to withdraw its consent to the proposed Final Judgment at any time prior to the Court's entry of judgment. The comments and the response of plaintiff will be filed with the Court and published in the Federal Register.

Written comments should be submitted to:

John R. Read
Chief, Litigation III Section
Antitrust Division, U.S. Department of Justice
325 7th Street, N.W., Suite 300
Washington, DC 20530

The proposed Final Judgment provides that the Court retains jurisdiction over this action, and the parties may apply to the Court for any order necessary or appropriate for the modification, interpretation, or enforcement of the Final Judgment.

VII. Alternatives to the Proposed Final Judgment

Plaintiff considered, as an alternative to the proposed Final Judgment, a full trial on the merits against defendants. Plaintiff could have continued the litigation and sought preliminary and permanent injunctions against Bain and THL's acquisition of Clear Channel. Plaintiff is satisfied, however, that the divestiture of the stations described in the proposed Final Judgment will preserve competition in the provision of radio advertising in Houston and Cincinnati, and competition in the provision of Spanish-language radio advertising in Houston, Las Vegas and San Francisco, the relevant markets identified in the Complaint. Thus, the proposed Final Judgment would achieve all or substantially all of the relief the United States would have obtained through litigation, but avoids the time, expense, and uncertainty of a full trial on the merits of the Complaint.

VIII. Standard of Review Under the APPA for the Proposed Final Judgment

The Clayton Act, as amended by the APPA, requires that proposed consent judgments in antitrust cases brought by the United States be subject to a sixty-day comment period, after which the Court shall determine whether entry of the proposed Final Judgment "is in the public interest." 15 U.S.C. § 16(e)(1). In making that determination, the court, in accordance with the statute as amended in 2004, is required to consider:

  1. the competitive impact of such judgment, including termination of alleged violations, provisions for enforcement and modification, duration of relief sought, anticipated effects of alternative remedies actually considered, whether its terms are ambiguous, and any other competitive considerations bearing upon the adequacy of such judgment that the court deems necessary to a determination of whether the consent judgment is in the public interest; and
  2. the impact of entry of such judgment upon competition in the relevant market or markets, upon the public generally and individuals alleging specific injury from the violations set forth in the complaint including consideration of the public benefit, if any, to be derived from a determination of the issues at trial.

15 U.S.C. § 16(e)(1)(A) & (B). In considering these statutory factors, the court's inquiry is necessarily a limited one, as the government is entitled to "broad discretion to settle with the defendant within the reaches of the public interest." United States v. Microsoft Corp., 56 F.3d 1448, 1461 (D.C. Cir. 1995); see generally United States v. SBC Commc'ns, Inc., 489 F. Supp. 2d 1 (D.D.C. 2007) (assessing public interest standard under the Tunney Act).(1)

As the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has held, under the APPA a court considers, among other things, the relationship between the remedy secured and the specific allegations set forth in the government's complaint, whether the decree is sufficiently clear, whether enforcement mechanisms are sufficient, and whether the decree may positively harm third parties. See Microsoft, 56 F.3d at 1458-62. With respect to the adequacy of the relief secured by the decree, a court may not "engage in an unrestricted evaluation of what relief would best serve the public." United States v. BNS, Inc., 858 F.2d 456, 462 (9th Cir. 1988) (citing United States v. Bechtel Corp., 648 F.2d 660, 666 (9th Cir. 1981)); see also Microsoft, 56 F.3d at 1460-62; United States v. Alcoa, Inc., 152 F. Supp. 2d 37, 40 (D.D.C. 2001). Courts have held that:

The balancing of competing social and political interests affected by a proposed antitrust consent decree must be left, in the first instance, to the discretion of the Attorney General. The court's role in protecting the public interest is one of insuring that the government has not breached its duty to the public in consenting to the decree. The court is required to determine not whether a particular decree is the one that will best serve society, but whether the settlement is "within the reaches of the public interest." More elaborate requirements might undermine the effectiveness of antitrust enforcement by consent decree.

Bechtel, 648 F.2d at 666 (emphasis added) (citations omitted).(2) In determining whether a proposed settlement is in the public interest, a district court "must accord deference to the government's predictions about the efficacy of its remedies, and may not require that the remedies perfectly match the alleged violations." SBC Commc'ns, 489 F. Supp. 2d at 17; see also Microsoft, 56 F.3d at 1461 (noting the need for courts to be "deferential to the government's predictions as to the effect of the proposed remedies"); United States v. Archer-Daniels-Midland Co., 272 F. Supp. 2d 1, 6 (D.D.C. 2003) (noting that the court should grant due respect to the United States' prediction as to the effect of proposed remedies, its perception of the market structure, and its views of the nature of the case).

Courts have greater flexibility in approving proposed consent decrees than in crafting their own decrees following a finding of liability in a litigated matter. "[A] proposed decree must be approved even if it falls short of the remedy the court would impose on its own, as long as it falls within the range of acceptability or is 'within the reaches of public interest.'" United States v. Am. Tel. & Tel. Co., 552 F. Supp. 131, 151 (D.D.C. 1982) (citations omitted) (quoting United States v. Gillette Co., 406 F. Supp. 713, 716 (D. Mass. 1975)), aff'd sub nom. Maryland v. United States, 460 U.S. 1001 (1983); see also United States v. Alcan Aluminum Ltd., 605 F. Supp. 619, 622 (W.D. Ky. 1985) (approving the consent decree even though the court would have imposed a greater remedy). To meet this standard, the United States "need only provide a factual basis for concluding that the settlements are reasonably adequate remedies for the alleged harms." SBC Commc'ns, 489 F. Supp. 2d at 17.

Moreover, the court's role under the APPA is limited to reviewing the remedy in relationship to the violations that the United States has alleged in its Complaint, and does not authorize the court to "construct [its] own hypothetical case and then evaluate the decree against that case." Microsoft, 56 F.3d at 1459. Because the "court's authority to review the decree depends entirely on the government's exercising its prosecutorial discretion by bringing a case in the first place," it follows that "the court is only authorized to review the decree itself," and not to "effectively redraft the complaint" to inquire into other matters that the United States did not pursue. Id. at 1459-60. As this Courtrecently confirmed in SBC Communications, courts "cannot look beyond the complaint in making the public interest determination unless the complaint is drafted so narrowly as to make a mockery of judicial power." SBC Commc'ns, 489 F. Supp. 2d at 15.

In its 2004 amendments to the APPA, Congress made clear its intent to preserve the practical benefits of utilizing consent decrees in antitrust enforcement, adding the unambiguous instruction that "[n]othing in this section shall be construed to require the court to conduct an evidentiary hearing or to require the court to permit anyone to intervene." 15 U.S.C. § 16(e)(2). The language wrote into the statute what Congress intended when it enacted the Tunney Act in 1974, as Senator Tunney explained: "The court is nowhere compelled to go to trial or to engage in extended proceedings which might have the effect of vitiating the benefits of prompt and less costly settlement through the consent decree process." 119 Cong. Rec. 24,598 (1973) (statement of Senator Tunney). Rather, the procedure for the public interest determination is left to the discretion of the court, with the recognition that the court's "scope of review remains sharply proscribed by precedent and the nature of Tunney Act proceedings." SBC Commc'ns, 489 F. Supp. 2d at 11.(3)

IX. Determinative Documents

There are no determinative materials or documents within the meaning of the APPA that were considered by plaintiff United States in formulating the proposed Final Judgment.

Dated: February _13__, 2008

    Respectfully submitted,


  _______________/s/________________

Daniel McCuaig (DC Bar No.478199)
Christopher Ries
Attorneys, Litigation III Section
Antitrust Division
U.S. Department of Justice
325 7th Street, N.W., Suite 300
Washington, D.C. 20530
(202) 307-0520
Facsimile: (202) 514-7308

FOOTNOTES

1. The 2004 amendments substituted "shall" for "may" in directing relevant factors for court to consider and amended the list of factors to focus on competitive considerations and to address potentially ambiguous judgment terms. Compare 15 U.S.C. § 16(e) (2004), with 15 U.S.C. § 16(e)(1) (2006); see also SBC Commc'ns, 489 F. Supp. 2d at 11 (concluding that the 2004 amendments "effected minimal changes" to Tunney Act review).

2. Cf. BNS, 858 F.2d at 464 (holding that the court's "ultimate authority under the [APPA] is limited to approving or disapproving the consent decree"); United States v. Gillette Co., 406 F. Supp. 713, 716 (D. Mass. 1975) (noting that, in this way, the court is constrained to "look at the overall picture not hypercritically, nor with a microscope, but with an artist's reducing glass"). See generally Microsoft, 56 F.3d at 1461 (discussing whether "the remedies [obtained in the decree are] so inconsonant with the allegations charged as to fall outside of the 'reaches of the public interest'").

3. See United States v. Enova Corp., 107 F. Supp. 2d 10, 17 (D.D.C. 2000) (noting that the "Tunney Act expressly allows the court to make its public interest determination on the basis of the competitive impact statement and response to comments alone"); S. Rep. No. 93-298, 93d Cong., 1st Sess., at 6 (1973) ("Where the public interest can be meaningfully evaluated simply on the basis of briefs and oral arguments, that is the approach that should be utilized."); United States v. Mid-Am. Dairymen, Inc., 1977-1 Trade Cas. (CCH) ¶ 61,508, at 71,980 (W.D. Mo. 1977) ("Absent a showing of corrupt failure of the government to discharge its duty, the Court, in making its public interest finding, should . . . carefully consider the explanations of the government in the competitive impact statement and its responses to comments in order to determine whether those explanations are reasonable under the circumstances.").

Updated April 18, 2023