Operations Pending Closing Between the date hereof and the Closing, except as (a) set forth in this Agreement or the Option Exercise Agreement, (b) contemplated by the applicable subsection of Schedule 5.01, or (c) required by applicable Law or the regulations or requirements of any regulatory organization applicable to WTGS TV, the Seller or the LIN Companies, as the case may be, unless Buyer otherwise consents in writing which request for consent shall be directed to and promptly considered in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Section 5.01 by Buyer and which consent shall (i) not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed in the case of clauses (c), (e), (f), (g), (h), (i), (l), (n), (r), (s), (t), (u) or (w), and (ii) which may otherwise be withheld in Buyer’s sole discretion, the LIN Companies shall, and Seller shall use commercially reasonable efforts to cause WTGS TV and, prior to the Merger Closing, the LIN Companies to, and the Seller shall, following the Merger Closing and prior to the Closing:
(a) operate the Station in the ordinary course and in all material respects in accordance with the Communications Laws, the FCC Licenses and with all other applicable Laws;
(b) not cause or permit, or agree or commit to cause or permit, by act or failure to act, any of the FCC Licenses to expire or to be revoked, suspended or adversely modified, or take or fail to take any action that would cause the FCC or any other Governmental Authority to institute proceedings (other than proceedings of general applicability) for the suspension, revocation or adverse modification of any of the FCC Licenses listed on Schedule 3.04(a);
(c) other than in the ordinary course of business or for the purpose of disposing of obsolete or worthless assets, not (i) sell, lease, license or dispose of or agree to sell, lease, license or dispose of any material assets unless replaced with similar items of substantially equal or greater value and utility or (ii) create, assume or permit to exist any Liens upon their assets, except for Permitted Liens;
(d) not dissolve, liquidate, merge or consolidate with any other entity;
(e) maintain, repair and replace the Tangible Personal Property, including any Tangible Personal Property which has been damaged prior to Closing, and maintain, repair and replace the Real Property, including any improvements thereon, which has been damaged prior to Closing, in each case in the ordinary course of business;
(i) upon reasonable written advance notice, give Buyer and its representatives reasonable access at reasonable, mutually agreed-upon times during normal business hours to the Station, and furnish Buyer with information relating to the Business that Buyer may reasonably request, provided, however, that such access rights shall not be exercised in a manner that interferes with the Business and (ii) otherwise provide such reasonable assistance and cooperation as may be requested by Buyer from time to time prior to the Closing Date to reasonably facilitate the transition of the Business, including facilities, operations and applicable data, to Buyer upon and effective as of the Effective Time;
(g) except as otherwise required by Law, not enter into, renew or renegotiate any employment agreement with a Transferred Employee providing for annual compensation in excess of $100,000, any severance agreement or any labor, or union agreement or plan, including any Collective Bargaining Agreement, that will be binding upon Buyer after the Closing;
(h) not hire or terminate the employment of any Station general manager or any other Transferred Employee with annual aggregate non-equity compensation, including target bonuses, in excess of $100,000, excluding any terminations for “cause” as reasonably determined by Sellers;
(i) except in the ordinary course of business, not (i) materially increase the compensation or benefits payable to any Transferred Employee, or (ii) modify any severance policy applicable to any Transferred Employee that would result in any material increase in the amount of severance payable to any such Transferred Employee (or would materially expand the circumstances in which such severance is payable);
(j) not sell, lease, license or otherwise dispose of or encumber any Station Asset except (i) pursuant to or in accordance with existing Assumed Contracts or (ii) immaterial Station Assets in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practices;
(k) use commercially reasonable efforts to maintain the Station’s MVPD carriage existing as of the date of this Agreement;
(l) except for agreements and contracts which can be terminated by WTGS TV, the Seller or LIN Companies, as applicable, without penalty upon notice of ninety (90) days or less, not (i) enter into any agreement or contract that would have been a Material Contract were WTGS TV, the Seller or LIN Companies, as applicable, a party or subject thereto on the date of this Agreement unless such agreement or contract (x) is entered into in the ordinary course of business and (y) does not involve payments by WTGS TV, the Seller or LIN Companies, as applicable, of greater than $250,000 during any twelve (12) month period, (ii) amend in any material respect any Material Contract unless such amendment (x) is effected in the ordinary course of business, (y) does not increase the amount of payments to be made by WTGS TV, the Seller or LIN Companies, as applicable, during any twelve (12) month period by $250,000 or more or (iii) terminate or waive any material right under any Material Contract other than in the ordinary course of business (excluding the expiration of any Material Contract in accordance with its terms) (it being understood that if any such entry into, or amendment or termination of any such agreement or contract is permitted pursuant to this Section 5.1(k) as a result of the references to acts taken in the ordinary course of business, but such action would otherwise be prohibited by any other provision of this Section 5.1, then this Section 5.1(k) shall not be interpreted to permit such action without the prior written consent of Buyer as contemplated hereby);
(m) not enter into any Contract constituting a Sharing Agreement with respect to the Station;
(n) not change any accounting practices, procedures or methods (except for any change required under GAAP or applicable law) or maintain its books and records, in each case in a manner other than in the ordinary course of business;
(o) not make or agree or commit to make any capital expenditure, except (i) for capital expenditures equal to or less than $200,000 in connection with any particular project or equal to or less than $500,000 in the aggregate, and (ii) for emergency commitments or expenditures;
(p) maintain its qualifications to hold the FCC Licenses with respect to the Station and not take any action that will materially impair such FCC Licenses or such qualifications;
(q) promote the programming of the Station (both on-air and using third party media) in the ordinary course of business, taking into account inventory availability;
(r) not adopt, enter into or become bound by any new Employee Plan or amend, modify or terminate any Employee Plan, except (i) to comply with applicable Law, (ii) in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practices without any additional post-Closing material liability to WTGS TV, the Seller or LIN Companies, as applicable, or (iii) as otherwise contemplated by this Agreement;
(s) keep in full force and effect the material insurance policies set forth on Schedule 3.12 (or other insurance policies comparable in amount and scope);
(t) not make or rescind any election relating to Taxes, settle or compromise any claim, action, suit, litigation, proceeding, arbitration, investigation, audit or controversy relating to Taxes, for any taxable period ending on or after September 30, 2012, or change any of its methods of reporting income or deductions on its Income Tax Returns, or the classifications of its existing property and assets, in each case, to the extent such action would reasonably be expected to materially and adversely affect Buyer or its Affiliates after the Closing;
(u) not (i) enter into or agree or commit to enter into any new Tradeout Agreement relating to the Station with a value in excess of $40,000, and $200,000 in the aggregate, prior to Closing that will not be fully performed prior to the Closing or (ii) make any guarantee of commercial ratings other than in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice;
(i) utilize the Program Rights only in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice and (ii) not sell or otherwise dispose of any such Program Rights;
(w) not extend credit to advertisers other than in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice;
(x) timely make retransmission consent elections with all MVPDs located in or serving the Station’s Markets;
(y) not enter into any retransmission consent agreement relating to the Station other than as set forth on Schedule 5.01(y);
(z) not enter into any Contract with any Affiliate or Subsidiary of Seller that survives the Closing; and
(aa) not agree, commit or resolve to take any actions inconsistent with the foregoing.
Seller’s Closing Documents At the Closing, Seller shall deliver to Purchaser the following, in form and substance reasonably acceptable to Purchaser:
(a) A special warranty deed executed by Seller (the “Deed”), in a form customary for the jurisdiction where the Property is located and otherwise satisfactory to Seller, Purchaser and Title Insurer, free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, security interests, options and adverse claims of any kind or character except the Permitted Encumbrances and the encumbrance of the Assumed Loan.
(b) A Xxxx of Sale, executed by Seller (the “Xxxx of Sale”) in the form attached hereto as Exhibit O, transferring, conveying and assigning and warranting to Purchaser, the Personal Property, free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, security interests, options and adverse claims of any kind or character other than the Permitted Encumbrances and the encumbrance of the Assumed Loan, together with the original certificates of title thereto, if any.
(c) An assignment (the “Contract Assignment”) in the form attached hereto as Exhibit P, executed by Seller, to Purchaser, of (i) those of the Contracts which Purchaser has elected in writing to assume (the “Assigned Contracts”) with the agreement of Seller to indemnify, protect, defend and hold Purchaser harmless from and against any and all claims, damages, losses, costs and expenses (including attorneys’ fees) arising in connection with the Assigned Contracts and related to the period prior to the Closing and a comparable indemnity from Purchaser relating to the period following the Closing, (ii) any and all guarantees and warranties used or made in connection with the operation, construction, improvement, alteration or repair of the Property, and (iii) all right, title and interest of Seller and its agents in and to the Intangible Personal Property (including the Governmental Approvals to the extent assignable).
(d) An assignment of lessor’s interest in the Leases (the “Lease Assignment”) in the form attached hereto as Exhibit Q executed by Seller, to Purchaser, together with an agreement by Seller to indemnify, protect, defend and hold Purchaser harmless from and against any and all claims, damages, losses, costs and expenses (including attorneys’ fees) arising in connection with the Leases relating to the period prior to the Closing and a comparable indemnity from Purchaser relating to the period following the Closing.
(e) To the extent not previously delivered to Purchaser, originals of the Leases, the Contracts which have not been terminated pursuant to Section 9(c), certificate(s) of occupancy and other instruments evidencing the Governmental Approvals in Seller’s possession or, if such originals are not available, copies certified by Seller to be true, correct and complete copies of such originals.
(f) Any keys in the possession of Seller to all locks located in the Property.
(g) Letters executed by Seller and Seller’s management agent, if any, addressed to all Tenants, in form of Exhibit R attached hereto, notifying and directing payment of all rent and other sums due from Tenants from and after the date of the Closing to be made at Purchaser’s direction.
(h) Reasonable proof of the due authorization, execution and delivery by Seller of this Agreement and the documents delivered by Seller pursuant hereto.
(i) A Rent Roll, prepared not more than one (1) business day prior to Closing, certified by Seller to be true and correct.
(j) An affidavit from Seller in the form attached hereto as Exhibit L certifying that such Seller is not a “foreign person” within the meaning of Section 1445(f)(3) of the Code.
