Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

Commitments and Contingencies

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Commitments and Contingencies
12 Months Ended
Jan. 28, 2017
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies [Text Block]
Commitments and Contingencies
Cable and Satellite Affiliation Agreements
As of January 28, 2017, the Company has entered into distribution agreements with cable operators, direct-to-home satellite providers and telecommunications companies to distribute our television network over their systems. The terms of the affiliation agreements typically range from one to five years. During the fiscal year, certain agreements with cable, satellite or other distributors may expire. Under certain circumstances, the television operators or the Company may cancel the agreements prior to their expiration. Additionally, the Company may elect not to renew distribution agreements whose terms result in sub-standard or negative contribution margins. The affiliation agreements generally provide that the Company will pay each operator a monthly access fee and in some cases a marketing support payment based on the number of homes receiving the Company's programming. For fiscal 2016, fiscal 2015 and fiscal 2014, respectively, the Company expensed approximately $98,317,000, $100,830,000 and $98,581,000 under these affiliation agreements.
Over the past years, each of the material cable and satellite distribution agreements up for renewal has been renegotiated and renewed. Failure to maintain the cable agreements covering a material portion of the Company’s existing cable households on acceptable financial and other terms could adversely affect future growth, sales revenues and earnings unless the Company is able to arrange for alternative means of broadly distributing its television programming. Cable operators serving a large majority of cable households offer cable programming on a digital basis. The use of digital compression technology provides cable companies with greater channel capacity. While greater channel capacity increases the opportunity for distribution and, in some cases, reduces access fees paid by us, it also may adversely impact the Company's ability to compete for television viewers to the extent it results in less desirable channel positioning for us, placement of the Company's programming in separate programming tiers, the broadcast of additional competitive channels or viewer fragmentation due to a greater number of programming alternatives.
The Company has entered into, and will continue to enter into, affiliation agreements with other television operators providing for full- or part-time carriage of the Company’s television shopping programming.
Future cable and satellite affiliation cash commitments at January 28, 2017 are as follows:
 
 

Fiscal Year
Amount
 
 
2017
$
59,946,000

2018
15,497,000

2019
261,000

2020

2021 and thereafter


Employment Agreements
The Company has entered into employment agreements with some of its on-air hosts with original terms of 12 months with automatic annual one-year renewals and with the chief executive officer of the Company with an original term of 24 months followed by automatic one-year renewals. These agreements specify, among other things, the term and duties of employment, compensation and benefits, termination of employment (including for cause, which would reduce the Company’s total obligation under these agreements), severance payments and non-disclosure and non-compete restrictions. The aggregate commitment for future base compensation related to these agreements at January 28, 2017 was approximately $2,686,000.
On August 18, 2016, the Company entered into an executive employment agreement with Mr. Rosenblatt, the Company's Chief Executive Officer. Among other things, the employment agreement provides for a two-year initial term, followed by automatic one-year renewals, an initial base salary of $750,000, annual bonus stipulations, a temporary living expense allowance and participation in the Company's executive relocation program. In conjunction with the employment agreement, the Company granted Mr. Rosenblatt an award of restricted stock units, performance restricted stock units and incentive stock options under the Company's 2011 Omnibus Incentive Plan with an aggregate fair value of $1.8 million. The chief executive officer’s employment agreement also provides for severance in the event of employment termination of (i) 1.5 times the amount of his base salary, plus (ii) one times his target bonus. In the event of a change of control, as defined in the agreement, the severance shall be two times his base salary and two times his target bonus.
The Company has established guidelines regarding severance for its senior executive officers, whereby, up to 12 months of the executive's highest annual rate of base salary plus one times the target annual incentive bonus determined from such base salary may become payable in the event of terminations without cause under specified circumstances. Senior executive officers are also eligible for 1.5 times the executive's highest annual rate of base salary, plus 1.5 times the target annual incentive bonus determined from such base salary if, within a two-year period commencing on the date of a change in control, the senior executive is terminated without cause under specified circumstances.
Operating Lease Commitments
The Company leases certain property and equipment under non-cancelable operating lease agreements. Property and equipment covered by such operating lease agreements include offices and warehousing facilities at subsidiary locations, satellite transponder, office equipment and certain tower site locations.
Future minimum lease payments at January 28, 2017 are as follows:
 
 

Future Minimum Lease Payments:
Amount
 
 
2017
$
1,944,000

2018
1,182,000

2019
931,000

2020
605,000

2021 and thereafter


Total rent expense under such agreements was approximately $1,898,000 in fiscal 2016, $1,853,000 in fiscal 2015 and $2,140,000 in fiscal 2014.
Retirement and Savings Plan
The Company maintains a qualified 401(k) retirement savings plan covering substantially all employees. The plan allows the Company’s employees to make voluntary contributions to the plan. Beginning in fiscal 2016, matching contributions were contributed to the plan on a per pay period basis. In fiscal 2015 and 2014, matching contributions were contributed annually to the plan in February of the following fiscal year. The Company currently provides a contribution match of $0.50 for every $1.00 contributed by eligible participants up to a maximum of 6% of eligible compensation. Company plan contributions expense totaled approximately $1,321,000, $1,156,000 and $1,062,000 for fiscal 2016, fiscal 2015 and fiscal 2014, respectively, of which $0, $1,156,000 and $1,062,000 were accrued and outstanding at January 28, 2017, January 30, 2016 and January 31, 2015, respectively.