The Washington Post Company Reports First Quarter Earnings

Business Wire, May 2, 2008

WASHINGTON -- The Washington Post Company (NYSE:WPO) today reported net income of $39.3 million ($4.08 per share) for its first quarter ended March 30, 2008, down from net income of $64.4 million ($6.70 per share) in the first quarter of last year.

Results for the first quarter of 2008 included charges of $24.6 million related to early retirement program expense at Newsweek (after-tax impact of $15.3 million, or $1.60 per share). Results for the first quarter of 2007 included a significant increase in equity in earnings of affiliates primarily as a result of a large gain on the sale of land at the Company's Bowater Mersey Paper Company Limited affiliate (after-tax impact of $8.5 million, or $0.89 per share).

Revenue for the first quarter of 2008 was $1,063.1 million, up 8% from $985.6 million in 2007. The increase is due to revenue growth at the education and cable television divisions, while revenues were down at the newspaper publishing, magazine publishing and television broadcasting divisions. Operating income for the quarter declined 27% to $66.9 million, from $92.0 million in 2007. Operating results were down at the newspaper publishing, magazine publishing and television broadcasting divisions, while the education and cable divisions reported improved results for the quarter.

Excluding charges related to early retirement programs, the Company's operating income for the first quarter of 2008 includes $6.6 million of net pension credits, compared to $5.0 million in the first quarter of 2007.

Divisional Results

Education

Education division revenue totaled $543.3 million for the first quarter of 2008, a 14% increase over revenue of $475.8 million for the first quarter of 2007. Excluding revenue from acquired businesses, education division revenue increased 9% for the first quarter of 2008. Kaplan reported first quarter 2008 operating income of $46.7 million, an increase from $34.3 million in the first quarter of 2007. Operating income in the first quarter of 2008 includes a $6.7 million credit in stock compensation expense in the first quarter of 2008, compared to stock compensation expense of $10.3 million in the first quarter of 2007.

A summary of Kaplan's first quarter operating results compared to 2007 is as follows:

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Higher education includes Kaplan's domestic and international post-secondary education businesses, including fixed-facility colleges as well as online post-secondary and career programs. Higher education revenue grew 19% for the first quarter of 2008. Enrollments increased 17% to 94,200 at March 31, 2008, compared to 80,500 at March 31, 2007, due primarily to enrollment growth in the online programs. Higher education results in the first quarter of 2008 include additional costs associated with the expansion of Kaplan's online high school and international programs. Higher education results in the first quarter of 2007 were adversely affected by $2.7 million in lease termination charges.

Funds provided under student financial aid programs created under Title IV of the Federal Higher Education Act account for a large portion of Kaplan Higher Education (KHE) revenues; these funds are provided in the form of federal loans and grants. In addition, some KHE students also obtain non-Title IV private loans from lenders to finance a portion of their education. In response to recent tightening in the credit markets, certain lenders have announced that they will apply more stringent lending standards for non-Title IV private student loans. KHE estimates that approximately 9% of its domestic revenues come from non-Title IV private loans obtained by its students. To date, KHE has not been significantly impacted by the changes in the student loan market; however, continued tightening of the credit markets may result in financing difficulties for those students who rely on non-Title IV loans. Legislative and administrative efforts by both the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Department of Education are currently pending to help enhance stability in the U.S. student loan markets; however, the ultimate outcome of these efforts is uncertain.

Test prep includes Kaplan's standardized test preparation and English-language course offerings, as well as the K12 and Score! businesses. Test prep revenue, excluding Score!, grew 7% in the first quarter of 2008, largely due to growth in English-language programs. Score! revenues declined 46% as a result of the restructuring announced in the fourth quarter of 2007, which resulted in the closing of 75 Score! centers. After closings and consolidations, Score! operates 79 centers that focus on providing computer-assisted instruction and small-group tutoring. Operating income for test prep declined in the first quarter of 2008 due to higher sales and marketing costs for the English-language and traditional test preparation programs, along with continued weakness at Score!

Professional includes Kaplan's domestic and overseas professional businesses. Professional revenue grew 21% in the first quarter of 2008 largely due to the March 2007 acquisition of EduNeering Holdings, Inc., a Princeton, NJ-based provider of knowledge management solutions for organizations in the pharmaceutical, medical device, healthcare, energy and manufacturing sectors; and the August 2007 acquisition of the education division of Financial Services Institute of Australasia. Excluding revenue from acquired businesses, professional revenue grew 2% in the first quarter of 2008 due to revenue growth at Kaplan Professional (U.K.) and Kaplan Professional (Asia-Pacific), and from growth in the Schweser CFA exam course offerings, offset by continued declines in professional's real estate book publishing and real estate course offerings. Operating income is down largely due to continued weakness in professional's real estate businesses, and severance and other transition costs related to the restructuring of the Kaplan Professional (U.S.) businesses, which was announced in the fourth quarter of 2007. In connection with this restructuring, product changes are being implemented and certain operations are being decentralized, in addition to employee terminations. The restructuring has largely been completed; $1.4 million in severance costs were recorded in the first quarter of 2008, and additional severance costs of an estimated $1.8 million are expected to be incurred during the remainder of 2008.