Exhibit 99.1 February 23, 2005 John Lowber, (907) 868-5628; jlowber@gci.com Bruce Broquet, (907) 868-6660; bbroquet@gci.com David Morris, (907) 265-5396; dmorris@gci.com FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE GCI REPORTS 2004 FINANCIAL RESULTS o GCI repurchases $41.3 million of equity from MCI o Net income of $21.3 million or $0.34 per diluted share o Consolidated revenues of $424.8 million o EBITDA of $139.0 million, as adjusted ANCHORAGE, AK -- GCI (NASDAQ:GNCMA) today reported its 2004 results with net income of $21.3 million, or diluted earnings per share of $0.34. The company's 2004 net income compares to income of $15.5 million, or diluted earnings per share of $0.24, in 2003. GCI recorded net income of $2.3 million or $0.04 per share on a diluted basis in the fourth quarter of 2004 that compares to net income of $3.7 million or $0.06 per share on a diluted basis for the fourth quarter of 2003. GCI's revenues for 2004 increased to $424.8 million, an increase of 8.7 percent over 2003 revenues of $390.8 million. For the fourth quarter of 2004, revenues totaled $105.5 million as compared to $103.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2003, an increase of 1.6 percent. Sequentially, revenues decreased 1.0 percent from third quarter 2004 revenues of $106.6 million. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) for 2004 totaled $139.0 million as adjusted, to exclude $6.1 million in bond premium expense. EBITDA for 2003 totaled $126.9 million as adjusted, to exclude a $5.4 million impairment charge related to the shut down of a first generation fiber to the lower 48. EBITDA for 2004 increased $12.1 million or 9.5 percent over 2003. EBITDA for 2004 and 2003 included MCI bad debt recoveries of $4.2 million and $2.8 million, respectively. Fourth quarter 2004 EBITDA totaled $32.2 million and compares to $36.5 million reported for the fourth quarter of 2003 as adjusted to exclude the $5.4 million impairment charge. Excluding the MCI bad debt recoveries of $0.8 million and $2.2 million recorded in the fourth quarters of 2004 and 2003, respectively, EBITDA decreased $2.9 million from the fourth quarter of 2003. The decrease in EBITDA for the fourth quarter is attributable in part to approximately $1.6 million in expenses necessary to comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX), increases in labor and benefits and special project revenue recognized in the fourth quarter of 2003. Sequentially, fourth quarter 2004 EBITDA of $32.2 million decreased $4.2 million from the third quarter 2004 EBITDA of $36.7 million, after excluding the MCI bad debt recoveries of $0.8 million and $1.1 million in the fourth and third quarters of 2004, respectively. The decrease in EBITDA is attributable, in part, to increased SOX expenses incurred in the fourth quarter of 2004, certain credits recorded in the third quarter of 2004 and seasonality. GCI continued its stock repurchase program during the fourth quarter of 2004 and first quarter of 2005. The company purchased 413,365 shares at an average price of $10.57. GCI has purchased a total of 583,965 shares since the inception of the program at an average price of $10.17 per share. The company received senior lender approval to repurchase stock of up to $10 million annually in November, 2004. In addition to the stock repurchase program, the company purchased 3.8 million GCI Class A shares and $10 million face value of GCI Series C Preferred Stock from MCI in a private transaction that closed December 7, 2004. The equity repurchase totaled $41.3 million. "This is our eighth consecutive year of record high revenues and EBITDA," said Ron Duncan, GCI president. "We had a busy and successful year. In addition to setting new financial records we refinanced $320 million in Senior Notes at 7.25 percent, repurchased $47.2 million of GCI equity, including $41.3 million from MCI, completed the redundant leg of our undersea fiber, entered into a wireless agreement with Dobson Communication and launched our conversion of local phone services to our own cable facilities." "Our 2004 results were solid as we grew all aspects of our businesses. While much of the rest of the telecom industry still remains weak, we are well positioned going into 2005. We anticipate revenues of $430 million to $440 million and EBITDA of approximately $145 million including the expected recovery of most of the remaining $3.7 million MCI receivable from 2002. For the first quarter of 2005 we expect revenues of $105 million to $107 million and EBITDA of approximately $32 million to $33 million, before any MCI recoveries." Customer Highlights: o The local services business added 6,000 net access lines during 2004 and at year-end had 112,100 total access lines in service representing an estimated 24 percent share of the total access line market in Alaska. GCI added 8,500 voice access lines after excluding approximately 2,500 Internet Service Provider dial-up lines that were turned down during 2004. The company added approximately 1,700 access lines in the fourth quarter of 2004. o At the end of 2004, GCI had more than 8,000 Digital Local Phone Service (DLPS) lines in service and plans to provision approximately 25,000 additional lines by the end of 2005. o GCI had 101,600 statewide Internet customers at the end of 2004, an increase of 5,900 subscribers as compared with 95,700 users at the end of 2003. 65,500 of these Internet customers are using GCI cable modem access services, an increase of 19,500 over the 46,000 at year-end 2003. The company added 500 Internet and 4,300 new cable modem subscribers during the fourth quarter of 2004. o GCI cable television services pass 207,248 homes and serve 134,742 basic subscribers at the end of 2004. Basic subscribers increased by 392 from the fourth quarter of 2003 and increased by 484 from the third quarter of 2004. o Digital programming tier subscribers at the end of 2004 total 46,100 an increase of 11,200 subscribers for the year. GCI added 3,500 new digital programming tier subscribers during the fourth quarter of 2004. o Long-distance billable minutes increased 3.3 percent to 1.197 billion minutes for the year 2004 as compared to 2003. Minutes for the fourth quarter of 2004 decreased 4.4 percent from the prior year. Minutes decreased 6.4 percent sequentially from the third quarter of 2004 due, in part, to seasonality. Long Distance Results Long distance and related revenues for 2004 were up 6.1 percent to $250.5 million as compared to $236.0 million for the prior year. Long distance EBITDA in 2004, as adjusted, totaled $84.3 million, as compared to $81.7 million, as adjusted, in 2003, an increase of 3.2 percent. The increase in year-over-year revenue is primarily attributable to an increase in managed services and data network services revenues. EBITDA growth for 2004 is primarily attributable to increased revenues. For the fourth quarter of 2004, long distance revenues totaled $60.5 million as compared to revenues of $61.4 million in the fourth quarter of 2003 and $63.2 million in the third quarter of 2004. Long distance revenues decreased 1.5 percent from the prior year and 4.3 percent sequentially. Long distance revenues year-over-year would have increased $0.7 million excluding $1.6 million of special project revenue recorded in the fourth quarter of 2003. The fourth quarter sequential revenue decreases are attributed in part to normal seasonal patterns and from carrying fewer minutes on the company's network for other common carriers. Long distance EBITDA decreased 25.4 percent for the fourth quarter of 2004 to $17.3 million as compared to $23.2 million, as adjusted, in the fourth quarter of the prior year and decreased $7.1 million from $24.4 million in the third quarter of 2004. Excluding the MCI bad debt recoveries of $0.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2004 and $1.1 million in the third quarter of 2004, EBITDA, as adjusted, would have decreased from the prior year and sequentially, $4.5 million and $6.8 million, respectively. The EBITDA decreases are attributable in part to fewer minutes carried on the company's network for other common carriers, $1.6 million of special project revenue reported in the prior year, increases in contract labor, personnel costs and Sarbanes-Oxley related expenses. Long-distance billable minutes increased 3.3 percent to 1.197 billion minutes for the year 2004 as compared to 2003. Long distance minutes-of-use in the fourth quarter of 2004 were down 4.4 percent as compared to the fourth quarter of 2003 and decreased 6.4 percent from the third quarter of 2004. The fourth quarter decrease in minutes from the same quarter a year ago is primarily due to fewer minutes carried on the company's network for other common carriers partially offset by an increase in retail minutes. The total number of billed long distance customers at the end of 2004 increased to 91,300 from 85,600 at the end of 2003, and was up 1.1 percent from September, 2004. Cable Television Results Cable television revenues for the year increased 5.6 percent to $101.4 million in 2004 from $96.0 million in 2003. EBITDA increased 7.3 percent to $45.4 million from $42.3 million in 2003. The increase in revenues and EBITDA for the year is due primarily to an increase in the average revenue per subscriber as a result of increased penetration of packaged offerings, digital programming service and cable modem services. Also contributing to the growth was an increase in advertising revenue from the 2004 Olympics and the November 2004 elections. Cable television revenues for the fourth quarter of 2004 increased 4.8 percent to $26.2 million as compared to $25.0 million in the fourth quarter of 2003, and increased 4.0 percent from $25.2 million in the third quarter of 2004. EBITDA increased 11.8 percent to $12.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2004 as compared to $11.0 million in the fourth quarter of 2003, and increased 16.0 percent from $10.6 million in the third quarter of 2004. The increase in revenues and EBITDA year-over-year is due to the sales of higher value products such as The Ultimate Package, the digital programming tier and cable modem services. Gross margin for the fourth quarter as a percentage of revenues increased by 84 basis points year-over-year and increased by 198 basis points sequentially. Increased sales of higher value products such as digital programming and cable modems is helping to mitigate the effects of continuing increases in program and copyright costs. As of December 31, 2004, the company's cable and entertainment operations passed 207,248 homes and served 134,742 basic subscribers (107,843 equivalent basic subscribers). Homes passed increased 2.5 percent and basic subscribers increased by 392 during 2004. Average revenue per equivalent basic subscriber increased 6.5 percent to $81.33 for the fourth quarter of 2004 as compared to $76.34 for the fourth quarter of 2003, and increased 2.5 percent on a sequential basis. The company experienced an increase of 484 subscribers to its systems during the fourth quarter of 2004. GCI's packaged offering of long distance, local, Internet and cable television service appears to be mitigating the effects of DBS competition that accelerated during the fourth quarter of 2003. The company offers digital programming tier(s) in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, Kenai, Soldotna, Ketchikan and the Mat-Su Valley area. GCI has 73 percent of its basic cable subscribers receiving service through a digital set-top box and 46,122 purchased the digital programming tier at the end of the fourth quarter of 2004. GCI now offers 10 channels of HDTV to customers in the Anchorage and Mat-Su Valley area. The operating statistics below include capital expenditures and customer information from cable services and the components of local services and Internet services which offer services utilizing our cable services' facilities. GCI's capital expenditures by standard reporting category for the year ending December 31, 2004 and 2003 follow (amounts in thousands): 2004 2003 ----------- ------------ Customer premise equipment $ 16,772 10,713 Commercial 574 705 Scalable infrastructure 4,979 2,221 Line extensions 1,752 1,270 Upgrade/rebuild 9,476 3,800 Support capital 1,427 503 ----------- ------------ $ 34,980 19,212 =========== ============ The standard definition of a customer relationship is the number of customers who receive at least one level of service, encompassing voice, video, and data services, without regard to which services customers purchase. These relationships do not include local telephone customers except those served by the cable television plant. At December 31, 2004 and 2003, GCI's cable business had 122,700 and 121,900 customer relationships, respectively. The standard definition of a revenue-generating unit is the sum of all primary analog video, digital video, cable modem and DLPS customers, not counting additional outlets. At December 31, 2004 and 2003, GCI's cable business had 208,300 and 180,400 revenue generating units, respectively. The increase in the revenue generating units of 8,900 and 2,200 from September 30, 2004 and 2003, respectively, is due primarily to an increase in the number of cable modem customers partially offset by the seasonal decline in hotels that only subscribe to cable television services for the summer tourist season. Each hotel room is considered a revenue-generating unit. Local Telephone Results Local telephone service revenues for the year increased 20.5 percent to $47.0 million as compared to $39.0 million in 2003. Local services generated a $0.4 million EBITDA loss for 2004, compared to a loss of $2.5 million in 2003. The $2.1 million improvement in EBITDA year-over-year is primarily related to increasing market share. If the local telephone business received credit for access cost savings on calls placed by GCI long distance customers who are also GCI local customers, the local telephone business would have reported positive EBITDA of $6.7 million for 2004. Local telephone service revenues totaled $12.4 million in the fourth quarter of 2004 as compared to $11.8 million in the prior year. Revenues increased $0.9 million or 7.8 percent from the third quarter of 2004. Local services generated a EBITDA loss of $0.4 million during the fourth quarter of 2004 as compared to the prior year fourth quarter EBITDA of $0.7 million and as compared to the third quarter's EBITDA loss of $0.8 million. The decrease in EBITDA of $1.1 million for the fourth quarter of 2004 was due primarily to Universal Service Fund revenue accruals in the fourth quarter 2003. GCI had 112,100 access lines in service at the end of 2004, an increase of 6,000 access lines or 5.7 percent over the year 2003. GCI added 8,500 voice access lines after excluding approximately 2,500 Internet Service Provider dial-up lines that were turned down during 2004. The company added approximately 1,700 local access lines in the fourth quarter, an increase of 1.5 percent over the third quarter of 2004. The company estimates it has attained a 24 percent local service market share in Alaska. Approximately 85 percent of GCI's access lines are provisioned on its own facilities or on resold local loops. In early April 2004, GCI began converting customers to its DLPS technology. The rollout of DLPS enables GCI to avoid wholesale and loop rental charged by the incumbent local exchange carrier. At the end of 2004, GCI had more than 8,000 DLPS lines in service and plans to provision approximately 25,000 additional lines by the end of 2005. Internet Access Results As of December 31, 2004, GCI had 101,600 statewide Internet customers, an increase of 5,900 customers over the prior year 2003. GCI's total statewide Internet customers at the end of 2004 included 65,500 subscribers using cable modem access, an increase of 19,500 customers as compared to 46,000 cable modem customers at the end of 2003. Internet access revenues for 2004 totaled $26.0 million, an increase of 31.3 percent over 2003 revenues of $19.8 million. Internet EBITDA for the year totaled $9.6 million, an improvement of $4.2 million as compared to $5.4 million for 2003. The revenue and EBITDA increases results from more customers served, the migration of existing customers from dial-up to cable modem access and customers adding more features and services, increasing economies of scale, and effective operating cost controls. Internet access revenues increased 16.4 percent to $6.4 million in the fourth quarter of 2004 as compared to $5.5 million for the fourth quarter of 2003. Internet access revenues decreased 4.5 percent from $6.7 million in the third quarter of 2004. Fourth quarter 2004 EBITDA of $3.1 million is an improvement of $1.5 million as compared to $1.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2003, and is an improvement of $0.7 million over the third quarter of 2004. GCI added 500 new Internet subscribers and 4,300 cable modem customers in the fourth quarter of 2004. Total cable modem revenues for the fourth quarter of 2004 increased 4.3 percent sequentially when compared to the third quarter of 2004 and increased 19.1 percent year-over-year. At the end of the fourth quarter of 2004 GCI's average revenue per cable modem (ARPM) was $31.94 as compared to $33.51 at the end of the third quarter of 2004 and $37.63 at the end of the fourth quarter of 2003. The increase in sequential and year-over-year revenues is due to the increase in modem customers. The decline in ARPM is due to an increase in the percentage of total customers taking GCI's discounted cable modem products. GCI began offering Internet access services during 1998 and its dial-up Internet service is offered in most major Alaska markets. GCI is the largest Internet access provider in Alaska. Other Items During 2004, core capital expenditures totaled $80.4 million, as compared to $46.0 million in 2003. GCI recorded $32.2 million in capital expenditures related to the new undersea fiber during 2004. GCI will hold a conference call to discuss 2004 results, including the fourth quarter, on Thursday, February 24, 2005 beginning at 2 p.m. (Eastern). To access the briefing on February 24, call the MCI conference operator between 1:50 p.m. and 2 p.m. (Eastern) at 888-455-3614. (International callers should dial 312-470-0009) and identify your call as "GCI." In addition to the conference call, GCI will make available net conferencing. To access the call via net conference, log on to www.gci.com and follow the instructions. The call will be archived online for two weeks. A replay of the call will be available at 4 p.m. (Eastern) for 72-hours by dialing 866-435-1327, access code 7461 (International callers should dial 203-369-1023.) GCI is the largest Alaska-based and operated integrated telecommunications provider. A pioneer in bundled services, GCI provides local, wireless, and long distance telephone, cable television, Internet and data communication services throughout Alaska. More information about the company can be found at www.gci.com. The foregoing contains forward-looking statements regarding the company's expected results that are based on management's expectations as well as on a number of assumptions concerning future events. Actual results might differ materially from those projected in the forward looking statements due to uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside GCI's control. Additional information concerning factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward looking statements is contained in GCI's cautionary statement sections of Form 10-K and 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. # # #