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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

[X]

QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

FOR THE QUARTERLY PERIOD ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2004

OR

[   ]

TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

FOR THE TRANSITION PERIOD FROM __________________ TO __________________

COMMISSION FILE NUMBER 000-26497

SALEM COMMUNICATIONS CORPORATION
(EXACT NAME OF REGISTRANT AS SPECIFIED IN ITS CHARTER)

REGISTRANT’S TELEPHONE NUMBER, INCLUDING AREA CODE: (805) 987-0400

      Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. YES [X] NO [   ]

      Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Exchange Act Rule 12b-2). YES [X] NO [   ]

      As of November 3, 2004, there were 20,369,642 shares of Class A common stock and 5,553,696 shares of Class B common stock of Salem Communications Corporation outstanding.

SALEM COMMUNICATIONS CORPORATION
INDEX

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SPECIAL CAUTIONARY NOTICE REGARDING FORWARD–LOOKING STATEMENTS

      From time to time, in both written reports (such as this report) and oral statements, Salem Communications Corporation (“Salem” or the “company,” including references to Salem by “we,” “us” and “our”) makes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of federal and state securities laws. Disclosures that use words such as the company “believes,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “intends,” “will,” “may” or “plans” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, as defined under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements reflect the company’s current expectations and are based upon data available to the company at the time the statements are made. Such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations. These risks as well as other risks and uncertainties are detailed from time to time in Salem’s reports on Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). Forward-looking statements made in this report speak as of the date hereof. The company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements made in this report. Any such forward-looking statements, whether made in this report or elsewhere, should be considered in context with the various disclosures made by Salem about its business. These projections or forward-looking statements fall under the safe harbors of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”).

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PART I - FINANCIAL INFORMATION

SALEM COMMUNICATIONS CORPORATION

ITEM 1. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED)

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SALEM COMMUNICATIONS CORPORATION
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(IN THOUSANDS, EXCEPT SHARE DATA)

See accompanying notes

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SALEM COMMUNICATIONS CORPORATION
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(IN THOUSANDS, EXCEPT SHARE AND PER SHARE DATA)
(UNAUDITED)

See accompanying notes

6

SALEM COMMUNICATIONS CORPORATION
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(IN THOUSANDS)
(UNAUDITED)

See accompanying notes

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SALEM COMMUNICATIONS CORPORATION
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(UNAUDITED)

NOTE 1. BASIS OF PRESENTATION

      Information with respect to the three months and nine months ended September 30, 2004 and 2003 is unaudited. The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all the information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, the unaudited interim financial statements contain all adjustments, consisting of normal recurring accruals, necessary for a fair presentation of the financial position, results of operations and cash flows of the company, for the periods presented. The results of operations for the interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results of operations for the full year. For further information, refer to the consolidated financial statements and footnotes thereto included in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2003.

      The balance sheet at December 31, 2003 has been derived from the audited financial statements at that date but does not include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP.

NOTE 2. ACQUISITIONS AND OTHER SIGNIFICANT TRANSACTIONS

      On July 2, 2004, the company entered into agreement to acquire selected assets of WRMR-AM Cleveland, Ohio for approximately $10.0 million. The company began operating the station under a local marketing agreement on July 12, 2004. We anticipate this transaction will close in the first quarter of 2005.

      On July 2, 2004, the company entered into agreement to exchange selected assets of its radio stations KHNR-AM and KHCM-AM in Honolulu, Hawaii for selected assets of KGMZ-FM in Honolulu, Hawaii. We anticipate this transaction will close in the fourth quarter of 2004.

      On July 30, 2004, the company acquired the assets of the Internet website Christianjobs.com and its related operations for $0.4 million.

      On September 29, 2004, the company and Univision Communications Inc. entered into two (2) Asset Exchange Agreements and several ancillary agreements involving the exchange by Salem of selected assets of WZFS-FM (106.7 FM), Des Plaines, Illinois (in the Chicago market) and KSFB-FM (100.7 FM), San Rafael, California (in the San Francisco market) for the selected assets of the following Univision stations: WIND-AM (560 AM), Chicago, Illinois; KOBT-FM (100.7 FM), Winnie, Texas (in the Houston market); KHCK-FM (1480 AM), Dallas, Texas; and KOSL-FM (94.3 FM), Jackson, California (in the Sacramento market). Pending FCC and all other regulatory approvals, we expect to close this transaction during the first quarter of 2005.

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NOTE 3. STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION

      Employee stock options are accounted for under Accounting Principles Board Opinion No. 25, “Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees,” which requires the recognition of expense when the option price is less than the fair value of the stock at the date of grant.

      The Company generally awards options for a fixed number of shares at an option price equal to the fair value at the date of grant. The Company has adopted the disclosure-only provisions of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (“SFAS”) No.123, “Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation” and SFAS No. 148 “Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation–Transition and Disclosure”.

      SFAS No. 123, as amended by SFAS No. 148, permits companies to recognize, as expense over the vesting period, the fair value of all stock-based awards on the date of grant. The Black-Scholes option valuation model was developed for use in estimating the fair value of traded options, which have no vesting restrictions and are fully transferable. Because the Company's stock-based compensation plans have characteristics significantly different from those of traded options and because changes in the subjective input assumptions can materially affect the fair value estimate, management believes that the existing option valuation models do not necessarily provide a reliable single measure of the fair value of awards from the plan. Therefore, as permitted, the Company applies the existing accounting rules under APB No. 25 and provides pro forma net income (loss) and pro forma earnings (loss) per share disclosures for stock-based awards vested during the year as if the fair value method defined in SFAS No. 123, as amended, had been applied. Net income (loss) and earnings (loss) per share for each of the nine months and six months ended September 30, 2004 and 2003 would have changed to the following pro forma amounts:

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NOTE 4. RECENT ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS

      Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 145

      In April 2002, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued SFAS No. 145, “Rescission of FASB Statements No. 4, 44, and 64, Amendment of FASB Statement No. 13, and Technical Corrections.” This statement rescinds SFAS No. 4, “Reporting Gains and Losses from Extinguishment of Debt,” and an amendment of that statement, SFAS Statement No. 64, “Extinguishments of Debt Made to Satisfy Sinking-Fund Requirements.” In addition, SFAS No. 145 amends FASB Statement No. 13, “Accounting for Leases.” Salem adopted this statement on January 1, 2003 and its adoption resulted in the classification of any loss on early retirement of debt in other income and expense rather than as an extraordinary item under the prior rules.

      Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 123R

      On October 13, 2004, the Financial Accounting Standards Board reached a conclusion on Statement 123R, Share-Based Payment. The Statement would require all public companies accounting for share-based payment transactions in which an enterprise receives employee services in exchange for (a) equity instruments of the enterprise or (b) liabilities that are based on the fair value of the enterprise's equity instruments or that may be settled by the issuance of such equity instruments to account for these types of transactions using a fair-value-based method. The Statement would eliminate the ability to account for share-based compensation transactions using APB Opinion No. 25, Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees for interim or annual periods beginning after June 15, 2005. The Company will be required to apply Statement 123R beginning July 1, 2005. The Statement offers the Company alternative methods of adopting this final rule. At the present time, the Company has not yet determined which method it will use nor has it determined the financial statement impact.

      Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 148

      In December 2002, the FASB issued SFAS No. 148, “Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation—Transition and Disclosure, an amendment of SFAS No. 123.” This statement amends SFAS No. 123, “Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation,” to provide alternative methods of transition for a voluntary change to the fair value based method of accounting for stock-based employee compensation. In addition, this statement amends the disclosure requirement of SFAS No. 123 to require prominent disclosure in both annual and interim financial statements about the method of accounting for stock-based employee compensation and the effect of the method used on reported results. Salem adopted this statement and its adoption did not have a material impact on Salem’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows. As permitted under the statement, Salem continues to measure any expense related to stock options under the intrinsic value method and provides the required disclosures under the fair value method in Note 2.

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NOTE 5. EQUITY OFFERING

      On May 5, 2004, Salem sold 2,325,000 shares of its Class A common stock at $30.00 per share in a public offering, generating offering proceeds of approximately $65.7 million, net of approximately $4.0 million of offering costs.

      In addition, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer sold 290,000 shares and 485,000 shares, respectively, in the public offering in May 2004, that were beneficially owned by them. Salem did not receive any monies from the sale of shares of the company’s Class A common stock by these selling stockholders.

NOTE 6. PARTIAL REDEMPTION OF $150.0 MILLION 9% SENIOR SUBORDINATED NOTES DUE 2011

      During the quarter ended June 30, 2004, Salem repurchased an aggregate amount of $55.6 million of its $150.0 million 9% of senior subordinated notes due 2011 (“9% Notes”) through a combination of redemptions and open market repurchases (the “Redemption”) pursuant to the terms of the indenture governing the 9% Notes. The Redemption resulted in a loss on early retirement of long-term debt of approximately $6.6 million. Salem used the proceeds from its follow-on offering of 2.3 million shares of Class A common stock issued in May 2004, to complete the Redemption.

NOTE 7. COSTS OF DENIED TOWER SITE AND LICENSE UPGRADE

      In April 2003, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors denied Salem’s motion to relocate its radio towers for radio station KCBQ-AM, San Diego, California. As a result of the denial, the company recorded a write-off of approximately $1.3 million in capitalized costs related to the project. Additionally, in May 2003, the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) denied Salem’s motion to increase the night-time coverage of radio station WGKA-AM, Atlanta, Georgia. As a result of the denial, the company recorded a write-off of approximately $0.9 million in capitalized costs related to the project. These write-offs were recorded in the quarter ended March 31, 2003 in Salem’s Statement of Operations as “Costs of denied tower site and license upgrade.”

NOTE 8. REDEMPTION OF $100.0 MILLION 9½% SENIOR SUBORDINATED NOTES DUE 2007

      On January 22, 2003, Salem redeemed its $100.0 million 9½% senior subordinated notes due 2007 (“9½% Notes”), representing all such notes then outstanding. The redemption resulted in a loss on early retirement of long-term debt of $6.4 million. Salem used the proceeds of its $100.0 million 7¾% senior subordinated notes due 2010 (“7¾% Notes”) issued in December 2002, and additional borrowings under Salem’s credit facility to redeem the 9½% Notes.

NOTE 9. TERMINATED OFFERING COSTS

      Salem recorded a charge of $0.7 million during the third quarter of 2003 related to the costs incurred with respect to a contemplated debt offering that was terminated during the third quarter of 2003. The charge is reported in Salem's Statement of Operations as “Cost of terminated offering.”

NOTE 10. AMORTIZABLE INTANGIBLE ASSETS

      The following tables provide details, by major category, of the significant classes of amortizable intangible assets:

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      Based on the amortizable intangible assets as of September 30, 2004, we estimate amortization expense for the next five years to be as follows:

NOTE 11. PHYSICAL INVENTORY OF PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT

      In preparation for the implementation of a fixed asset management and tracking system, Salem conducted a physical inventory audit of its property, plant and equipment. Salem completed a substantial majority of its fixed asset inventory audit during the quarter ended September 30, 2004 and expects to complete the inventory in the fourth quarter of 2004. Based on the results of the audit through September 30, 2004, the company wrote-off certain assets, with a net book value of approximately $3.1 million which was charged to loss on disposal of assets.

NOTE 12. BASIC AND DILUTED NET EARNINGS PER SHARE

      Basic net earnings per share has been computed using the weighted average number of Class A and Class B shares of common stock outstanding during the period. Diluted net earnings per share is computed using the weighted average number of Class A and Class B shares of common stock outstanding during the period plus the dilutive effects of outstanding stock options.

      Options to purchase 763,165 and 1,416,566 shares of Class A common stock were outstanding at September 30, 2003 and 2004, respectively. Diluted weighted average shares outstanding excludes outstanding stock options whose exercise price is in excess of the average price of the company’s stock price. Those options are excluded due to their antidilutive effect. For periods in which the company has a net loss, all options are excluded due to their antidilutive effect.

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NOTE 13. DERIVATIVE INSTRUMENTS

      We are exposed to fluctuations in interest rates. We actively monitor these fluctuations and use derivative instruments from time to time to manage the related risk. In accordance with our risk management strategy, we use derivative instruments only for the purpose of managing risk associated with an asset, liability, committed transaction, or probable forecasted transaction that is identified by management. Our use of derivative instruments may result in short-term gains or losses and may increase volatility in our earnings.

      We had two interest rate swap agreements outstanding as of September 30, 2004, which are used to manage our exposure to changes in the fair value of a recognized asset or liability that may result due to changes in interest rates. The counter parties to these interest rate swap agreements are major financial institutions. Although we are exposed to credit loss in the event of nonperformance by the counter parties we do not anticipate nonperformance by the counter parties nor would we expect any such loss to be material.

      At September 30, 2004, an interest rate swap agreement with a notional principal amount of $66.0 million was outstanding. This agreement relates to our $94.4 million 9% Notes. This agreement expires in 2011 when the 9% Notes mature, and effectively swaps the 9.0% fixed interest rate on $66.0 million of the 9% Notes for a floating rate equal to the LIBOR rate plus 3.09%. The estimated fair value of this swap agreement and the excess of fair value over the book value of the debt hedged by the swap, based on current market rates, were each $4.3 million at September 30, 2004. Changes in the fair value of the swap and the changes in the fair value of debt being hedged are recorded as part of interest expense. The fair value of the swap agreement is included with long