DISH Network Now Offers Local Channels Via Satellite To Minneapolis - St. Paul
EchoStar Communications Corp. (NASDAQ: DISH, DISHP) announced Monday that DISH Networkô will begin offering local KSTP-ABC (Ch. 5), WCCO-CBS (Ch. 4), KARE-NBC (Ch. 11) and WFTC-FOX (Ch. 29) network channels by satellite to 57 counties in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area starting Tuesday, December 21. EchoStar's new DISH 500 satellite TV systems allows consumers to subscribe to hundreds of all-digital channel choices, including their local broadcast networks, popular sports, news and entertainment programming and dozens of premium movie channels using a convenient, single small dish. With final passage of satellite TV legislation by Congress, DISH Network can now provide dissatisfied cable customers an affordable and complete alternative by offering local ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX network channels from Minneapolis-St. Paul for a package price of only $4.99 per month. A national PBS channel can be purchased for an additional $1 per month. DISH Network also plans to soon offer popular independent network channels in some markets. With the addition of Minneapolis-St. Paul, DISH Network currently offers local channels in 14 cities: New York; Los Angeles; Chicago; San Francisco; Boston; Washington, D.C.; Dallas/Ft. Worth; Atlanta; Miami; Phoenix; Denver; Pittsburgh and Salt Lake City. DISH Network plans to expand its local channel offerings to more than 33 cities by the end of March 2000, which would provide local channels via satellite to approximately 60 percent of the U.S. households. To find out how you can get your local channels along with hundreds of channels of popular satellite television programming, visit www.dishnetwork.com, phone 800 333-DISH (3474), or contact your local DISH Network retailer. DISH Network is EchoStar's state-of-the-art direct broadcast satellite system that is capable of offering over 500 channels of digital video and CD-quality audio programming, fully MPEG-2/DVB compliant hardware and installation. DISH Network was also ranked number one in customer satisfaction among satellite/cable TV subscribers by the J.D. Power and Associates 1999 Cable/Satellite TV Customer Satisfaction Study. EchoStar V, EchoStar's newest high-power direct broadcast satellite, launched on a Lockheed Martin Atlas IIAS rocket on September 23, 1999, to the 110 degrees W.L. orbital location. In addition to local channels, EchoStar V allows DISH Network to offer 500 channels, including high definition television, Dolby Digital surround sound, Internet and high-speed interactive television and data services, all on a single dish. DISH Network, which currently serves 3.25 million customers, is a trademark of EchoStar Communications Corporation. DISH Network is located on the Internet at www.dishnetwork.com.