EchoStar Communications Corp. (NASDAQ: DISH, DISHP) has announced that DISH Networkô is now offering local WFTV-ABC (Ch. 9), WKMG-CBS (Ch. 6), WESH-NBC (Ch. 2), and WOFL-FOX (Ch. 35) by satellite television to nine counties in the greater Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbourne area.With final passage of satellite TV legislation by Congress last December, DISH Network can now provide cable customers an affordable and complete alternative by offering local ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX network channels 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 offer popular independent network channels in some markets.DISH Network offers crystal-clear local channels to Orlando in the following counties: Brevard, Osceola, Flagler, Seminole, Lake, Sumter, Marion, Volusia and OrangeWith the addition of Orlando, DISH Network currently offers local channels in over 20 cities: New York; Los Angeles; Chicago; Philadelphia; San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose; Boston; Dallas-Ft. Worth; Washington, D.C.; Detroit; Atlanta; Seattle-Tacoma; Minneapolis-St. Paul; Miami-Ft. Lauderdale; Phoenix; Denver; Pittsburgh; Nashville; Salt Lake City; Kansas City, Kan., and Kansas City, Mo.; and Houston.DISH Network is currently offering every cable customer in Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbourne a FREE DISH 500 satellite TV system and FREE installation with a one-year commitment to $39.98 per month in programming. DISH Network's new DISH 500 satellite TV systems offer local networks, as well as hundreds of all-digital channel choices using a single small dish, including popular sports, news and entertainment programming and dozens of premium movie channels. DISH Network offers America's Top 100 CD programming package starting at only $28.99 for over 100 channels.For more information about receiving your local channels along with hundreds of channels of popular satellite television programming, a FREE DISH 500 satellite TV system and FREE installation, visit www.dishnetwork.com, phone 800 333-DISH (3474), or contact your local DISH Network retailer.About DISH NetworkDISH Network is EchoStar's state-of-the-art direct broadcast satellite TV 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. EchoStar V allows DISH Network to offer up to 500 channels, including local channels, high definition television, Dolby Digital surround sound, Internet and high-speed interactive television and data services, all on a single dish antenna. DISH Network, which currently serves over 3.4 million customers, is a trademark of EchoStar Communications Corporation.
DISH Network is located on the Internet at www.dishnetwork.com.