Dish Brings Local Channels to Toledo, Ohio

[Chris Blount]

ENGLEWOOD, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 17, 2004--EchoStar Communications Corporation (NASDAQ: DISH) announced today that its DISH Network(TM) will offer local TV channels by satellite television to the Toledo, Ohio, area. The following local TV channels will be available: ABC Ch. 13 (WTVG), CBS Ch. 11 (WTOL), NBC Ch. 24 (WNWO), FOX Ch. 36 (WUPW), PAX Ch. 40 (WLMB) and PBS Ch. 30 (WGTE).

This is the first time local TV channels are available on satellite in the Toledo-area, providing an alternative to local cable TV service. DISH Network now offers local channels as part of its new Digital Home Advantage. Starting at $29.99 per a month, this promotion offers customers free installation for up to four TVs, with no commitment and no hardware to buy and includes more than 60 popular TV channels such as ESPN, Discovery and Nickelodeon, plus local Toledo TV channels.

DISH Network has frozen the lowest all digital TV price through January 2005. Customers can call DISH Network or a local satellite TV retailer to learn how to get a free multi-satellite dish antenna required to receive Toledo-area local channels. DISH Network also provides digital video recording technologies, high definition TV and more than 60 international channels to the Toledo-area.

"The addition of local channels on DISH Network gives customers in the Toledo-area a final reason to choose DISH Network over cable," said Eric Sahl, vice president of Programming. "Customers in Toledo and the surrounding area now have more programming and product choices at a better price, with the ability to watch the news, weather and sports that matter most to them."

DISH Network offers local channels via satellite to 12 counties in the Toledo-area: Leenawee, Defiance, Fulton, Hancock, Henry, Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky, Seneca, Williams, Wood, and Wyandot counties.

With the addition of Toledo, DISH Network offers local channels in 133 cities and their metro areas, in 50 states and in the District of Columbia.

For customers who do not subscribe to Digital Home Advantage, local channels will be available at $5.99 per month.

For more information on DISH Network, visit www.dishnetwork.com, call 1-800/333-DISH (3474), or contact your local DISH Network retailer. For downloadable, print quality images of DISH Network equipment, installations or the DISH Network logo, visit www.dishnetwork.com/content/aboutus/presskit/print/index.shtml.

Source (http://www.corporate-ir.net/ireye/ir_site.zhtml?ticker=dish&script=410&layout=-6&item_id=582566)

[speedy882001]

About Time! I have only waited 5 + years for this so I can dump TW. Now I am going to be transfered to Houston TX. Figures, when Dish finally gets around to it I am leaving.

[kevruth]

I do have a question about the locals package. When I went to Dish's website and ran the test to see if I qualified it said I did for the Toledo stations. But then below that it said I qualified for Superstations for UPN and WB networks that Toledo doesn't have. Does that mean those Superstations are included in the $5.99 price or is this something extra that I'm going to have to pay for?

I also wondered if Dish would exchange FS Detroit for FS Cincinnati. We don't live near Cincinnati and Toledo is even closer to Detroit than Cleveland. Anyone know if they would do that?

Thanks,

Kevin from Perrysburg

[TonyM]

I do have a question about the locals package. When I went to Dish's website and ran the test to see if I qualified it said I did for the Toledo stations. But then below that it said I qualified for Superstations for UPN and WB networks that Toledo doesn't have. Does that mean those Superstations are included in the $5.99 price or is this something extra that I'm going to have to pay for?
no. You can add them for 5.99 or 1.50 each. Where I live, we don't have a WB or UPN OTA. I got WPIX for the WB programming (and the Mets games)


I also wondered if Dish would exchange FS Detroit for FS Cincinnati. We don't live near Cincinnati and Toledo is even closer to Detroit than Cleveland. Anyone know if they would do that?

Thanks,

Kevin from Perrysburg
nope. The RSN's claim specific areas. Unfortunatelly, the only way to get FSN Detroit would be to get the sports pack...the only problem is all the pro sports would be blacked out

[Link]

Isn't WTOL CBS 11 one of the highest rated CBS stations in the country??

[JohnG]

nope. The RSN's claim specific areas. Unfortunatelly, the only way to get FSN Detroit would be to get the sports pack...the only problem is all the pro sports would be blacked outWe also live in Wood County (Bowling Green) and needed to order the sports pack in order to get Detroit sports--but I can't remember a time that a Detroit pro sports game was blacked out. Presumably Toledo would be in the same category.Although we don't get FSN Detroit by default, we are considered in-market for the Tigers and Red Wings so they don't black them out by default on the sports pack (except for the first 24 hours after you order sports pack--it takes a while for Dish to send permission to see the pro sports).Tiger's baseball is the reason we got satellite TV.Unfortunately we'll have to keep lifeline cable to get "frequently viewed" UPN 50 in order to see the Tiger games they broadcast. Other reasons are to get channel 9 from Windsor, Ontario and its Canadian Olympics coverage as well as the ability to get WBGU, the BG PBS station. We also get cable channel WB 14 that way.