[Darkman]

EchoStar Reaches Agreement with Pappas Telecasting Companies to Renew Carriage of 16 Stations

Agreement Ensures Customers Will See No Interruption in Service

ENGLEWOOD, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 30, 2006--EchoStar Communications Corporation (NASDAQ: DISH) issued the following statement regarding an agreement reached last night with Pappas Telecasting Companies to continue carrying 16 of its stations:

"EchoStar is pleased we were able to reach an agreement with Pappas to continue carriage of their stations in 14 markets, ensuring our customers will continue to receive these quality channels and programming."

The Pappas owned and/or operated stations that DISH Network will continue to offer include:

-- Fox: Fresno-Visalia Calif.; Lincoln, Neb.; Omaha, Neb.; Sioux
City, Iowa; and Bakersfield, Calif.

-- ABC: Lincoln, Neb.

-- CBS: El Paso, Texas; and Sioux City, Iowa.

-- CW: Fresno-Visalia, Calif.; Greensboro, N.C.; Omaha, Neb;
Reno, Nev.; and Yakima, Wash.

-- Azteca America: Houston, Texas; Los Angeles; San Francisco;
and Sacramento.

About EchoStar Communications Corporation
EchoStar Communications Corporation (NASDAQ: DISH) serves more than 12.755 million satellite TV customers through its DISH Network(TM), and is a leading U.S. provider of advanced digital television services. DISH Network's services include hundreds of video and audio channels, Interactive TV, HDTV, sports and international programming, together with professional installation and 24-hour customer service. EchoStar has been a leader for more than 25 years in satellite TV equipment sales and support worldwide. EchoStar is included in the Nasdaq-100 Index (NDX) and is a Fortune 500 company. Visit EchoStar's Web site at www.echostar.com or call 1-800-333-DISH (3474).

CONTACT: EchoStar Communications Corporation
Francie Bauer, 720-514-5351
[email protected]

SOURCE: EchoStar Communications Corporation ( http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=68854&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=937482&highlight= )

 

[Darkman]

By John Eggerton, STAFF

(Broadcasting & Cable) _ Pappas Telecasting's tough talk on retransmission http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6395382.html?display=Breaking+News appears to have paid off...with an assist from the courts.

Only days after saying its stations would be pulled off EchoStar's DISH Network on December 1--the same date a court ordered EchoStar to stop delivering any distant network signals to customers--Pappas Telecasting said Thursday that it has come to a five-year deal with the satellite company for carriage of its TV stations in 11 markets.

DISH customers had faced losing some big-ticket programming if the injunction against delivering distant network signals to 11 markets had been combined with the loss of the local network affiliate

As part of the deal, EchoStar has agreed to add CW affiliate KCWL Lincoln, Neb., and KUNO ATV San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose.

Suggesting some of the viewers Pappas told about the pending pull-out registered their discontent, Harry Pappas, chairman and CEO, said in a statement: " We have reached an agreement that contains all of the economic terms that we had been seeking We are extremely happy for the sake of our viewers that this matter has been resolved amicably and in a timely fashion. The support of our viewers made the difference in the last twenty-four hours; we thank them one and all."

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Source: http://www.digitalproducer.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=85716