Dish Network Programming Updates

DISH for Kids Celebrates First Birthday on DISH Network PLUS STARZ!/Encore Offers DISH Network Customers a Free Weekend Preview!

Littleton, Colo., Tuesday, Sept. 28, 1999 -- EchoStar Communications Corp. (NASDAQ: DISH, DISHP) is proud to announce today that DISH NetworkÔ is celebrating the one-year anniversary of DISH for Kids on Oct. 3, plus DISH Network customers can watch all four STARZ!/Encore channels FREE during the "Billion Dollar Box Office Free Preview Weekend," Oct. 1-3!

DISH for Kids

DISH for Kids launched Oct. 3, 1998, on DISH Network’s Channel 100 as a weekly show designed to give kids a sneak preview of family-oriented programs available on DISH Network. Since its debut, young DISH for Kids host Britney Troisi has flown across the country to bring DISH Network kids special interviews with CNN anchors and Olympic ice-skaters Michelle Kwan, Nicole Bobek and Todd Eldridge. She also covered the 1999 Junior Goodwill Games. DISH For Kids will continue bringing on- the-road coverage of exciting events relating to kids plus much more!

"Britney’s the kind of kid everyone loves," said Mary Peterson, vice president of Marketing at EchoStar. "She has tons of energy, and she is fun and intelligent. She relates well to DISH Network’s next generation of subscribers. In fact, after only one year, the show’s popularity has made it hard for her to travel unrecognized!"

DISH for Kids helps to educate young viewers about all the fantastic programming DISH Network offers that’s just for them, like Animal Planet, Discovery Channel, Noggin, Cartoon Network, HBO Family, Showtime, Toon Disney, Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, Fox Family Channel, and many more. DISH For Kids is shot on location at the DISH Network studio in Littleton, Colo., with post-production work conducted at its uplink facility in Cheyenne, Wyo.

"I love hosting DISH For Kids because we cover the best events and talk about the coolest shows on DISH Network that’s just for us," said Troisi, the 15-year-old host for DISH for Kids. "We show clips of the most exciting new shows and movies, so kids always know the best programs to watch. Plus we have awesome giveaways like CDs, books, cameras and backpacks."

For more information about DISH for Kids, visit www.dishnetwork.com/cchat/dishforkids.

STARZ!/Encore FREE Preview:

DISH Network customers can watch all four STARZ!/Encore channels FREE during the "Billion Dollar Box Office Free Preview Weekend," Oct. 1-3. Customers have the opportunity to see new hit movies on STARZ! like The Waterboy and Rush Hour or One True Thing and Pleasantville on STARZ! Theater, as well as box-office hits on The New Encore channel and western classics on Encore’s Westerns channel.

STARZ!: STARZ! is the best, 100-percent all-movie channel that features more hit films during primetime than any other premium movie channel.

STARZ! Theater: The hottest four movies from STARZ! played at the same time every day for a week. If you've missed it on STARZ!, watch it on STARZ! Theater.

The New Encore: The ultimate commercial-free movie channel destination delivering recent box-office hits.

Encore’s Westerns: Features round-the-clock programming of the best western movies and classic western television series.

For more information about STARZ!/Encore, visit www.dishnetwork.com/movies.

DISH Network currently offers America’s Top 100 CD programming package for only $28.99 per month and STARZ!/Encore package for only $10.99 per month, providing crystal-clear, CD-quality audio and video channels with a single small satellite dish.

DISH Network is EchoStar’s state-of-the-art DBS system with the capability to offer 500 channels of digital video and CD-quality audio programming, fully MPEG-2/DVB compliant hardware and installation. DISH Network is a trademark of EchoStar Communications Corporation and currently serves 2.8 million customers. DISH Network was also rated 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 Sept. 23 on a Lockheed Martin Atlas IIAS rocket. EchoStar V allows DISH Network to offer 500 channels, including high definition television, more local channels, and high-speed interactive television and data services. For more information, visit www.dishnetwork.com.