Satellite Delivers During Hurricane Frances

[Gregg Lengling]

As Hurricane Frances ravaged Florida during the Labor Day weekend, satellite TV and satellite radio companies delivered news and information to consumers.

Before the hurricane hit the Sunshine State, EchoStar and broadcasters launched an effort to ensure DISH Network customers in storm-affected areas continued to get the latest developments. The satellite TV company said Friday that certain network stations in Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Daytona Beach, Orlando, Melbourne, West Palm Beach, Ft. Pierce and Jacksonville that couldn't provide TV feeds would be temporarily replace with signals out of Tampa, with some exceptions, during the hurricane's rampage.

EchoStar also said it reinforced its Florida installation crews with a fleet of vans and technicians from Illinois, Michigan and Texas to respond quickly to residential service requests after the storm.

Also, satellite radio companies delivered local traffic and weather information to Florida listeners. XM and Sirius offered the updates via local channels serving listeners in Tampa, Orlando, and Miami/Ft. Lauderdale.