Good News For DISH Network Customers

[js6751]

DISH NETWORK® OUTLINES UPCOMING HD LAUNCH SCHEDULE

Englewood, Colo., March 18, 2008 – DISH Network Corporation (NASDAQ: DISH), the nation's third-largest pay-TV provider, today confirmed that plans to enhance its HD programming line-up this spring remain on track, despite the launch anomaly experienced by the AMC-14 satellite on March 14.

Over the next two months, DISH Network will increase its local HD offering by more than 60 percent with the addition of HD broadcast networks in the following markets:

April

· Abilene, TX
· Austin, TX
· Baltimore, MD
· Columbia, SC
· Flint-Saginaw-Bay City, MI
· Ft. Myers, FL
· Greensboro, NC
· Milwaukee, WI
· Orlando, FL
· Providence, RI
· Tampa, FL
· West Palm Beach, FL

May

· Beaumont, TX
· Burlington, VT
· Grand Rapids, MI
· Green Bay, WI
· Greenville, SC
· Huntsville, AL
· Knoxville, TN
· Norfolk, VA
· Richmond, VA


"DISH Network customers can be reassured that the expansion of our HD programming over the next few months will proceed as planned," said Charlie Ergen, Chairman, CEO and President of DISH Network. "We are fortunate to have two more satellites scheduled for launch later this year to continue our HD rollout and reach our year-end goal of 100 local HD markets and 100 national HD channels."

Upcoming national HD announcements may include the addition of ABC Family HD, AMC HD, BET HD, The Biography Channel HD, Bravo HD, Cartoon Network HD, CMT HD, CNN HD, Disney Channel HD, ESPN News HD, HBO2 HD, IFC HD, MGM HD, MoreMAX HD, MTV HD, Nickelodeon HD, Sci-Fi HD, Smithsonian Channel HD, Starz Edge HD, Tennis Channel HD, Superstation WGN HD, The Weather Channel HD, Toon Disney HD, USA Network HD and VH-1 HD.

For more information about DISH Network, call 1-800-333-DISH (3474), visit DISH Network -- Home, or visit your local DISH Network retailer.
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[vegasvic]

Hopefully they can get the AMC-14 in place.  So far they haven't corrected the problem.

[foxeng]

Dish's SEC filing this week said it WOULD effect their HD roll out. So who is telling who the truth? The PR people to the masses or Dish to the regulators?

[js6751]

AMC14 will have no effect on the upcoming HD channels (it is only 4 transponders that they aren't going to be able to use, room for about 28 HD channels)...they will be on the 61.5 orbital location (Milwaukee HD Locals), so a lot of us will need an additional dish installed-done free of charge, but only once the Milwaukee channels are turned on.

Dish held a special retailer chat a few days ago, and VP Jim DeFranco said that they are still full speed ahead on their HD channel additions!