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DISH Network and DOG Get in NASCAR Race Normally, dogs on a racetrack is a recipe for disaster. Not this time. EchoStar’s DISH Network is teaming up with A&E Television Networks to co-sponsor Roush Fenway Racing’s No. 16 car in the upcoming NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race on Aug. 5 at Pocono Raceway in Pennsylvania. The car, driven by Greg Biffle, will be promoting A&E’s hit series Dog the Bounty Hunter. As part of the partnership, A&E will also employ several additional promotional tools to highlight the show at the race, including banners, pitwall signs, PA announcements and promo spots on the track’s jumbo video screen. 

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As if offering the “most technologically-advanced coverage of NASCAR in motorsports television history” wasn’t enough, ESPN said Tuesday that it will be taking its efforts to another level with the debut of the ESPN DISH Tech Center mobile television studio. The sports behemoth is launching the new advancement this weekend with its coverage of the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup in Indianapolis.

With the help of EchoStar, the ESPN DISH Tech Center will travel to all of ESPN’s NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Race venues to be “utilized” by the network’s producers and announcers for content segments that will air during race telecasts. In addition to ESPN and ESPN on ABC coverage of the final 17 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series races, segments produced from the DISH Tech Center will air during NASCAR Busch Series races that are held on the same tracks.

The studio will contain the ESPN Chevy Cutaway Car that has been used this year in ESPN’s NASCAR coverage, as well as a cutaway of a Chevrolet Car of Tomorrow being raced in some cup events this season and next. ESPN said the DISH Tech Center will also have room for displays of other race car parts like engines, transmissions and shock absorbers.

ESPN’s Tim Brewer, a two-time NASCAR champion crew chief, and other analysts will report from the studio during race telecasts to “help viewers better understand the technical and mechanical aspects of NASCAR racing,” the network said.

The DISH Tech Center is being called “the highlight” of a multi-year, multimedia agreement for NASCAR between ESPN and EchoStar consisting of media in all NASCAR races on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes; exposure on ESPN Audio and in ESPN The Magazine; a SportsCenter weekly-sponsored NASCAR report; a custom promotion on ESPN.com; and six in-car cameras per season to be featured within the NASCAR Busch Series.

ESPN’s NASCAR NEXTEL Cup coverage begins with the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard July 29 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and will include all 10 races in the “Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup” televised by ESPN on ABC.

The Cheyenne Digital Broadcast Center is the cornerstone of EchoStar Satellite L.L.C. and DISH Network™. Located on a 50-acre site in Cheyenne, Wyoming, the clear skies and 6,000-foot altitude make it an ideal location to receive and transmit programming signals.
The 160,941 square foot state-of-the-art facility receives, processes, and transmits these signals 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to its satellite fleet orbiting 22,250 miles above the Earth in the Clarke Belt. The Cheyenne facility employs approximately 275 people.
It is a growing, evolving facility, more than doubling in size during its first four years. Over a dozen antennas for receiving and transmitting signals have been added since it began operation. Since 2004, a new storage building and a new power plant building have been constructed. These new facilities also added about 15,000 square feet of office area to meet continuing needs.

Click Here to see more photos of the uplink center.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo., June 11, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) — EchoStar Communications Corporation (Nasdaq:DISH) announced today that its DISH Network(tm) satellite TV service is teaming with ESPN to create the U.S. Open Interactive TV (ITV) mosaic, a multiple picture-in-picture showcase of six distinct U.S. Open programming options, available to all of its 12 million ITV-enabled homes.

Running June 14 and 15 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. ET, the U.S. Open ITV mosaic features six different channels of U.S. Open Golf programming, including coverage of Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson; “Up Close,” featuring player interviews and press conferences with players and championship officials; Tournament Leader coverage, which highlights the top leaders in the tournament; Best Shots coverage, providing some of the most exciting and skillful shots in the game; and “The Vault,” which includes highlights from previous U.S. Open competitions. Viewers can choose to watch all six channels at once, or can navigate to view one in full-screen format.

“The DISH Network’s U.S. Open ITV mosaic offers the most comprehensive golf coverage available, giving customers a unique viewing experience that allows them to quickly preview the distinct programming options and highlights available, and then watch on a full screen whichever interests them the most,” said Eric Sahl, senior vice president of Programming for DISH Network. “The mosaic is an extraordinary addition to DISH Network’s more than 25 existing ITV channels — the most offered by any pay-TV provider in the U.S.”

“With mosaic coverage of the U.S. Open Golf championship, TV viewers are empowered to choose the content they want,” said Ben Pyne, president, Disney and ESPN Networks Affiliate Sales and Marketing. “Successful collaborations such as this one with DISH Network are critical as ESPN continues to look for new, groundbreaking ways to employ innovative interactive television applications across the industry.”

For more information about DISH Network, including its comprehensive ITV line-up, call 800-333-DISH (3474) or visit www.dishnetwork.com.

About EchoStar Communications Corporation

EchoStar Communications Corporation (Nasdaq:DISH) has been a leader for more than 26 years in satellite TV equipment sales and support worldwide. The Company’s DISH Network(tm) is the fastest-growing pay-TV provider in the country since 2000 and currently serves more than 13.4 million satellite TV customers. DISH Network offers a premier line of industry-leading Digital Video Recorders (DVRs) and hundreds of video and audio channels as well as the most national HD and International channels in the U.S., Interactive TV, Latino and sports programming. DISH Network also provides a variety of package and price options including the lowest all-digital price in America and the DishDVR Advantage Package. EchoStar is included in the Nasdaq-100 Index (NDX) and is a Fortune 300 company. Visit www.echostar.com or call 1-800-333-DISH (3474) for more information.