CNN’S LOU DOBBS TO INTERVIEW DIRECTVs EDDY HARTENSTEIN DURING SPRING SKYFORUM IN NEW YORK

ALEXANDRIA, Va.., May 7, 2003 – CNN Anchor and Managing Editor Lou Dobbs will interview DIRECTV Chairman and CEO Eddy Hartenstein as part of the featured 9-9:30 a.m. one-on-one CEO interview during the Satellite Broadcasting and Communications Association’s spring SkyFORUM, the satellite services industry’s top financial symposium, to be held on Tuesday, May 20 at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York.

With more than three decades of experience in broadcast and print journalism, Dobbs is one of the most respected names in the media world. He is the anchor and managing editor of CNN's Lou Dobbs Moneyline and a founding member of the network in 1980 as well as CNN’s financial news division. Additionally, Dobbs anchors a nationally syndicated financial news radio report. He also writes a monthly column for Money magazine, a weekly syndicated column for the Sunday issue of the New York Daily News and a bi-weekly column for the newsweekly magazine U.S. News and World Report.

In addition to Hartenstein’s position at DIRECTV he is chairman of DIRECTV Latin America, LLC and corporate senior executive vice president of Hughes Electronics Corporation. Hartenstein is responsible for the strategic planning of DIRECTV and is also a member of the HUGHES Executive Committee. He has headed DIRECTV since its inception in 1990 and was responsible for assembling the DIRECTV management team and guiding its strategic efforts to develop the business infrastructure necessary to launch the direct-to-home entertainment distribution service.

The bi-annual SkyFORUM, hosted by SBCA and its SkyTRENDS partners, brings together Wall Street’s analyst and investment community with top satellite and telecom industry executives to discuss topical issues and upcoming trends.

“With Lou Dobbs, we can expect an in-depth interview that will probe DIRECTV’s plans for the future,” said Clay Mowry, president of Arianespace, Inc. and SkyTRENDS chair. “We can also count on Eddy Hartenstein to provide our audience with interesting perspectives not just on his company, but also on the satellite industry as a whole.”

As announced last month, Chase Carey, a member of the board of directors and consultant to News Corporation, will be the afternoon keynote speaker at SkyFORUM. Carey will address the increasingly competitive landscape in the multichannel television industry and how consumers will benefit as a result of this heightened competition.

The SkyFORUM program will also include live demonstrations of emerging consumer product and services technologies, keynote addresses, panel discussions, and the most current consumer research on DBS subscribers conducted by The Taylor Group. In addition, recent global research on the satellite industry and the competitive multichannel video providers market will be featured.

Other panels scheduled for the spring SkyFORUM include:

• Satellite Radio: Tuning In to a National Audience

• Straight from the Street: Satellite’s Leading Analysts Speak Out
• Satellite Broadband: A Look at Consumer and Commercial Applications
• Super Session on High Definition Television and Digital Video Recorders

Additional information and registration for SkyFORUM can be found on the SBCA web site www.sbca.com or by contacting Jennifer Seetin or Brian Lynch at SBCA at 888.888.8888.

SkyFORUM was developed to create a higher awareness of the satellite industry among the financial and investment communities, and the media. SkyTRENDS is the SBCA’s market research, data collection and reporting program for the satellite services industry. SkyTRENDS is a committee of the SBCA and is directed by SBCA’s SkyTRENDS partners with assistance from Media Business Corp.

The Satellite Broadcasting and Communications Association (www.sbca.com) is the national trade organization representing all segments of the satellite industry.  It is committed to expanding the utilization of satellite technology for the broadcast delivery of video, audio, data, music, voice, interactive and broadband services.  The SBCA is composed of DBS, C-band, broadband, satellite radio, and other satellite service and launch vehicle providers, content providers, equipment manufacturers, distributors, retailers, encryption vendors, and national and regional distribution companies that make up the satellite services industry.