- - - DISH Network Has Record August - - -

EchoStar added approximately 130,000 net new DISH Network customers in August, a record for the month and a 78 percent increase over the number of net new customers added in August 1998.

The additions bring DISH Network's total customer base to 2.84 million.

The record August marks the eleventh consecutive month DISH Network has achieved customer growth of more than 100,000 net additions. For the first eight months of 1999, DISH Network has added 900,000 net subscribers, an increase of 84 percent over the first eight months of 1998.

- - - Motorola Eyes GI - - -

Communications giant Motorola is in talks to buy General Instrument in a stock deal valued at about $10 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday.

Any merger would allow both companies to take advantage of their existing technologies in the booming broadband business. Edward Breen, General Instrument CEO, is expected to remain as head of the company once it becomes a Motorola unit, the Journal said.

Citing "people familiar with the matter," the Journal also said each share in General Instrument would be exchanged for a little more than half a Motorola share under the proposed transaction.

- - - TV Guide-Source Media Settle Differences - - -

TV Guide and Source Media entered into a settlement agreement that resolved all disputes between the two companies, including a lawsuit filed by Source Media in Texas.

TV Guide and Source Media said they did not pay any money in connection with the lawsuit or the settlement.

TV Guide markets and distributes magazines and other products in the United States to more than 100 million cable and satellite homes every week. It also has an interactive program guide and the Superstar C-Band programming business.

- - - Hurricane Dampens DISH Satellite Launch - - -

Cape Canaveral Air Station and most of east Florida spent Monday preparing for Hurricane Floyd, putting the brakes on any launch for EchoStar 5.

As Hurricane Floyd steadily approached the Florida coast, Cape Canaveral Air Station entered Hurricane Condition 2. Workers have begun preparations for securing facilities in the event the storm should impact the Space Coast.

The EchoStar 5 launch has been delayed twice. Officials pushed back the initial launch date last week due to inclement weather. It was delayed again Sunday because of a faulty piece of equipment on the rocket. The pending hurricane deterred officials from scheduling a new launch time.

In addition to the stalled $250 million EchoStar mission, a $70 million Atlas rocket being readied to launch a Navy satellite this fall, a $55 million Boeing-built Delta 2 rocket being stacked for launch Sept. 23 with a Global Positioning System satellite, and a $350 million Titan 4B rocket that will carry a Defense Support Program missile-warning satellite into space on Nov. 22, are all trapped on launch pads until officials say it's safe to move them.

- - - CORRECTION: On EchoStar Launch - - -

The fourth paragraph of Monday's story on the scrubbed launch for EchoStar 5 mistakenly referred to glitches with the satellite rather than the Atlas 2AS rocket. SkyREPORT.COM regrets the error.

- - - XM Radio Sets IPO Terms - - -

XM Satellite Radio has set its initial public offering at 10 million class A common shares.

The stock has a projected price of $14 to $16 per share. XM has applied to trade its shares on Nasdaq under the symbol "XMSR."

The Washington, D.C.-based company plans to offer digital music, sports, news and other audio entertainment via satellite. XM reports it will use the estimated $138.7 million in net proceeds from the IPO for working capital and general corporate purposes.

XM holds one of two licenses issued by the Federal Communications Commission to provide satellite digital audio radio services in the United States. The company plans to initiate service in the second quarter of 2001.

- - - TECHNOLOGY: - - -

• Sarnoff, DirecTV Plan Integrated Boxes -
  Sarnoff Corporation said Monday that by the end of the year consumers will be able to buy a set-top box that allows them to receive digital television from both terrestrial TV stations and DirecTV satellite broadcasts on their analog TVs. The company said it is creating a reference design for integrated broadcast/satellite set-top converter boxes under an agreement with DirecTV.

• SCM Demonstrates PC Satellite Receiver -
  SCM Microsystems, an OEM supplier of digital access control and connectivity solution, demonstrated a universal PC satellite receiver Monday called the NetCast Streamer. The technology attaches to a PC's Universal Serial Bus port and allows users to receive data from satellite transmissions. NetCast Streamer enables high speed Internet access, file delivery, high-quality audio, full-motion video and digital TV reception.

• SkyStream Releases New Software -
  SkyStream has developed a new software suite for its networking platform. The technology enables broadcasters to deploy Internet and IP-based data over their video networks. This bandwidth-management software will be offered as part of the SkyStream DBN media router platform.

• GI Headend System Passes 700,000 Canadian Subs -
  Shaw Communications has deployed General Instrument's multiple headend control architecture as part of its expanded digital launch into western Canada. GI reports that its system reduced Shaw's upfront capital investment and operating costs, as well as offering a scalable solution that will grow with Shaw's business.

• Helius Promotes New Satellite Interface -
  Helius has announced the release of a new Customer Premise Satellite Interface (CPSI) for transferring data via satellite. The company reports that this protect is "more intuitive and lass intimidating ... as well as easier to maintain" than its earlier CPSI technology.

• Larson Introduces ISP Network -
  Larscom has introduced an asymmetrical option for its Access-T45 DS3 Network Service Unit allowing service providers and enterprise users to separately scale bandwidth for each direction in increments of 3 Mbps.