Filed by Echostar Communications Corporation
Pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act of 1933
and deemed filed pursuant to Rule 14a-12
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Subject Companies: Hughes Electronics Corporation
Commission File No. 0-26035
General Motors Corporation
Commission File No. 1-00143
Date: February 21, 2002
ECHOSTAR OFFERS STATEMENT CONCERNING
REV. AL SHARPTON AND NATIONAL ACTION
NETWORK
With limited available spectrum, EchoStar Communications Corporation and its DISH Network carries 21 public interest channels, more than any other pay TV provider. EchoStar is extremely proud of the many quality programs targeted to minority communities presented in its public interest channel lineup. Among them is CoLoursTV, a non-profit, African American owned and operated network whose board includes the Urban League, NAACP, and Black United Fund, among others.
EchoStars DISH Network is committed to public interest programming. In December 2001, after careful review of over a dozen applicants, DISH Network selected CoLoursTV and StarNet to join EchoStars total lineup of 21 public interest channels that offer a broad range of educational and informational programming. These channels are provided to DISH Network customers free of charge, and EchoStars selection process complies with the law.
Because the number of qualified applicants exceeded the number of public interest channels available for 2001, EchoStar was unable to offer carriage to other public interest channel applicants, including the Rev. Sharptons Word Network.
Contrary to statements in a NAN release on Jan. 31, 2002, EchoStar provided access and copies of its public inspection files as requested by Sharptons Word Network representatives when they visited the companys Littleton, Colo., office this week.
EchoStar executives have met with Word Network representatives several times. Charlie Ergen, CEO and chairman of EchoStar, has also offered to meet recently with Sharpton and his Word Network associates on two occasions in Washington, D.C., but Ergens efforts were rebuffed.
Therefore, it is extremely difficult for EchoStar to understand the Word Networks and Rev. Sharptons continued calls for protests.
Today, EchoStar and DIRECTV duplicate seven public interest channels. The request for carriage by Word Network and other public interest programmers underscores the need for the pending merger which would increase capacity for other deserving applicants and add over 6 million viewers to the Word Network, which is currently carried by DIRECTV.
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About EchoStar:
EchoStar Communications
Corporation and its DISH Network operates a state-of-the-art direct broadcast
satellite TV system that is capable of offering over 500 channels of digital
video and CD-quality audio programming, as well as advanced satellite TV
receiver hardware and installation. DISH Network offers hundreds of news,
sports, family, childrens, educational and instructional television
channels nationwide. EchoStar is included in the Nasdaq-100 Index (NDX). DISH
Network currently serves over 6.43 million customers. For more information,
visit www.dishnetwork.com.
In connection with the
proposed transactions, General Motors Corporation (GM), Hughes
Electronics Corporation (Hughes) and EchoStar Communications
Corporation (EchoStar) intend to file relevant materials with the
Securities and Exchange Commission, including one or more Registration
Statement(s) on Form S-4 that contain a prospectus and proxy/consent
solicitation statement. Because those documents will contain important
information, holders of GM $1-2/3 and GM Class H common stock are urged to read
them, if and when they become available. When filed with the SEC, they will be
available for free at the SECs website, www.sec.gov, and GM stockholders
will receive information at an appropriate time on how to obtain
transaction-related documents for free from General Motors. Such documents are
not currently available.
General Motors and its
directors and executive officers, Hughes and certain of its officers, and
EchoStar and certain of its executive officers may be deemed to be participants
in GMs solicitation of proxies or consents from the holders of GM $1-2/3
common stock and GM Class H common stock in connection with the proposed
transactions. Information regarding the participants and their interests in the
solicitation was filed pursuant to Rule 425 with the SEC by EchoStar on November
1, 2001 and by each of GM and Hughes on November 16, 2001. Investors may obtain
additional information regarding the interests of the participants by reading
the prospectus and proxy/consent solicitation statement if and when it becomes
available.
This communication shall
not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor
shall there be any sale of securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer,
solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification
under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. No offering of securities
shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of
Section 10 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
Materials included in this
document contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of
the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking
statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that
could cause our actual results to be materially different from historical
results or from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking
statements. The factors that could cause actual results of GM, Hughes, EchoStar,
or a combined EchoStar and Hughes, to differ materially, many of which are
beyond the control of EchoStar, Hughes or GM include, but are not limited to,
the following: (1) the businesses of EchoStar and Hughes may not be integrated
successfully or such integration may be more difficult, time-consuming or costly
than expected; (2) expected benefits and synergies from the combination may not
be realized within the expected time frame or at all; (3) revenues following the
transaction may be lower than expected; (4) operating costs, customer loss and
business disruption including, without limitation, difficulties in maintaining
relationships with employees, customers, clients or suppliers, may be greater
than expected following the transaction; (5) generating the incremental growth
in the subscriber base of the combined company may be more costly or difficult
than expected; (6) the regulatory approvals required for the transaction may not
be obtained on the terms expected or on the anticipated schedule; (7) the
effects of legislative and regulatory changes; (8) an inability to obtain
certain retransmission consents; (9) an inability to retain necessary
authorizations from the FCC; (10) an increase in competition from cable as a
result of digital cable or otherwise, direct broadcast satellite, other
satellite system operators, and other providers of subscription television
services; (11) the introduction of new technologies and competitors into the
subscription television business; (12) changes in labor, programming, equipment
and capital costs; (13) future acquisitions, strategic partnership and
divestitures; (14) general business and economic conditions; and (15) other
risks described from time to time in periodic reports filed by EchoStar, Hughes
or GM with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You are urged to consider
statements that include the words may, will,
would, could, should, believes,
estimates, projects, potential,
expects, plans, anticipates,
intends, continues, forecast,
designed, goal, or the negative of those words or other
comparable words to be uncertain and forward-looking. This cautionary statement
applies to all forward-looking statements included in this document.