1 SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 ------------------------------------------ FORM 8-K CURRENT REPORT Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): September 12, 2000 ECHOSTAR COMMUNICATIONS CORPORATION (Exact name of registrant as specified in charter) NEVADA 0-26176 88-0336997 (State or other jurisdiction (Commission (IRS Employer of incorporation) File Number) Identification No.) 5701 S. SANTA FE DRIVE LITTLETON, COLORADO 80120 (Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code) Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (303) 723-1000 ITEM 5. OTHER EVENTS EchoStar Communications Corporation ("EchoStar") announced on September 12, 2000, that its wholly-owned subsidiary EchoStar Broadband Corporation is offering $600 million aggregate principal amount of Senior Notes due 2007, in accordance with Securities and Exchange Commission Rule 144A. SIGNATURES Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized. ECHOSTAR COMMUNICATIONS CORPORATION Dated: September 12, 2000 By: /s/ David K. Moskowitz ----------------------------- David K. Moskowitz, Senior Vice President and General Counsel
2 EXHIBITS INDEX Exhibit Description ------- ----------- 99.1 Press Release, dated September 12, 2000, issued by EchoStar announcing $600 Million Rule 144A offering.
1 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - --------------------- CONTACT: Judianne Atencio Director of Communications EchoStar Communications Corp. 303/723-2010 judianne.atencio@echostar.com ECHOSTAR COMMUNICATIONS CORPORATION ANNOUNCES $600 MILLION RULE 144A OFFERING LITTLETON, COLO., TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2000- EchoStar Communications Corporation (NASDAQ:DISH, DISHP) today announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary EchoStar Broadband Corporation is offering $600 million aggregate principal amount of Senior Notes due 2007, in accordance with Securities and Exchange Commission Rule 144A. The net proceeds of the offering are expected to be used to fund capital expenditures in connection with the construction, launch, and insurance of additional satellites or for other general corporate purposes (including potential strategic acquisitions). The notes have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933 and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration under such Act or an applicable exemption from registration requirements. DISH Network is EchoStar's state-of-the-art direct broadcast satellite system with the capacity to offer customers 500 channels of digital video and CD-quality audio programming as well as fully MPEG-2/DVB compliant hardware and installation. DISH Network, a trademark of EchoStar Communications Corporation, currently serves over 4.3 million customers nationwide. EchoStar is included in the Nasdaq-100 Index (NDX) which contains the largest non-financial companies on the Nasdaq Stock Market. For more information, contact 1-800-333-DISH (3474) or visit www.dishnetwork.com. # # #