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 25, 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 25, 2000, that its wholly owned subsidiary, EchoStar Broadband Corporation, increased its previously announced offering of Senior Notes due 2007 from $600 million to $1 billion, and that the offering closed September 25, 2000. The notes will bear interest at an annual rate of 10 3/8% and will mature on October 1, 2007. 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 25, 2000 By: /s/ David K. Moskowitz ----------------------- David K. Moskowitz, Senior Vice President and General Counsel
2 INDEX TO EXHIBITS EXHIBIT NUMBER DESCRIPTION - ------- ----------- 99.1 Press Release, dated September 25, 2000, issued by EchoStar announcing increase and completion of 144A Senior Notes offering by EchoStar Broadband Corporation.
1 EXHIBIT 99.1 ECHOSTAR COMMUNICATIONS CORPORATION ANNOUNCES THE INCREASE AND COMPLETION OF THE 144A SENIOR NOTES OFFERING BY ECHOSTAR BROADBAND CORPORATION LITTLETON, Colo.--Sept. 25, 2000--EchoStar Communications Corporation (Nasdaq: DISH, DISHP) today announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, EchoStar Broadband Corporation, increased its previously announced offering of Senior Notes due 2007 from $600 million to $1 billion, and that the offering closed September 25, 2000. The notes will bear interest at an annual rate of 10 3/8% and will mature on October 1, 2007. 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). 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. CONTACT: EchoStar Communications Corp. Judianne Atencio, Director of Communications 303/723-2010 judianne.atencio@echostar.com