May 25, 2006
As you may already be aware, on April 14th, Good Friday, we experienced a sudden loss of programming on 10 of our 36 channels. EchoStar Communications Corp., owner of the DISH Network satellite service, communicated to us that this loss was due to a technical failure of its EchoStar III satellite that we are currently sharing with EchoStar per a technical agreement we have with the company. We were successful in working with EchoStar to get seven of our 10 channels back on the air fairly quickly. Regrettably, three channels were not reinstated, and this technical failure evolved into contractual issues with EchoStar that, due to confidentiality restrictions in our agreement, we cannot publicly discuss.
Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, we were unable to negotiate through the issues and are now prohibited from reinstating the channels that carried Three Angels Broadcasting, Golden Eagle Broadcasting and SPIRIT. Now that there is
finality concerning our negotiations with EchoStar and it is certain that we will not be able to provide these three channels at this time, I wanted you to understand the reason.
I deeply regret the inconvenience that this interruption in programming may have caused you. As many of you know, we’ve faced a number of challenges with our relationship with EchoStar over the past few years; the Lord has guided us to positive outcomes in these cases (Romans 8:28) and we will continue to trust in Him for guidance and strength (Proverbs 3:5,6).
Presently we are exploring an option that might enable us to add one or two channels sometime in the future. We are happy to be able to continue carrying “3ABN Today” on our Angel One channel and hope to work with 3ABN to air special events, such as 3ABN’s “Ten Commandments Weekend” special that we carried in May on our special events channel, Angel Two. We continue to carry Safe TV which airs several of the same programs that 3ABN airs, including Sabbath programming. Additionally, in early June, we are trading the SuperChannel TBN feed with the national Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) feed on Channel 9709. TBN carries many of the same programs that aired on Golden Eagle and many others that were not previously airing on Sky Angel. Also, there are programs that aired on Golden Eagle that are airing on other Sky Angel channels as well, such as Richard Roberts’ “Hour of Healing” on our Angel One and Angel Two channels. Additionally, while Sky Angel already offers more contemporary Christian music than any other cable or satellite provider, we will be looking for ways to add more Christian music in cooperation with SPIRIT Television. If you are not a subscriber to our monthly printed TV guide, “Sky Angel Guide”, I encourage you to visit our free online program guide at
www.skyguide.org or by clicking here to find out when your favorite shows are airing.
I ask for your prayers as we continue to move forward with the vision the Lord gave my father, Robert Johnson, Sr., for this project a little more than 25 years ago. Sky Angel’s mission is to build and operate a global direct broadcast satellite system, using our own satellites, as the most effective means of assuring that the Gospel will penetrate every nation, culture and people—even the most unreachable regions of the world. To build and launch our own satellite will cost in the neighborhood of $150 million dollars to achieve. It’s an awesome mission in both magnitude and cost, however, one that our studies have shown is attainable with the dedication of our staff and the growing support of Christians here in America subscribing to the Sky Angel service. We have been in negotiations with a satellite manufacturer for some time and have begun an effort to identify sources that will be helpful in raising the necessary funds. Sometimes the challenge seems almost beyond comprehension, but I’m constantly reminded that with God’s help everything is possible and that God’s will always prevails. As we grow, it is my prayer that additional resources will become available that will enable Sky Angel to support various other works of ministry around the world with one common purpose: to share the life-changing message of Jesus Christ.
Yes, Sky Angel is a television service, still delivering into your home, church or business a wonderful array of TV and radio channels to edify, inform and entertain. But Sky Angel is also a unique work of ministry whose impact for the Kingdom has the potential to be huge. I pray that we can count on your support as we continue to trust in the Lord to guide us during this challenging yet exciting journey.
In His service,
Rob Johnson
CEO
P.S. Please understand that our call center representatives have no further information to provide.
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