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Wednesday, April 4, 2001

Daily Movie and Schedule Updates to Satellite DIRECT magazine

TNN 4 p.m. ET movie: Naked Souls (1995) on ch. 325. Pamela Anderson stars as a sculptor drawn into a web of sex and intrigue when her boyfriend becomes a pawn for a mad scientist.

TNN 9 p.m. ET movie: Power (1986) on ch. 325. This story of an immortal image maker who has the power to make or break careers stars Richard Gere amd Gene Hackman

Programming Highlights:

Return of the Native. (1994) The Hallmark Hall of Fame Library presentation, based on the novel by Thomas Hardy, tells the story of beautiful and mysterious Eustacia Vye (Catherine Zeta Jones) who comes to live with her grandfather in rural England. She is caught between the constraints of country life and her desire to experience the excitement of the outside world. When native son Clym Yeobright returns to his hometown after five years off making his fortune in Paris, Eustacia sees in him her chance to escape. Clive Owens and Joan Plowright also star. Return of the Native airs at 9 p.m. ET on Odyssey.

Gallagher: The E! True Hollywood Story. This installment explores the life and career of watermelon-smashing prop comic Leo Gallagher, known simply as Gallagher. The story follows the comedian's disheartening childhood during the '40s and '50s, his turbulent relationship with his father, the emergence of his humorous rebellion and the creation of his signature "Sledge-O-Matic" comedy act. Gallagher's career took numerous hits and two failed marriages. Gallagher: The E! True Hollywood Story airs at 9 p.m. ET on E! Entertainment Television.

That's My Bush. This presidential parody debuts tonight with Timothy Bottoms and Carrie Quinn Dolin starring as George W. and Laura Bush in this comedy series from South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker. That's My Bush airs at 10:30 p.m. ET on Comedy Central.

Frequently Asked Questions About Your Dish
Question of the Day:

Q: I live outside of DIRECTV's local broadcast areas. I would like to get local channels from Washington, DC, which is my nearest area, but DIRECTV will only provide New York and Los Angeles stations. Why?

A: The Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act (SHVIA) of 1999 only allows DIRECTV to provide local channels via satellite to subscribers living in a specific TV station's designated market area (DMA). If you can receive network TV stations from New York and Los Angeles via DIRECTV, you live outside the Washington, DC DMA. Therefore, DIRECTV cannot authorize your satellite receiver for reception of Washington, DC local channels.

Tuesday, April 3, 2001

Bloomberg Provides Stock Quotes Via Wink.
DIRECTV viewers who have a Wink-enabled satellite receiver can now access personalized, on-demand stock quotes from Bloomberg TV. Yesterday, Monday, Bloomberg TV, DIRECTV and Wink announced DIRECTV subscribers with a Wink-capable DIRECTV receiver have the ability to search nearly 7,500 stock symbols and obtain time-delayed stock quotes on Bloomberg TV (ch. 353).

Viewers can also create and save a personal portfolio of up to five stocks that will be updated on a regular basis. The latest open-market stock quotes can be retrieved 24/7 (24 hours a day, seven days a week). "We believe our more than two million customers who have a Wink-capable DIRECTV receiver will be pleased to search, retrieve and personalize the latest business and market information from Bloomberg directly from their television screen," said Larry Chapman, president of DIRECTV Global Digital Media. Most RCA DIRECTV receivers sold since early 2000 are Wink-enabled. Other DIRECTV receiver manufacturers including Sony and Hughes Network Systems (HNS) also offer Wink-enabled DIRECTV receivers. Panasonic recently announced it would make Wink-enabled DIRECTV receivers which should be available later this year. "DIRECTV Interactive Powered by Wink" services deliver free on-screen supplemental program-related data content like news and weather updates and sports statistics as well as advertiser product offerings. Viewers can request coupons for a product while the item is being advertised on a Wink enhanced commercial. Wink is currently available on more than a dozen channels including CNBC (ch. 355), CNN (ch. 202), E! Entertainment TV (ch. 236), ESPN (ch. 206), TechTV (ch. 354) and The Weather Channel (ch. 362). When Wink interactive TV is available, an italic "i" symbol will appear in the upper left-hand corner of a viewer's TV screen. The enhancement can be accessed with the press of a single button on a Wink-enabled DIRECTV receiver's remote control. Viewers can interact with programs and commercials while they continue to watch TV. In addition, DIRECTV viewers with a Wink-enabled receiver can also tune in two dedicated interactive "virtual" channels. The DIRECTV Interactive Channel (ch. 499) presents system updates and Instant Weather (ch. 492) provides local forecasts for many U.S. cities. Barnes & Noble plans to launch an interactive channel that will allow viewers to purchase books with their remote control. As more interactive TV content is produced by TV networks, Internet sites and advertisers, Wink will expand its services with more "t-commerce" on-screen shopping options. For example, viewers would be able to instantly order music CDs while videos are shown on MTV (ch. 331). Log onto www.wink.com for more details on Wink services.

Daily Movie and Schedule Updates to Satellite DIRECT magazine

TNN 4 p.m. ET movie: The Lost Capone (1990) on ch. 325 Eric Roberts and Ally Sheedy star in this fictionalized account of Jimmy Capone, the brother of gangster Al Capone, who assumed an alias and became a lawman.

TNN 9 p.m. ET movie: Naked Souls (1995) on ch. 325. Pamela Anderson stars as a sculptor drawn into a web of sex and intrigue when her boyfriend becomes a pawn for a mad scientist.

Programming Highlights:

John Candy: The E! True Hollywood Story. This Canadian-born actor was one of the most loved and respected comedians of the 1980s. Can you think of "Uncle Buck" and not think of him. Candy's extensive film career spanned nearly two decades and made millions laugh along the way. This installment details Candy's life story, from his successes, downfalls and his battle with obesity, to his tragic death on March 4, 1994, during the filming of Wagon's East in Durango, Mexico, where he died of a heart attack in his sleep at age 43. John Candy: The E! True Hollywood Story airs at 9 p.m. ET on E! Entertainment Television (ch. 236).

Thoroughbred. This new 13-part documentary series chronicles life on a Maryland horse farm. Thoroughbred airs at 8 p.m. ET on Animal Planet (ch. 282).

Frequently Asked Questions About Your Dish
Question of the Day:

Q: "Will Satellite DIRECT include listings for auto races on FX?"

A: Listings for auto races such as NASCAR's Happy Hour and Busch Grand National races on FX (ch. 248) are now included under the "motorsports" category in the sports section (blue-tabbed pages in the back of Satellite DIRECT's programming guide) as well as in the daily grid schedule for FX.

Monday, April 2, 2001

Daily Movie and Schedule Updates to Satellite DIRECT magazine

TNN movie at 4 p.m. ET on ch. 325
Runaway Father (1991). Donna Mills, Jack Scalia and Chris Mulkey star. A woman's husband leaves her and their three daughters. Years later she sets out to find him and get him to pay back child support.

Programming Highlights:

Maze.
Rob Morrow (Northern Exposure) developed the premise for this film after seeing the documentary, Twitch and Shout, a movie about people from all different walks of life who are afflicted with Tourette's syndrome. Lyle Maze (Morrow) is a sensitive and tormented artist who suffers from Tourette's. Isolated by his own fear, and other people's misconceptions about his condition, he is convinced that he'll never find true love. In fact, Lyle feels comfortable only when he's with his best friend Mike (Craig Sheffer) and Mike's girlfriend Callie (Laura Linney). When Mike, a globe-trotting emergency relief doctor, accepts another assignment in Africa, he unknowingly leaves a frustrated and vulnerable Callie who discovers that she is pregnant with his child. Callie turns to Lyle for support and what follows is a poignant exploration of friendship, loyalty, trust and unselfish love. Maze airs at 8 p.m. on Starz! (ch. 520).

True Women./b> Part One (1997). Based on the novel by Janice Woods, The Hallmark Entertainment presentation chronicles the legendary story of the settling of the American frontier through the eyes of three extraordinary women—the true women of Texas who live their lives at the heart of the events that shape the West. Dana Delaney, Annabeth Gish and Angelina Jolie star. True Women airs at 9 p.m. ET on Odyssey.

Frequently Asked Questions About Your Dish
Question of the Day:

Q: "National Geographic Channel is great! However, I cannot find listings for it in Satellite DIRECT magazine. Does Satellite DIRECT plan on including the schedule for National Geographic Channel?"

A: The schedule for National Geographic Channel (NGC) on channel 276 is listed in Satellite DIRECT magazine's Channel Extra section on pages 40-45 in the April issue.

NEWs and FAQs for week of March 26-30, 2001

More Channels Changing Names. BET Movies (ch. 523) was renamed Black STARZ! earlier this year. Showtime 2 (ch. 538) will switch its name to Showtime Too. Midwest Sports Channel (ch. 641) is changing its name to Fox Sports North. ValueVision (ch. 370) is scheduled to be renamed ShopNBC in June. And, Odyssey (ch. 312) plans to become the Hallmark Channel on August 6.

ESPN Deportes Coming To DIRECTV Para Todos.
DIRECTV is scheduled to add ESPN Deportes to its Para Todos service on Sunday, April 1. Plans call for ESPN Deportes to be included in the Para Todos Opcion Extra Especial programming package on channel 426 at no additional charge. Opcion Extra Especial is available for $31.99 per month. A DIRECTV PLUS or Para Todos-enabled DIRECTV system with an oval 24-inch dish is required to receive Para Todos programming. ESPN Deportes televises ESPN programming, including baseball, boxing, SportsCenter and NFL football this fall, in Spanish on Sundays only.

Odyssey Plans Name Change and New Programs. Odyssey (ch. 312) is scheduled to change its name to Hallmark Channel on August 6. With the name change, the channel will add more family entertainment including original movies and series to its programming line-up.

New Crime Channel Planned. This fall, USA Networks and John Langley, co-creator of the show Cops, plan to launch a new full-time TV channel called Crime. An exact launch date and satellite TV distribution plans for the channel were not announced, but it's likely the service will try to get carriage on DIRECTV. The planned channel, which recently acquired the Web site www.crime.com, will air reality crime shows and crime-related films and series. Stayed tuned to Dishing It Out for updates on Crime and other planned channels.

Panasonic DIRECTV Receivers Will Be Wink Enabled.
This morning, Tuesday, Wink Communications, Matsushita (manufacturer of Panasonic electronics) and DIRECTV unveiled plans to offer new Panasonic DIRECTV receivers that will be capable of tuning in Wink interactive TV. Specific models and pricing for Panasonic's planned DIRECTV receivers, which are expected to be available later this year, were not announced. Wink enhanced TV is available to DIRECTV subscribers on more than a dozen channels including CNBC, CNN, E! Entertainment TV, ESPN, HBO and The Weather Channel. The free "DIRECTV Interactive Powered by Wink" service allows viewers to interact with programs and commercials while they continue to watch TV. Wink interactive TV enhancements feature additional program-related content like sports statistics, weather forecasts, news updates as well as advertiser on-screen product offerings.

Telefe Internacional Added to DIRECTV Para Todos. Telefe Internacional, a top-rated Spanish-language entertainment channel based in Argentina, made its U.S. TV debut on DIRECTV Para Todos yesterday, Monday, March 26. Telefe is now included in the Para Todos Opcion Extra Especial programming package at no additional charge. Para Todos Opcion Extra Especial is available for $31.99 per month. A DIRECTV PLUS or Para Todos-enabled DIRECTV system with an oval 24-inch dish is required to receive Para Todos programming.

Frequently Asked Questions About Your Dish
Question of the Day:

Q: "Does Satellite DIRECT plan to list college baseball in its sports section?"

A: Listings for college baseball telecasts on DIRECTV were inadvertently omitted in the March edition of Satellite DIRECT magazine's sports section. We apologize for any inconvenience that this omission has caused. Scheduling information for college baseball is included in the sports section in the April edition.