Christian Radio Consortium Members Renew SpaceCom Contracts; Majority of Christian Radio Industry Will Transition to New Satellite Transmission Service.

TULSA, Okla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 6, 1999--Members of the Christian Radio Consortium (CRC), an informal group of Christian radio networks and program providers, have renewed their agreements with SpaceCom Systems to take advantage of the company's new FM Quad(TM) service. The actual transition to FM Quad for the CRC is anticipated to be on or about September 6, 1999.

FM Quad is a new digital satellite transmission service that is DVB/MPEG-2 compliant and will use the GE-3 satellite to transmit Christian programming to more than 1,300 radio stations nationwide. It will replace the current FM Squared(TM) transmission service used by approximately 90 percent of the nation's Christian radio networks.

CRC is comprised of networks and program providers, including the Salem Radio Network (SRN), the Moody Broadcasting Network (MBN), Skylight Satellite Network, USA Radio Network, Focus Satellite Network, Ambassador Inspirational Radio (AIR), Morningstar Radio Network and VCY America. The CRC has affiliations with up to 70 additional broadcasters and networks, according to Greg Anderson, president of SRN and Morningstar.

The group came together to evaluate and "solve technical issues we faced with the end of FM Squared," Anderson explained, adding that the consortium members are continuing with SpaceCom because it is already DVB compliant. "FM Squared has served us well. The DVB technology provides a next-generation platform to serve our members through a single carrier.

"In the final analysis, we decided to stay with SpaceCom because we had a beneficial partnership for up to 12 years utilizing their FM Squared technology," Anderson added. "We know and work well with the people at SpaceCom. Their Chicago International Teleport has provided valuable and reliable services to us all. SpaceCom has been a productive, cost-effective and trusted satellite provider for Christian-formatted radio.

"We did thorough due diligence" in deciding to retain SpaceCom, Anderson says. "We concluded that it was to our collective benefit and SpaceCom's to continue our long-standing relationship."

The agreement with SpaceCom is the beginning of what CRC members hope is an ongoing effort by Christian broadcasters to work together more closely on a variety of technical issues. "We have always been friends and had a collegial relationship. The CRC provides a focused venue to deal with a variety of issues that we all have in common," Anderson says.

"Many of the CRC members have been longstanding customers since SpaceCom's early days," said Dan Young, SpaceCom's Director of Sales. "We're proud that they've chosen to continue and strengthen that relationship with us."

Headquartered in Tulsa, SpaceCom Systems provides 24-hour satellite network services and equipment to clients in a wide range of industries, including national radio networks, nationwide paging companies, financial data services, weather information services, and news/information networks. Additional information about SpaceCom Systems and its Chicago International Teleport is available on the World Wide Web at http://www.spacecom.com.