DIRECTV

The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (also DirecTV) is the largest direct broadcast satellite (DBS) TV provider in the U.S. (ahead of EchoStar's DISH Network). It has over 15 million customers in the U.S. and 4.1 million in Latin America. DirecTV is 38% owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation (by way of the Fox Entertainment Group).

DirecTV is based in El Segundo, California and was formerly known as Hughes Electronics Corporation.

In 2011, the company reported $27,226,000,000 in revenues.


 * Eddy W. Hartenstein, former CEO

Ties to Pete Peterson's "Fix the Debt"
The Campaign to Fix the Debt is the latest incarnation of a decades-long effort by former Nixon man turned Wall Street billionaire Pete Peterson to slash earned benefit programs such as Social Security and Medicare under the guise of fixing the nation's "debt problem."

This article is part of the Center for Media and Democracy's investigation of Pete Peterson's Campaign to "Fix the Debt." Please visit our main SourceWatch page on Fix the Debt.

Ties to the American Legislative Exchange Council
DirecTV has been a corporate funder of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a corporate member of ALEC's Communications and Technology Task Force and ALEC's Tax and Fiscal Policy Task Force. See ALEC Corporations for more.

Executives
As of January 2013
 * Michael White - Chairman, President & CEO
 * Joseph A Bosch - Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer
 * Bruce B. Churchill - Executive Vice President & President, DIRECTV Latin America
 * Patrick T. Doyle - Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
 * Larry D. Hunter - Executive Vice President and General Counsel
 * Romulo C. Pontual - Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer
 * Fazal Merchant - Senior Vice President and Treasurer
 * John F. Murphy - Senior Vice President, Controller and Chief Accounting Officer

Former executives include (with 2006 pay):
 * K. Rupert Murdoch, (Rupert Murdoch) Chief Executive Officer of parent company News Corporation, $23,640,000
 * Chase Carey, Chief Executive Officer, $6,150,000
 * Michael W. Palkovic, Executive Vice President of Operations, $1,200,000

Board of Directors
As of January 2013
 * Neil R. Austrian - Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Office Depot, Inc
 * Ralph F. Boyd, Jr. - Strategic Consultant
 * David B. Dillon - Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, The Kroger Co.
 * Samuel A. DiPiazza Jr. - Vice Chairman, Institutional Clients Group, Citigroup Inc.
 * Dixon R. Doll - Co-Founder and Managing General Partner, DCM
 * Charles R. Lee - Retired Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer, Verizon Communications, Incl
 * Peter A. Lund - Private Investor and Former President and Chief Executive Officer, CBS, Inc.
 * Nancy S. Newcomb - Retired Senior Corporate Officer, Citigroup Inc.
 * Lorrie Norrington - Former President, eBay Marketplaces, eBay, Inc.
 * Michael White - Chairman, President & CEO, DIRECTV

Former board members include:
 * James M. Cornelius - Chief Executive Officer of Bristol-Myers Squibb]
 * Haim Saban - Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Saban Capital Group

Political contributions
DirecTV gave $146,500 to federal candidates in the 2006 election through its political action committee - 45% to Democrats and 55% to Republicans.

Lobbying
The company spent $1,180,000 for lobbying in 2006. $580,000 went to five lobbying firms with the remainder being spent using in-house lobbyists. Two of the lobbying firms were Greenberg Traurig and Lundquist, Nethercutt & Griles LLC.

Contact details
2230 East Imperial Highway El Segundo, CA 90245 USA Phone: (310) 964-5000 Fax: (310) 535-5225 Web: http://www.directv.com

Featured SourceWatch Articles on Fix the Debt

 * Fix the Debt Portal Page
 * Fix the Debt's Leadership
 * Fix the Debt's Partner Groups
 * Fix the Debt's State Chapters
 * Fix the Debt's Lobbyists
 * Fix the Debt's Parent Group
 * Fix the Debt's Corporations
 * Pete Peterson
 * Peter G. Peterson Foundation
 * America Speaks
 * Simpson-Bowles Commission
 * Erskine Bowles
 * Alan Simpson
 * Social Security
 * Medicare
 * Medicaid