Intelsat has announced that NPR (National Public Radio) signed a multi-transponder, multi-year contract renewal for satellite capacity to support the distribution of public radio programming across the United States.

NPR operates the Public Radio Satellite System (PRSS) on behalf of all public radio stations and program distributors. Through this satellite infrastructure, more than 32 million devoted listeners will continue to tune in for public radio's unique, award-winning programming every week, which is distributed through more than 900 public radio stations throughout the United States and its territories.

Under the terms of the contract, NPR will use C- and Ku-band capacity on Intelsat's Galaxy 16 and Galaxy 17 satellites, located at 99 degrees West and 91 degrees West, respectively. By the end of this agreement, Intelsat's relationship with NPR will have spanned three decades.

"Intelsat's Galaxy neighborhood footprint offers us the highly reliable distribution we need for our national and local programming, enabling us to reach even the most remote communities," said Pete Loewenstein, Vice President of Distribution, NPR.

"The services of Intelsat's Galaxy satellites provide a secure platform to support current operations of the Public Radio Satellite System, and the increased capacity in our new agreement enables public radio to expand significantly the scope of its services to the American public."

"NPR's reliance on this vast satellite-enabled distribution network has supported the organization's evolution to a leading, comprehensive source of national and international news," said Kurt Riegelman, Intelsat's Senior Vice President, Global Sales.

"Customers such as NPR benefit from the scale and flexibility of Intelsat's global network. Delivering seamless, multi-satellite solutions for our customers protects their services and assists them in expanding their offerings."

The Intelsat Galaxy neighborhood represents one of the most coveted franchises in the fixed satellite services industry. This neighborhood offers high-powered North American capacity providing broadcasters and programmers strategic access for transmissions of news and entertainment into this competitive region.