Summary

Hughes Electronics Corporation announced Roxanne S. Austin as the new President and COO of DIRECTV, Inc., succeeding Odie C. Donald who is departing to pursue other interests. Eddy W. Hartenstein continues as Chairman and CEO of DIRECTV while Michael J. Gaines steps in as the new CFO of Hughes Electronics.

Source document circa 2001 preserved as-is

Tuesday, June 26, 2001

EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP CHANGES ANNOUNCED AT HUGHES ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND DIRECTV, INC.

Eddy W. Hartenstein Continues As Chairman and CEO of DIRECTV Roxanne S. Austin Named President and COO of DIRECTV Michael J. Gaines Named Chief Financial Officer of HUGHES Patrick T. Doyle Named Treasurer and Controller of HUGHES Yvonne B. Perlberg Promoted to HUGHES Corporate Vice President Jonathan M. Rubin Promoted to Vice President, HUGHES Investor Relations

EL SEGUNDO, Calif., June 26, 2001 Hughes Electronics Corporation announced today that Roxanne S. Austin, 40, has been named president and chief operating officer (COO) of DIRECTV, Inc., effective immediately.

Austin has been chief financial officer (CFO) of HUGHES since June 1997. She joined HUGHES in 1993, and has served as treasurer, chief accounting officer and controller. Austin will retain her position as executive vice president of HUGHES, and remain a member of the HUGHES Executive Committee. She succeeds Odie C. Donald, who has served as DIRECTV president since April 2000 and is leaving DIRECTV to pursue other personal and professional interests. Donald will continue to serve as a consultant to DIRECTV throughout the remainder of 2001 and into 2002.

Eddy W. Hartenstein, 50, currently corporate senior executive vice president of HUGHES, and chairman, DIRECTV Global, continues as chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of DIRECTV, Inc. Hartenstein, who joined HUGHES in 1972, headed DIRECTV since its inception in 1990 through early 2000, when he was promoted to his current position in the HUGHES corporate organization.

Austin is succeeded by Michael J. Gaines, 43, who has been promoted to corporate vice president and CFO. Gaines has also been named to the HUGHES Executive and Management Committees. He was previously corporate vice president, finance, and treasurer for HUGHES. He joined HUGHES in 1991 as a division controller for HUGHES Aircraft Companys Radar Systems Group, and has rapidly increased his responsibilities in a series of finance-related jobs including controller and chief accounting officer.

"Roxanne Austin is known for her sharp intellect, her decisiveness, her energy, and her passion for business," said Jack A. Shaw, CEO of HUGHES. She has demonstrated superb leadership as CFO for HUGHES, and as a member of the HUGHES Executive Committee. Eddy and Roxanne will be a powerful team to lead DIRECTV and stimulate DIRECTV sales despite the challenging economic climate and period of change we now face.

"During his tenure Odie Donald established a customer-first mindset throughout all departments of the DIRECTV organization, which has focused DIRECTV on continually raising the efficiency of its operational and customer service activities to an industry-leading position1," said Shaw. "That's the legacy of Odie Donald: a commitment to customer satisfaction that now, more than ever, is an integral part of the DIRECTV culture. We are grateful for it and expect him to contribute further in his role as a consultant to DIRECTV. Roxanne, with her knowledge and experience as a member of the HUGHES Executive Committee and as CFO of HUGHES, is a custom fit to be president and COO of DIRECTV," said Hartenstein. "As a priority, Roxanne will strategically deploy the resources of the entire DIRECTV organization to execute our most aggressive sales and marketing tactics of the year. Already we have targeted cable customers tired of poor service and rate hikes, and we have shifted our advertising and marketing focus to the more than 60 million TV households where DIRECTV offers local channels and is a true apples to apples replacement for cable. We are also gearing up for our traditionally strong seasonal offering of our exclusive NFL SUNDAY TICKET( subscription package, which we will begin promoting in early August."

"Mike Gaines is a seasoned executive and proven leader," said Shaw. "He worked closely with Roxanne Austin and the HUGHES leadership team as we transformed HUGHES from an aerospace and defense contractor to the nations leader in digital television and broadband entertainment and communications. His rich experience and knowledge of our business, combined with the leadership he has demonstrated in his previous assignments, make him a strong addition to the senior leadership team."

Patrick T. Doyle, 45, has been named treasurer of HUGHES, and will retain his existing responsibilities as corporate vice president, controller and chief accounting officer. He joined HUGHES in 1992 as director, taxes, and has served as vice president, taxes and corporate development. He was appointed to his current positions in July 2000.

Yvonne B. Perlberg, 54, has been named a corporate vice president of HUGHES, and will retain her existing responsibilities as vice president and general auditor of HUGHES, in charge of corporate assurance and advisory services. Perlberg joined HUGHES in 1988 as director of government liaison and contract compliance, and has served in her current position since 1993.

Jonathan M. Rubin, 45, has been promoted to vice president, HUGHES Investor Relations. He joined HUGHES in 1982 and was promoted to director of Investor Relations in 1998. Rubin will retain primary responsibilities to communicate HUGHES strategies, financial results and business operations to the investment community. Hughes Electronics Corporation is a unit of General Motors Corporation.

The earnings of Hughes Electronics are used to calculate the earning attributable to the General Motors Class H common stock (NYSE:GMH). _____________ 1DIRECTV customer satisfaction was rated at 90% during the first quarter of 2001 by independent research conducted by Data Development Corporation.