<PAGE>
UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 4
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP
Filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
Section 17(a) of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 or
Section 30(f) of the Investment Company Act of 1940
[ ] Check this box if no longer subject to Section 16. Form 4 or Form 5
obligations may continue. See Instruction 1(b).
================================================================================
1. Name and Address of Reporting Person*
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Last) (First) (Middle)
85 Broad Street
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Street)
New York, New York 10004
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(City) (State) (Zip)
================================================================================
2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol
Western Wireless Corporation
(WWCA)
================================================================================
3. I.R.S. Identification Number of Reporting Person, if an entity (voluntary)
================================================================================
4. Statement for Month/Year
October/1999
================================================================================
5. If Amendment, Date of Original (Month/Year)
================================================================================
6. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer
(Check all applicable)
[ ] Director [ X ] 10% Owner
[ ] Officer (give title below) [ ] Other (specify below)
-------------------------------------------
================================================================================
7. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check Applicable Line)
[ ] Form filed by One Reporting Person
[ X ] Form filed by More than One Reporting Person
================================================================================
<PAGE>
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
====================================================================================================================================
Table I -- Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, |
or Beneficially Owned |
====================================================================================================================================
| | | | |6. | |
| | | 4. |5. |Owner- | |
| | | Securities Acquired (A) or |Amount of |ship | |
| | 3. | Disposed of (D) |Securities |Form: |7. |
|2. | Transaction| (Instr. 3, 4 and 5) |Beneficially |Direct |Nature of |
|Transaction | Code | -------------------------------|Owned at End |(D) or |Indirect |
1. |Date | (Instr. 8) | | (A) | |of Month |Indirect |Beneficial|
Title of Security |(Month/Day/ | -----------| Amount | or | Price |(Instr. 3 |(I) |Ownership |
(Instr. 3) |Year) | Code | V | | (D) | |and 4) |(Instr.4)|(Instr. 4)|
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C>
| | | | | | | | | |
Class A Common Stock | 10/22/99 | C | | 01 | A | 01 | 02 | 02 | 02 |
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| | | | | | | | | |
Class A Common Stock | | | | | | | 03 | 03 | 03 |
====================================================================================================================================
</TABLE>
Reminder: Report on a separate line for each class of securities beneficially
owned directly or indirectly.
* If the form is filed by more than one reporting person, see Instruction
4(b)(v).
FORM 4 (continued)
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
====================================================================================================================================
Table II -- Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned |
(e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities) |
====================================================================================================================================
| | | | | | | |9. |10. | |
| | | | | | | |Number |Owner-| |
| | | | | | | |of |ship | |
|2. | | | | | | |Deriv- |of | |
|Conver- | | | 5. | |7. | |ative |Deriv-|11. |
|sion | | | Number of | |Title and Amount | |Secur- |ative |Nature|
|or | | | Derivative |6. |of Underlying |8. |ities |Secur-|of |
|Exer- | |4. | Securities |Date |Securities |Price |Bene- |ity: |In- |
|cise |3. |Trans-| Acquired (A) |Exercisable and |(Instr. 3 and 4) |of |ficially |Direct|direct|
|Price |Trans- |action| or Disposed |Expiration Date |----------------------|Deriv- |Owned |(D) or|Bene- |
1. |of |action |Code | of (D) |(Month/Day/Year) | |Amount |ative |at End |In- |ficial|
Title of |Deriv- |Date |(Instr| (Instr. 3, |-----------------| |or |Secur- |of |direct|Owner-|
Derivative |ative |(Month/ |8) | 4 and 5) |Date |Expira- | |Number |ity |Month |(I) |ship |
Security |Secur- |Day/ |------| ------------ |Exer- |tion | |of |(Instr. |(Instr. |(Instr|(Instr|
(Instr. 3) |ity |Year) |Code |V| (A) | (D) |cisable |Date |Title |Shares |5) |4) |4) |4) |
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C><C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C>
Class B Common | | | | | | | | |Class A | | | | | |
Stock |1-for-1 |10/22/99| C | | | 01 |5/17/96 |N/A |Common Stock | 01 | 01 | -0- | | |
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Stock Option | | | | | | | | |Class A | | | | | |
(right to buy) |$8.125 | | | | | |Immed. |1/1/08 |Common Stock | 250 | | 250 | 04 | 04 |
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Stock Option | | | | | | | | |Class A | | | | | |
(right to buy) |$8.125 | | | | | | 05 |1/1/08 |Common Stock | 802 | | 802 | 05 | 05 |
====================================================================================================================================
</TABLE>
Instruction 4(b)(v) list of other Reporting Persons:
This statement is being filed by GS Capital Partners, L.P. ("GSCP"), GS
Advisors, L.P. ("GS Advisors"), Goldman, Sachs & Co. ("Goldman Sachs") and The
Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. ("GS Group" and, together with GSCP, GS Advisors, and
Goldman Sachs, the "Reporting Persons"). The principal business address of each
of GSCP, GS Advisors, Goldman Sachs, and GS Group is 85 Broad Street, New York,
New York, 10004.
Explanation of Responses:
01: On October 22, 1999, in connection with a potential distribution to limited
partners, GSCP converted 8,986,738 shares of Class B Common Stock, representing
all shares of Class B Common Stock held by it, into 8,986,738 shares of Class A
Common Stock, certain investment partnerships, of which affiliates of Goldman
Sachs and GS Group are the general partner or managing general partner (the
"Other Limited Partnerships") converted in the aggregate 743,470 shares of Class
B Common Stock, representing all shares of Class B Common Stock held by them,
into 743,470 shares of Class A Common Stock and GS Group converted 68,821 shares
of Class B Common Stock, representing all shares of Class B Common Stock held by
it, into 68,821 shares of Class A Common Stock, Shares of Class B Common Stock
are convertible at any time at the option of the holder into an equal number of
shares of Class A Common Stock.
02: Goldman Sachs may be deemed to own beneficially and directly and GS Group
may be deemed to own beneficially and indirectly 800 shares of Class A Common
Stock. GS Group may be deemed to own beneficially and directly 68,821 shares of
Class A Common Stock. Goldman Sachs and GS Group may be deemed to own
beneficially and indirectly in the aggregate 9,730,208 shares of Class A Common
Stock through GSCP and the Other Limited Partnerships (together with GSCP, the
"Limited Partnerships"). Goldman Sachs is the investment manager of GSCP.
Goldman Sachs is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of GS Group. The Reporting
Persons, other than Goldman Sachs and GS Group, disclaim beneficial ownership of
the securities directly owned by Goldman Sachs. The Reporting Persons other than
GS Group disclaim beneficial ownership of the securities directly owned by GS
Group. Goldman Sachs and GS Group each disclaim beneficial ownership of the
securities owned by the Limited Partnerships except to the extent of their
pecuniary interest therein.
GSCP may be deemed to own beneficially and directly and its general partner, GS
Advisors, may be deemed to own beneficially and indirectly 8,940,882 shares of
Class A Common Stock. GS Advisors disclaims beneficial ownership of the
securities reported herein except to the extent of its pecuniary interest
therein.
03: Goldman Sachs and GS Group may be deemed to own beneficially and indirectly
.1378 shares of Common Stock which may be deemed to be beneficially owned
directly by the Goldman Sachs 1999 Exchange Place Fund, L.P. (the "1999 Exchange
Fund"). An affiliate of Goldman Sachs and GS Group is the general partner of the
1999 Exchange Fund. Goldman Sachs is the investment manager of the 1999 Exchange
Fund. Goldman Sachs is an indirectly wholly-owned subsidiary of GS Group. The
.1378 shares reported herein as indirectly beneficially owned by GS Group and
Goldman Sachs represents GS Group's proportionate interest in the shares of the
Issuer owned by the 1999 Exchange Fund. The Reporting Persons other than GS
Group and Goldman Sachs disclaim beneficial ownership of the securities reported
herein.
04: These options were granted under the Western Wireless Corporation 1994
Management Incentive Stock Option Plan to a managing director of Goldman Sachs,
in his capacity as a director of the Issuer, in replacement of vested options
which were cancelled in connection with the May 3, 1999 spin-off by Western
Wireless Corporation of all shares of Common Stock of VoiceStream Wireless
Corporation owned by it to the holders of its Class A Common Stock and Class B
Common Stock (the "Spin-off"). That managing director has an understanding with
GS Group pursuant to which he holds the stock options for the benefit of GS
Group.
05: These options were granted under the Western Wireless Corporation 1994
Management Incentive Stock Option Plan to a managing director of Goldman Sachs,
in his capacity as a director of the Issuer, in replacement of unvested options
which were cancelled in connection with the Spin-off. That managing director has
an understanding with GS Group pursuant to which he holds the stock options for
the benefit of GS Group. They become exercisable in 33% increments in 3 annual
installments, beginning January 1, 2000.
<PAGE>
**SIGNATURE OF REPORTING PERSONS
GS CAPITAL PARTNERS, L.P.
By: s/ Roger S. Begelman
----------------------------
Name: Roger S. Begelman
Title: Attorney-in-fact
GS ADVISORS, L.P.
By: s/ Roger S. Begelman
----------------------------
Name: Roger S. Begelman
Title: Attorney-in-fact
GOLDMAN, SACHS & CO.
By: s/ Roger S. Begelman
----------------------------
Name: Roger S. Begelman
Title: Attorney-in-fact
THE GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP, INC.
By: s/ Roger S. Begelman
----------------------------
Name: Roger S. Begelman
Title: Attorney-in-fact
Date: December 10, 1999
** Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute Federal
Criminal Violations.
See 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a).
Note: File three copies of this Form, one of which must be manually signed.
If space provided is insufficient, see Instruction 6 for procedures.
Alternatively, this Form is permitted to be submitted to the
Commission in electronic format at the option of the reporting person
pursuant to Rule 101(b)(4) of Regulation S-T.
