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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
June 19, 1997
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(Date of Report)
Western Wireless Corporation
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(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Washington 0-28160 91-1638901
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(State or other jurisdiction of (Commission File No.) (IRS Employer
incorporation) Identification No.)
2001 NW Sammamish Road, Issaquah, Washington 98027
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(Address of principal executive offices, including zip code)
(425) 313-5200
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(Registrant's telephone number, including area code)
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ITEM 5. OTHER EVENTS.
On June 19, 1997, Western Wireless Corporation issued the following
press release:
FCC Releases Order Affecting Processing of Radio Applications
ISSAQUAH, Wash. (June 19, 1997) - The Federal Communications Commission
("FCC") in the Matter of Mobilemedia Corporation et. al ("Mobilemedia") released
an order ("Order") on June 6, 1997 granting a 10-month stay of a Hearing
Designation Order ("HDO") that the FCC had adopted concerning Mobilemedia's
qualifications as a licensee. Pursuant to the Order, the Wireless
Telecommunications Bureau of the FCC (the "Bureau") was to produce a list of
former and current officers, directors and senior managers of Mobilemedia that
were potentially subject to the HDO. The Order stated that radio applications in
which a listed individual has an attributable interest shall not be granted
without resolution of the HDO matters or in the context of another specific
application. The Order further provided that if the Bureau recommends any radio
application in which a listed individual holds an attributable interest to be
granted, it shall refer the matter to the FCC Commissioners for disposition.
It is anticipated that the list produced by the Bureau will contain the
names of two of Western Wireless Corporation's directors, John L. Bunce, Jr. and
Mitchell R. Cohen, both general partners of the investment firm of Hellman &
Friedman. Messrs. Bunce and Cohen are current members of the Board of Directors
of Mobilemedia as a result of Hellman & Friedman's equity investment in that
Company. Investment partnerships controlled by Hellman & Friedman own
approximately 36 percent of the outstanding shares of Western Wireless
Corporation. Hellman & Friedman could be deemed to have attributable interests
in Western Wireless Corporation, and accordingly, the processing of Western
Wireless' applications before the FCC could, under the Order, take materially
longer than ordinary to process.
Management of Western Wireless is currently in discussions with the
FCC, as well as its affected Board members and shareholders, to develop
procedures to facilitate the processing of Western Wireless' radio applications
before the FCC. Western Wireless is confident that a satisfactory resolution to
the potential processing delays can be achieved.
Based in Issaquah, Wash., Western Wireless is a leading provider of
wireless communication services in the western United States. It currently
offers cellular service marketed under the CellularOne(r) name in fifteen
western states and provides PCS services marketed under the VoiceStream(r)
name in six U.S. metropolitan markets. Western Wireless recently purchased PCS
licenses for 100 new markets through the FCC's D and E block auctions, and an
additional seven markets in the F block auction through its partnership with
Cook Inlet PCS. As a result, Western Wireless' combined cellular and PCS
licenses, along with its investment in Cook Inlet PCS cover 59 percent of the
land in the continental United States.
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SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
WESTERN WIRELESS CORPORATION
Date June 19, 1997 /s/ Alan R. Bender
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Alan R. Bender, Senior Vice President
