Many of the stories produced by the Via Satellite editorial team throughout the past several months have focused on the global economic recession and its potential impact on the satellite business as a whole. The January cover story looked at the fixed satellite services industry, and a story in this month’s issue takes a look at the prospects for more consumer-oriented satellite-based businesses.

The general consensus is that the satellite industry is in good shape, as demand for communications services likely will hold steady, if not continue to rise in the next several years. And the forecast for direct-to-consumer offerings looks good, as demand for home delivery of movies and sports could increase as more people choose to stay at home rather than go out.

This economic downturn did not happen overnight, and economic pundits also do not seem to be calling for a quick end. It is against this backdrop that we introduce our nominees for Via Satellite’s Satellite Executive of the Year for 2008.

As long-time readers know, the months-long process of selecting the Executive of the Year is not taken lightly. The nominees — submitted both by members of the editorial staff and satellite industry players — are scrutinized based on their performance in the previous calendar year, with factors such as lasting contributions to the global satellite markets, technologies, business practices and services innovations all being weighed.

The editorial staff of Access Intelligence’s Satellite Group discussed the merits of nearly 20 executives at the beginning of the process, and seven truly worthy candidates are featured in the February issue. These seven executives represent companies from across the satellite industry — service providers, satellite operators, network operators, equipment manufacturers — and demonstrate that the industry as a whole is well prepared for whatever economic conditions persist around the globe.

We are certain that our choices for the nominees for the Satellite Executive of the Year for 2008 will be well received, and we also know that having such a strong field of candidates means that some very worthy contenders will not receive the honor of Satellite Executive of the Year. The upside for those that do not win is the efforts they have made in 2008 place them in good position to be in the running again in 2009.

As for the winner, that person will be featured on the cover of our March issue and be honored at SATELLITE 2009 in Washington, D.C. with a March 26 luncheon sponsored by Boeing Co. as well as an evening reception hosted by Arianespace. The 2008 Satellite Executive of the Year also will have the knowledge that they stood out in a year of many strong performances.