Murdoch to seek cost sharing with EchoStar

WASHINGTON, May 8 (Reuters) - Rupert Murdoch, whose News Corp. media empire is seeking to buy satellite television service DirecTV, said on Thursday he would approach rival EchoStar Communications Corp. to discuss sharing costs for satellite capacity needed to air local channels.

DirecTV, a unit of Hughes Electronics , plans to offer local over-the-air broadcast channels to 85 percent of the United States by the end of the year and to expand that to most, if not all, 210 markets, ...