UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM 4
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP
( ) Check this box if no longer subject to Section 16.
Form 4 or Form 5 obligations may continue. See Instructions 1(b).
1. Name and Address of Reporting Person
Kothari, Purvish
5701 South Santa Fe Drive
Littleton, CO 80120
U.S.A.
2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol
Echostar Communications Corporation
DISH
3. IRS or Social Security Number of Reporting Person (Voluntary)
4. Statement for Month/Year
04/00
5. If Amendment, Date of Original (Month/Year)
6. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer (Check all applicable)
( ) Director ( ) 10% Owner (X) Officer (give title below) ( ) Other
(specify below)
Chief Information Officer and Senior Vice President of Information Technology
7. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check Applicable Line)
(X) Form filed by One Reporting Person
( ) Form filed by More than One Reporting Person
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Table I -- Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned |
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________|
1. Title of Security |2. |3. |4.Securities Acquired (A) |5.Amount of |6.Dir |7.Nature of Indirect |
| Transaction | or Disposed of (D) | Securities |ect | Beneficial Ownership |
| | | | Beneficially |(D)or | |
| | | | | A/| | Owned at |Indir | |
| Date |Code|V| Amount | D | Price | End of Month |ect(I)| |
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________|
Class A Common Stock |4/14/0|M | |80,000 |A |$5.00 |80,020 |D | |
|0 | | | | | | | | |
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| | | | | | |595 |D |(1) |
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| | | | | | |273 |I |(2) |
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________|
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Table II -- Derivative Securitites Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned |
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________|
1.Title of Derivative |2.Con- |3. |4. |5.Number of De |6.Date Exer|7.Title and Amount |8.Price|9.Number |10.|11.Nature of|
Security |version |Transaction | rivative Secu |cisable and| of Underlying |of Deri|of Deriva |Dir|Indirect |
|or Exer | | | rities Acqui |Expiration | Securities |vative |tive |ect|Beneficial |
|cise | | | red(A) or Dis |Date(Month/| |Secu |Securities |(D)|Ownership |
|Price of| | | posed of(D) |Day/Year) | |rity |Benefi |or | |
|Deriva- | | | |Date |Expir| | |ficially |Ind| |
|tive | | | | A/|Exer-|ation| Title and Number | |Owned at |ire| |
|Secu- | | | | | D |cisa-|Date | of Shares | |End of |ct | |
|rity |Date |Code|V| Amount | |ble | | | |Month |(I)| |
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________|
Employee Stock Option |$5.00 |4/14/|M |V|80,000 |D |(3) |(4) |Class A Comm|80,000 | |0 | | |
(Right to Buy) | |00 | | | | | | |on Stock | | | | | |
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________|
Explanation of Responses:
1. The number of shares in column 5 represents the total number of shares
purchased by the reporting person
through EchoStar Communications Corporation's 1997 Employee Stock Purchase Plan
to date.
2. On March 8, 2000, the Company issued an additional 60,000 shares of Class A
Common Stock to EchoStar
Communications Corporation's 401(k) Employees' Savings Plan ("the Plan"). The
number of shares reported in
column 5 represents the total number of shares allocated to the reporting
person's account through the Plan to
date. The reporting person has dispositive, but no voting power with respect to
the shares.
3.The shares underlying the option vested at the rate of 20% per year,
commencing on March 31, 2000.
4. Each portion of the option expires five years form the date on which that
portion of the option first becomes
exercisable. The remaining portion of the option was forfeited 30 days after
termination of employment on April
25,
2000.
SIGNATURE OF REPORTING PERSON
Purvish Kothari
