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
DeFranco, James
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)
(X) Director ( ) 10% Owner (X) Officer (give title below) ( ) Other
(specify below)
Executive Vice President
7. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check Applicable Line)
(X) Form filed by One Reporting Person
( ) Form filed by More than One Reporting Person
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Table I -- Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned |
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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)| |
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<S> <C> <C> <C><C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C>
Class A Common Stock |4/20/0|M | |68,568 |A |$1.16665 |4,867,292 |D |(6) |
|0 | | | | | | | | |
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| | | | | | |2,200,000 |I |(1)(6) |
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| | | | | | |17,825 |I |(2)(6) |
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| | | | | | |6,008 |I |(3)(6) |
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Table II -- Derivative Securitites Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned |
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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)| |
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<S> <C> <C> <C> <C><C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C>
Employee Stock Option |$1.16665|4/20/|M |V|68,568 |D |(4) |(5) |Class A Comm|68,568 | |274,272 | | |
(Right to Buy) | |00 | | | | | | |on Stock | | | | | |
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| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
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Explanation of Responses:
1. The shares are held by DeFranco Investment Co., Ltd., a general partnership,
of which the reporting person is
the sole general
partner.
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 are held by the reporting person as custodian for his minor
children. The reporting person disclaims
beneficial ownership of the
shares.
4. The shares underlying the option vested at the rate of 20% per year,
commencing on May 6, 1995.
5. Each portion of the option expires five years from the date on which that
portion of the option first becomes
exercisable.
6. The shares have been adjusted to reflect the two-for-one stock split of the
Company's common stock which
took place March
2000.
SIGNATURE OF REPORTING PERSON
James DeFranco
