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
   Schaver, Steven B.
   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
   5/31/01
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 Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer
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)|                           |
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________|
                                                                            
Class A Common Stock       |5/1/01|A   |V|10                |A  |(1)        |                   |      |                           |
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Class A Common Stock       |5/8/01|M   | |2,500             |A  |$2.125     |2,850              |D     |                           |
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                           |      |    | |                  |   |           |15,969             |I     |(2)                        |
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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)|            |
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________|
                                                                            
Employee Stock Option |$2.125  |5/8/0|M   |V|2,500      |A  |(3)  |(4)  |Class A Comm|2,500  |       |91,612      |D  |            |
(Right to Buy)        |        |1    |    | |           |   |     |     |on Stock    |       |       |            |   |            |
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                      |        |     |    | |           |   |     |     |            |       |       |            |   |            |
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

Explanation of Responses:
(1) The shares were awarded without cost to the reporting person, pursuant to
the 2000 Launch Bonus Plan of the Company for past services to the Company.
For tax purposes, the shares
were priced as of April 30, 2001, but were not distributed until the beginning
of May.
(2) During March 2000, the Company issued additional 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, listed in column 5, vested at the rate of
20% per year, commencing on February 12, 1998.
(4) Each portion of the option expires five years from the date on which that
portion of the option first becomes exercisable.
SIGNATURE OF REPORTING PERSON
                     /s/  Steven B. Schaver
DATE
              6/1/01