UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549 FORM 5 ANNUAL STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP ( ) Check box if no longer subject to Section 16. Form 4 or Form 5 obligations may continue. See Instructions 1(b). ( ) Form 3 Holdings Reported ( ) Form 4 Transactions Reported 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 12/31/00 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 Reporting (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 | |Date |Code| | Beneficially |(D)or | | | | | | A/| | Owned at |Indir | | | | | Amount | D | Price | End of Year |ect(I)| | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| Class A Common Stock |12/7/0|G |50,000 |D | |5,310,852 |D | | |0 | | | | | | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| Class A Common Stock |12/7/0|G |50,000 |A (| |50,000 |I |(1) | |0 | | |1) | | | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | | | | |2,200,000 |I |(2) | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | | | | |17,825 |I |(3) | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | | | | |6,008 |I |(4) | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 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 |Date |Code| rities Acqui |Expiration | Securities |vative |tive |ect|Beneficial | |cise Pr | | | red(A) or Dis |Date(Month/| |Secu |Securities |(D)|Ownership | |ice 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 | | | Amount | |ble | | | |Year |(I)| | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| Explanation of Responses: (1) The shares were contributed by the reporting person to irrevocable trust for the benefit of reporting person's children and grandchildren. The reporting person disclaims beneficial ownership of the shares. (2) The shares are held by DeFranco Investment Co., Ltd., a general partnership, of which the reporting person is the sole general partner. (3) 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. (4) The shares are held by the reporting person as custodian for his minor children. The reporting person disclaims beneficial ownership of the shares. SIGNATURE OF REPORTING PERSON /s/ James DeFranco DATE 1/15/01