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
   Moskowitz, David K.
   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
   1/8/02
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)
   Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary
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       |1/8/02|J (1| |76,193            |D  |(1)        |100,350            |I     |(1) (2)                    |
                           |      |)   | |                  |   |           |                   |      |                           |
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Class A Common Stock       |1/8/02|J (1| |76,193            |A  |(1)        |335,915            |D     |                           |
                           |      |)   | |                  |   |           |                   |      |                           |
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                           |      |    | |                  |   |           |38,785             |I     |(3)                        |
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                           |      |    | |                  |   |           |17,009             |I     |(4)                        |
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                           |      |    | |                  |   |           |8,184              |I     |(5)                        |
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                           |      |    | |                  |   |           |1,328              |I     |(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)|            |
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________|
                                                                            
                      |        |     |    | |           |   |     |     |            |       |       |            |   |            |
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

Explanation of Responses:
(1)  Reflects a distribution of shares by the Grantor Retained Annuity Trust
(GRAT) to the reporting person for the purpose of meeting the GRAT's annuity
payment obligations.
(2) The shares were contributed by the reporting person to a GRAT, for which
there is an independent, third-party trustee,  for the benefit of the reporting
person's family.
(3)  The shares were contributed by the reporting person to a charitable
foundation. The reporting person is a member of the Board of Directors for the
charitable foundation and has both
investment control and voting power for the foundation.  The reporting person
disclaims beneficial ownership of the shares.
(4) 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.
(5) The shares are held by the reporting person in trust for the benefit of the
minor children of Charles W. Ergen, the Chief Executive Officer of the Company.
 The reporting person disclaims
beneficial ownership of the
shares.
(6) The shares are held by the reporting person as custodian for his minor
children.
SIGNATURE OF REPORTING PERSON
                       /s/ David K. Moskowitz
DATE
             2/6/02