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 Orban, Paul W. 5701 S. Santa Fe Drive Littleton, CO 80120 USA 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 03/18/03 5. If Amendment, Date of Original (Month/Year) 6. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer (Check all applicable) ( ) Director ( ) 10% Owner ( ) Officer (give title below) (X) Other (specify below) Vice President and Controller 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 |03/17/|S (1| |4,000 |D |30.00 |25,988 |D |(1) | |03 |) | | | | | | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| Class A Common Stock | | | | | | |2,614 |I |(2) | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| Class A Common Stock | | | | | | |119 |D |(3) | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 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)| | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| Explanation of Responses: (1) The sale reported in this Form 4 was effected pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. (2) The number of shares reported in column 5 represents the balance in the reporting person's account through the EchoStar Communications Corporation's 401(k) Employees' Savings Plan to date. The reporting person has dispositive, but no voting power with respect to the shares. (3) The number of shares in column 5 represents the balance in the reporting person's account through EchoStar Communications Corporation's Employee Stock Purchase Plan to date. SIGNATURE OF REPORTING PERSON /s/ Paul W. Orban DATE 3/18/03