UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM 3
INITIAL STATEMENT OF BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP OF SECURITIES
1. Name and Address of Reporting Person
   Messier, Jean-Marie
   375 Park Avenue
   New York, NY  10152
   USA
2. Date of Event Requiring Statement (Month/Day/Year)
   1/22/02
3. IRS or Social Security Number of Reporting Person (Voluntary)

4. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol
   EchoStar Communications Corporation
   DISH
5. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer (Check all applicable)
   (X) Director  ( ) 10% Owner  ( ) Officer (give title below) ( ) Other
   (specify below)
   Outside Director
6. If Amendment, Date of Original (Month/Day/Year)

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 Beneficially Owned                                                                           |
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1. Title of Security                       |2. Amount of          |3. Ownership    |4. Nature of Indirect                          |
                                           |   Securities         |   Form:        |   Beneficial Ownership                        |
                                           |   Beneficially       |   Direct(D) or |                                               |
                                           |   Owned              |   Indirect(I)  |                                               |
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No securities beneficially owned (1)       |                      |                |                                               |
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 Table II -- Derivative Securitites Beneficially Owned                                                                             |
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1.Title of Derivative   |2.Date Exer-       |3.Title and Amount     |         |4. Conver-|5. Owner-    |6. Nature of Indirect      |
  Security              |  cisable and      |  of Underlying        |         |sion or   |ship         |   Beneficial Ownership    |
                        |  Expiration       |  Securities           |         |exercise  |Form of      |                           |
                        |  Date(Month/      |-----------------------|---------|price of  |Deriv-       |                           |
                        |  Day/Year)        |                       |Amount   |deri-     |ative        |                           |
                        | Date    | Expira- |                       |or       |vative    |Security:    |                           |
                        | Exer-   | tion    |         Title         |Number of|Security  |Direct(D) or |                           |
                        | cisable | Date    |                       |Shares   |          |Indirect(I)  |                           |
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Explanation of Responses:
(1)  Mr. Messier is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Vivendi Universal,
and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Groupe Canal+, a wholly-owned
subsidiary of Vivendi Universal.
Financiere De Videocommunication is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Groupe Canal+,
and the owner of record of 5,760,479 shares of Series D Preferred Stock of
EchoStar Commmunications
Corporation.  Each share of Series D Preferred Stock is immediately convertible
into 10 shares of Class A Common Stock of EchoStar.
SIGNATURE OF REPORTING PERSON
           /s/    Jean-Marie Messier
DATE
             1/31/02