The FCC (nobody’s saying exactly who) has allegedly ordered the destruction of a report which found in part that:
local ownership of television stations adds almost five and one-half minutes of total news to broadcasts and more than three minutes of “on-location” news. The conclusion is at odds with FCC arguments made when it voted in 2003 to increase the number of television stations a company could own in a single market. (AP)
This is quite a surprising cover-up and may be seen as evidence of the push within the FCC towards media consolidation. I’ve heard it claimed that one of the arguments in support of consolidation is that there is no hard evidence that it causes a harm to media content or communities. This report appears to speak to this concern.
Sources:Media ownership study ordered destroyed (AP), Officials Ordered FCC Report Destroyed, Says Ex-Staffer (Broadcasting and Cable)