The Donald McGannon Communication Research Center filed comments in the FCC's Broadcast Localism proceeding on Nov. 1, 2004.  This proceeding, initiated by the Commission in the wake of its controversial media ownership decision, is intended to help the Commission gather data and suggestions related to the questions of whether broadcasters are effectively serving the informational needs of their local communties and whether new regulatory approaches are necessary to ensure that such community service takes place.

The McGannon Center filed two studies that document the quantity of public affairs programming provided by local broadcast television stations and that examine the relationship between market and ownership characteristics and the provision of such programming.