Well, this is old but interesting:

Former Federal Communications Commission (FCC) lawyer Adam Candeub claims that the government agency destroyed a 2004 study on the implications of local media ownership. The study, which revealed that locally owned television stations provide more local news coverage, blatantly contradicts the FCC’s assertion that “commonly owned television stations are more likely to carry local news,” an argument used by the agency to justify a position in favor of a hands-off approach to media ownership restrictions.

— Senator calls for investigation of buried FCC study, By Ryan Paul, ars technica, September 17, 2006 – 09:58AM CT

It seems somebody gave Senator Barbara Boxer a copy, so its existence is known, even though FCC commissioners deny any knowledge of it.

Among other things, the study says:

“For example,” the study suggests on page two, “if the local [television station] owner also develops real estate locally, they may cover the local zoning board in a way that favors the owner’s real estate interests.”

Boxer was supposedly threatening an investigation, but if that’s happened, it doesn’t seem to have made the news, not even on ars technica.

-jsq