"Without local programming and services, broadcasters will lose viewers and listeners and thus the advertisers that are the lifeblood of their business," the National Association of Broadcasters told the FCC this week. "Burdensome and intrusive regulation cannot be justified by unquantified and unproven suggestions that not all broadcasters are providing some appropriate level of service' the NAB added, reports TVWeek writer Ira Teinowitz.

The NAB also argued that serving the best needs of the local community doesn't necessarily mean doing so with local content. "It is more realistic and practical to treat programming as locally relevant regardless of where it is produced," the group argues, citing content on presidential races, AIDS and other issues.

When the FCC eased rules for media ownership in December, it also offered a number of proposals to better monitor and increase local content. Among the proposals are requirements that stations establish community advisory boards, that they pre–review network programming and that they demonstrate evidence of local programming during station license renewals.

Individual broadcasters, affiliates and networks also argued against regulation. "ABC strongly believes that any additional regulation to encourage localism is unnecessary and potentially harmful to localism," the network said in its filing. "Our stations — and stations run by our competitors — determine how best to serve their local management and local decisions," Disney said in its filing. NBC and CBS took similar positions.

While those broadcasters opposed FCC action, some minority broadcasters urged the FCC to act. The National Association of Black–Owned Broadcasters suggested consolidation had led to stations "being operated as 'broadcast jukeboxes' broadcasting an endless supply of music or other entertainment programming, but no local service to their community."