Former Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael Powell says he never saw a study that suggested greater concentration of media ownership would hurt local TV news coverage.

Powell, now a consultant, said through his assistant Judy Mann that "he never saw the report, he never heard of the report until yesterday, and he certainly never ordered anything destroyed or stopped."

The draft report, which surfaced earlier this week, was at odds with agency policy under Powell regarding media ownership issues. A former FCC lawyer told the AP that senior managers at the agency ordered the report be destroyed.

A copy was obtained by U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., who asked about it during a confirmation hearing of current FCC Chairman Kevin Martin on Tuesday.

In another development, Boxer on Thursday night asked the FCC to begin a formal investigation into why the report was never circulated.

Boxer referenced comments by former FCC lawyer Adam Candeub, now a law professor at Michigan State University, who told the AP that senior managers at the agency ordered that "every last piece" of the report be destroyed. "The whole project was just stopped -- end of discussion," he said.

The draft report, written by two economists in the FCC's Media Bureau, analyzed a database of 4,078 individual news stories broadcast in 1998 that showed 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 was not consistent with FCC arguments made when it voted in 2003 on a number of ownership rules, including one that would increase the number of television stations a company could own in a single market.

Foes of media consolidation seized on the report as evidence that the FCC under Powell was intent on loosening media ownership rules regardless of any evidence that might indicate such an action would not serve the public interest.

The agency voted to loosen ownership rules in 2003. The action sparked a backlash among the public and within Congress. In June 2004, a federal appeals court rejected the agency's reasoning on most of the rules and ordered it to try again.

The debate has since been reopened, and the FCC has scheduled a public hearing on the matter in Los Angeles on Oct. 3.

(John Dunbar, Associated Press)

"Supernova" winner, loser

The band from the reality TV show "Rock Star: Supernova" cannot call itself Supernova when it takes its act on the road, a judge has ruled.

A Southern California rock band that has called itself Supernova since 1991 and recorded three albums under the name sued CBS, the show's participants and Mark Burnett Productions in June, claiming unfair competition and trademark infringement.

"Rock Star: Supernova," which began airing July 5, followed 15 contestants who aspired to become the lead singer of a new rock band that includes former Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee, former Guns N' Roses guitarist Gilby Clarke and former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted. Canadian Lukas Rossi, named the winner on Wednesday's episode, will tour with the band and appear on its album. Dilana Robichaux was runner-up.

U.S. District Court Judge John A. Houston issued a preliminary injunction Tuesday barring that band from performing, recording or selling music under the Supernova name pending the outcome of the lawsuit.

Gary Hecker, an attorney representing Mark Burnett Productions, told The Associated Press that the order "is not going to affect the band or the tour."

(Sandy Cohen, Associated Press)

Letterman ratings

Thursday night's "Late Show with David Letterman," featuring Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, garnered an 8.3 rating and 19 share on KDKA-TV, the show's best ratings locally since a Howard Stern appearance in March (8.7/20). The share refers to the share of the households in the market with TVs turned on that were tuned to KDKA at that hour.

Thursday night's competing "Tonight Show" on WPXI had a 5.5/13 rating/share.

(Rob Owen, Post-Gazette TV editor)