A draft order perpetuating the 1970s ban on newspaper publishers owning TV and radio stations has "stunned" the Newspaper Association of America.

A statement says the group is "deeply disappointed" the draft order would keep in place a 40-year-old rule that is "more obsolete than the eight-track tape or the mainframe computer".

"Investment and mergers will continue to flow to unregulated internet businesses that compete with news publishers for advertising, but investment and collaboration will be blocked among entities who serve local audiences - newspaper and radio and television.

"The result will be less resources for the local news on which our democracy depends," says the statement.

It claims the Commission's analysis is flawed and does not account for today's reality in a highly converged marketplace that offers a wealth of information through the internet and innovative technologies. "Preserving local media should be a priority of this Commission, and we are disappointed with a decision that contradicts its own past findings and tentative conclusions".

• The NAA has named Michael MaLoon as its new vice president of innovation.

His brief to discover industry insights and open up a dialogue between its 2000 members is to begin with a meeting of "best and brightest" prior to visiting members and their newsrooms.

MaLoon worked for Gannett and Gatehouse Media properties and was director of sales and operations at the Chronicle of Higher Education and the Chronicle of Philanthropy.