On Monday, Oct. 3, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski will attend a field event at Arizona State University’s Cronkite School on the recommendations of the recently released staff-level report on the current state of the media landscape. The report, titled “Information Needs of Communities: The Changing Media Landscape in a Broadband Age” was delivered to the FCC in June 2011.

The report describes tremendous innovation in the media landscape but also identifies critical gaps, including a shortage of local news reporting. The report also offers recommendations for government, nonprofit players and entrepreneurs. At this event, Chairman Genachowski will hear from journalists, academics, businesses, and the public about innovating and strengthening news and information gathering and reporting to meet citizen needs. To read the report, visit http://www.fcc.gov/infoneedsreport.

The free public event takes place 9-11:30 a.m. on Floor 6, Channel Eight, in the Arizona PBS Studio A at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, 555 N. Central Avenue. The event will be webcast on http://www.fcc.gov/live. Audience members watching online may submit questions to panelists by e-mailing livequestions@fcc.gov or on Twitter using the hashtag #FCCLIVE.

Joining Genachowski from the FCC will be: FCC Commissioner Michael J. Copps; Steven Waldman, chair, FCC Working Group on the Information Needs of Communities; and William Lake, chief of FCC Media Bureau.

PANELISTS:

• Jonathan Blake, Senior Counsel, Covington & Burling, LLC, on behalf of Barrington, Belo, Dispatch, Gannett, Hearst, Post-Newsweek, and Raycom

• Susan Crawford, Professor, Cardozo Law School

• Kevin Davis, CEO and Executive Director, Investigative News Network

• Greg Dawson, Vice President of News, NBC San Diego

• Leonard Downie Jr., Weil Family Professor of Journalism, Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Arizona State University

• Paul Giguere, President and CEO, National Association of Public Affairs Networks

• Retha Hill, Executive Director of the Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship Lab, Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Arizona State University

• Jason Klein, President and CEO, Newspaper National Network

• Craig Parshall, SVP and General Counsel, National Religious Broadcasters

• Nicol Turner Lee, Vice President and Director, Media and Technology Institute for the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies

• Laura Walker, President and CEO, New York Public Radio (WNYC)

• Coriell Wright, Policy Counsel, Free Press