As expected, the Federal Communications Commission June 2 voted to repeal a 28-year-old rule that restricted newspapers from owning nearby broadcast stations.

The Republican-led agency voted 3-2, following party lines, to relax media ownership rules that in some cases dated to the early 1940s. In addition to allowing newspapers to purchase television and radio stations located in the same market, the vote also allows television networks to own stations that reach 45 percent of the nation’s television households, up from 35 percent.

The Newspaper Association of America, which supported easing the ban, applauded the agency’s decision.

“We believe the commission, for the first time in more than 25 years, took a significant step today to loosen significantly the regulatory shackles that have prohibited a daily newspaper from owning a broadcast station in the same market,” said John F. Sturm, NAA president.

Under the revamped newspaper-broadcast cross-ownership rules, a newspaper will now be allowed to purchase nearby broadcast outlets if the market has between four and eight television stations. If the market has three or fewer television stations, a newspaper is still banned from adding media properties unless it receives a waiver.

Markets that boast nine or more television stations will have no ban on newspaper cross-ownership, the agency ruled. Sturm said the NAA is disappointed the commission didn’t fully repeal the ban and will continue to urge the FCC to erase newspaper cross-ownership restrictions across all markets, regardless of size.

The FCC said the new limits were “carefully balanced to protect diversity, localism and competition in the American media system.”