At Westinghouse, McGannon insisted on dropping
cigarette advertising despite protests from network officials. He was also a primary force behind the “
prime-time access rule,” which the
FCC instituted in 1971 in order to return a portion of each evening's
prime time schedule to local stations (rather than the networks). Donald McGannon was also the principal force behind Westinghouse developing its own standards of copy and program acceptance, because he felt the
NAB code standards were not sufficient. Often called an
iconoclast, McGannon used his prominence in broadcasting to influence the regulations, standards, and practices of broadcasting. He was a vocal advocate of
social responsibility in broadcasting and worked to educate the public through television. In 1968, Donald McGannon was awarded the Trustee Award of the
National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, the Television Academy's highest honor, given in recognition of unusual or enduring achievements to the arts or sciences of television. Other winners of this award have included
Edward R. Murrow,
Bob Hope,
Walter Cronkite, and
Ted Turner. McGannon was also a huge influence on
education, as a trustee or adviser to several universities, and was a founding director of
Sacred Heart University, as well as serving on the Board of Directors of
Radio Free Europe. Donald McGannon died in 1984, leaving behind his wife Patricia and 13 children. He died in
Chester, Connecticut. ==Legacy==