The Politico

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Politico and Politico.com, based in Arlington, Virginia, were launched January 23, 2007 [1], the date of President George W. Bush's State of the Union address, "with the mission of covering the politics of Capitol Hill and of the presidential campaign, and the business of Washington lobbying and advocacy with enterprise, style, and impact," its website states.

"The Politico has signed partnerships with all-news WTOP-103.5 FM as well as CBS, which will feature its stories and reporters on 'Face the Nation' and other CBS news programs. In addition, the startup will have its own 30-minute TV show that will air weekdays on NewsChannel 8, a sister Allbritton property whose newsroom it shares with [ABC News in Washington, D.C.] WJLA-TV (Channel 7).

"The newspaper will publish 30,000 copies to be distributed free of charge three days a week while Congress is in session, and one day a week during recess. The Web site, which also will be free, plans to be rich in video and is aimed at readers across the country," Kara Rowland reported January 22, 2007, in The Washington Times.

Politico is a publication of Capitol News Company, LLC, a division of Allbritton Communications Company.

Politico's working title was The Capitol Leader. [2]


The Publisher / Funder

Politico's "publisher, Robert L. Allbritton, 37, scion of the banking and media family that once owned the defunct Washington Star, said in an interview that he would finance The Politico for 'the foreseeable future' and has committed to paying for expensive campaign travel. He has hired a staff of about 50 people, almost half of them journalists," Kara Rowland reported January 22, 2007, in The Washington Times.

"Newspapers have to be all things to all people,' Mr. Allbritton said. 'On the Internet, there is no one site that delivers everything. It’s broken down into mini-mini-subdivisions of interests and they attract people who are passionately interested in one subject.' ...

Allbritton "is best known for following his father, Joe L. Allbritton, as chief executive of the Riggs Bank, which was sold in 2004 after a Senate investigation found that Gen. Augusto Pinochet, the late Chilean dictator, had kept millions of dollars in secret accounts at Riggs. Robert Allbritton has been chairman and chief executive of Allbritton Communications, which owns television stations in Washington and a half dozen other markets, since 2001," Rowland wrote.

"Politico will generate its revenue through an advertising-supported business model, with many of the ads coming from trade associations, lobbyists, government contractors and other companies looking to attract the attention of Congress, said Albritton President Frederick Ryan Jr. in September [2006] when the venture was initially announced," Katie Wilmeth of The Examiner reported on January 23, 2007.

Editorial Staff

Contact Information

1000 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 601
Arlington, VA 22209
Phone: 703 647-7982
Email: tblake AT thepolitico.com
Website: http://www.politico.com

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