A New D.C. Paper Poaches, Encroaches Cross-Platforms

A most interesting story, about a start-up paper in D.C., that really gets it about cross-platform. They also seem to understand that they have to pay the "talent," and the fact that they poached staffers from the Washington Post shows they understand the need for experience. Many questions are left unanswered, but pairing a 3-day a week paper with an existing ABC affiliate should be interesting.

http://www.observer.com/20061127/20061127_Michael_Calderone_pageone_offtherec-2.asp
by Michael Calderone

Snippet from the story: - The Capitol Leader is paired with an as-of-yet-unnamed Web site. The paper and the Web site will be run out of the same office, by essentially the same staff. The main newsroom for both will be located in Allbritton’s television facility in Arlington, Va. There will be a smaller news bureau on Constitution Avenue in Washington, D.C.

“Obviously, you have to have synergy,” said Jim VandeHei, one of the multi-platformed project’s first big hires. (The endeavor, in addition to its Web-friendliness, also has an agreement with CBS on the national level.) “Everything that will be in the paper will be online. All of the people, the stars that we bring in, will be in that paper.”