Friendship grew into romance, which deepened when they returned to Washington. Eventually, he reached Zane Zander, who owned a paper in the small town of Brillion. Perhaps thats the secret to his success: eight hours a nightexcept when son Alex wakes him at 6. Read More Britain's Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, are joined by Elena Allbritton, left, Robert Allbritton, second from left, and Barby Allbritton as they arrive . I think we have a deal clincher, he said. He believed Politico was far more valuable than Business Insider and, according to a person familiar with the discussions, he proceeded to try and bully Allbritton into selling. The other must-attend event of the day is the always glamorous brunch hosted by Politico at the Georgetown mansion of Politico founder Robert Allbrittonand wife Elena. In 2011, for example, AOL bought the Huffington Post for $315 million. I know he has a commitment to a high level of quality.. The pie will grow., Moodys Investment Service, which rates and analyzes global businesses, wonders if Allbritton Communications is making enough money to service its debt. I knew journalism was changing, and no one had come up with answers about how to take advantage of the changes.. By that time, Robert had lost respect for Jim as a CEO, says a person familiar with Allbrittons thinking. Come over to the Jefferson.. Grim says that the newsroom in Rosslyn where editors and Robert Allbritton work is extremely friendly and that they dont require the extreme hours of everyonebut almost everyone. That Sunday, November 19, VandeHei called Ryan, who was hunting pheasant in Boonsboro, Maryland. But Politico executive editor Jim VandeHei says: Robert has vision, balls, and moneyand knows how to use all three.. They havent figured out a way to fix it or avoid it., Ryan Grim started reporting for Politico when it launched in 2007; he had come from the Washington City Paper. The TV stationsthe centerpiece of his dads empirewere sold off for nearly $1 billion. Allbritton served in the United States Navy during World War II. In some ways, he says, I couldnt have been happier. All the while, VandeHei worked to expand his public profile. Seeking to bridge the gap between print and digital news, it has hired many top journalists and broken more than a few stories. Robert explained the pros and cons, the debt theyd have to assume, the cost to the company in time and energy. The Post brass took notes. Triple Crown series, the Preakness and the Belmont stakes. Finding a way to diversify soon became his obsession. He began meeting with media titans like Jonathan Klein, then president of CNN, and studying books by management gurus like GEs former CEO Jack Welch. VandeHei and Harris say that neither Allbritton nor Fred Ryan has ever weighed in on coverage. Instead, he enrolled at community college and eventually got into the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. He and Schwartz left the company this past spring and have been courting investors on Wall Street and in Silicon Valley for their as yet undefined new venture. And I think that always bothered [Allbritton].. Weve had opportunities most people can only dream of. Investigators reviewed Riggss diplomatic business and discovered loopholes and gaps in the way the bank monitored deposits. Other new-media start-ups, meanwhile, were fetching giant piles of cash. I check my political views at the door, says Ryan. He graduated from Wesleyan in 1992 and went directly into Riggs Banks investment-management side. When the 2016 election cycle kicked off, it was no longer dictating the terms of the news cycle. Publications. Robert says team sports were not his thing. Boyish and easygoing, he was sometimes mistaken for a reporter or techie in the newsroom. Robert has lost the room, this source says. There are days when half of the print editions 44 pages are ads for companies such as Goldman Sachs. And then the next step Id be like, Oh, these people arent much smarter than I am. In 2002, the Post snatched him from the Wall Street Journal. It freed Robert Allbritton to devote his time and money to launching Politico, the hard-charging newspaper and digital publication that covers political news from Capitol Hill to the White House. Late last summer, an opportunity arose. We both had the belief that Washington journalism was not living up to its reputation, VandeHei says. The timing was awful: In 2004, federal regulators concluded that Riggsthe bank that had financed the Mexican-American War and the purchase of Alaskahad overlooked suspicious transactions involving government officials of Saudi Arabia and Equatorial Guinea. Politico published VandeHeis statement at 7:27 PM. He and I are sitting in his office on the 27th floor of a Rosslyn office tower that once housed the Gannett media company and USA Today. There he sat down to lunch with his father, Joe, and his mother, Barbara. In the 80s, he took control of Riggs Bank, the citys largest and most historic financial institution. In the view of many journalists, the loss of two more top political writers threatened the papers franchise on political reporting. [4] He resigned due to prostate cancer during investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission involving oil money from Equatorial Guinea at the same time that Riggs was facing broader charges of money laundering; his son Robert assumed the chairman position after his resignation; the bank was later purchased by PNC in 2005. Scooping the competition was only half the game. Despite their incongruous personalities, VandeHei and Allbritton became friendly. Allbritton received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Wesleyan University in 1992, [8] and has served as a member of its board of trustees. His peace of mind comes in part from his decision not to buy the nine New York Times Company TV stations three years ago. Zero, he says. Harriswho by then had concluded that the drama was a distractiontried to mediate. Whatever the case, Allbritton made sure VandeHeis figures were reviewed more carefully after the blunder. They at least owed Graham a chance to hear their pitch. He feared they would wind up playing on computers in their basement in a version of Waynes World. We could really kick up some dirt quick.. WJLA-TV and NewsChannel 8 news operations have been squeezed back to make room for around 75 Politicoreporters and editors. I fully intended to resurrect it, he says. Imagine if someone put together the six or seven people we know that are really, really good at this, put them in one place, put them on the web, get them on TV, he remembers thinking. Harris spelled out his reservations and argued for staying with the Post. Harris found himself defending his partner. BeforePolitico, VandeHei says, his only management experience had been being a night-shift manager at Little Caesars in high school. His father, Joe Allbritton, had been a big player in Washington business and political circles since coming from Texas in 1973; he entered the media market by buying the old Washington Star and Channel 7, and he took control of Riggs National Bank. Both VandeHei and Harris had worked with Allen at the Post. They were pass the bong conversations. Colleagues considered Allbritton friendly, if a bit shy. They pointed out that he had been only a reporter, had never edited anything, let alone run a news operation. Heres a list of six, Harris said. My melanoma was treated at the Washington Hospital Center. Like generations of reporters before them, Politico would prioritize scoops above all else. Other criticism was more legitimate. He is a very caring professional who is truly concerned about his patients., Dermatologic Surgery Center The news industry was changing, he says. Senior managers complained to Allbritton that VandeHei, Kingsley, Schwartz, and executive vice president Danielle Jones had isolated themselves from others and were running the company as a clique. By 2008, Politico was heralded as an unqualified triumph, as its tabloid-style reporting came to define the presidential campaign. Allbritton chose a different course: He arranged public debates and forums, paid for by Politico, to promote Politicos brand. Federal prosecutors were harsh, but they also said, We welcome the banks decision to accept responsibility, to implement internal processes to prevent future such violations, and to cooperate fully with our ongoing investigations., Throughout the investigations, Robert ran the bank well, according to Steve Trachtenberg, who was on the banks board. No, he said. Allbritton describes these mistakes as whoopsies and says they werent out of the ordinary for a first-year executive. A former member of Politicos leadership insists that the mistakes originated from incorrect information provided by Allbritton Communications financial managers. The only thing I couldnt give him was ownership, Allbritton told the crowd. Danielle Jones came from the Hotline. The question on Allbrittons mind: Do you want to put a big bet on something you already have a big bet on? His family soon relocated to Houston, Texas, where his father owned a small business. The relationship ultimately deteriorated during a series of events that has not been reported until now. Turned off by Politicos manic pace and narrow focus on politics, he quit in June. Ryan worked in the Reagan White House and served as Ronald Reagans chief of staff when the President left office; hes still close with Nancy Reagan. He suggested that VandeHei contact Fred Ryan. But it has matured. Using his initials, he changed the call letters to WJLA. Robert Allbritton is a None. Graham ran the meeting. He was covering the White House for Time. Senior writer Luke Mullins (@lmullinsdc on Twitter) can be reached at lmullins@washingtonian.com. VandeHei rolled out his vision of a band of top reporters who would dig for news and handle it in a different way. Everyonefrom Joe Allbritton on downexpected Robert to buy the nine New York Times Company television stations. Tune in to a political discussion on TV or radio and youre likely to hear a mention of Politico or see one of its reporters; in less than three years, it has built a brand that rivals the Washington Post in political news. They could spoon-feed previously unreported materials to Politico, whichin its dash to be firstwould publish these scoops with little regard for news value. 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It was clear that he was out trying to prove himself, says Chuck Conconi, a longtime Washington journalist who hosted a TV show for the company. VandeHei was at the top of the reporting game. The White House staff, for instance, works a two-day shift every other weekend, and several congressional reporters have worked seven-day weeks with little downtime since September. Allbritton is the son of the late banker and businessman Joe Allbritton. I ask if he sees himself as a pillar of the Washington community or a businessman who lives here. Allbritton wrote again following a 1997 trip to Santiago to express his gratitude for "our thriving personal friendship, which you have demonstrated through your gracious hospitality and stalwart. Four years later, he sold the newspaper to Time Inc. but kept the television station. By using this form you agree with the storage and handling of your data by this website. General Dermatology In fact, he doesnt wear a watch. I dont know, maybe., There were reasons to lose confidence. It is its own little microcosm. It was certainly a good time to sell a new-media company. The four met regularly to knock around ideas. Any one article does not have all the facts. Some journalists have a natural tendency to want to prove their theory correct.. He wanted to be involved in most of the decisions, Brady says. Too many top reporters had left for other news organizations or taken buyouts. First published in January 2007, Politico has become something of a media phenomenon. We were in a constant rolling conversation about ideas. is a Medicare accredited surgery center. The investigations forced our hand, Allbritton says. It was a really cool collaboration, Allbritton says. VandeHei has told others that all employees of his new company will get stock. He even devised an incentive plan to lure established journalists. The congressional team excelled in covering the bailout story, he says. It has no opinion page. And you had this whole leadership team that was inspired and motivated by Jim. She started whipping off e-mails to Harris, invoked Winston Churchill and Teddy Roosevelt, and said the Allbritton offer was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Compared with his companys eight TV stations, Politico is a relatively small part of Allbrittons costs and revenues. But this year, a new party joined the mix: POLITICO owner Robert Allbritton and his wife, Elena, opened their stunning Georgetown mansion to a wide swath of VIPs eager for one more round of . Although he still considered VandeHei a visionary CEO and leader, Allbritton says he concluded that Politicos executive staff couldnt manage its explosive growth all by itself. When Fred Ryan stepped down as CEO (hes now publisher of the Post), VandeHei got the job. The elder Allbritton died in 2012. Father and son were close. On January 23, Robert Allbritton called WJLA staffers to a meeting. The terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon on September 11, 2001, focused attention on the international flow of money. She has been published in several journals and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology and member of the American Society for Dermatological Surgery and the American Medical Association. But according to the person with knowledge of the discussions, the entire notion of a blockbuster deal was a fantasy; Axel Springer never would have paid the lofty prices VandeHei envisioned, this person says, and Allbritton didnt believe such a scenario was realistic. VandeHei had never had a full-time job in journalism, and now hed be running a newspaper. Most of the newsroom had no idea about the infighting that had transpired over the previous months. Friedman called CBS News president Sean McManus to make sure he could make good on the promise; VandeHei called Harris at the Post. Around this time, VandeHei got word through media consultant David Bass that Allbritton wanted changes at the Capitol Leader. "For the third consecutive year, POLITICO Publisher Robert Allbritton and his wife, Dr. Elena Allbritton, opened the doors of their Georgetown home on the Sunday following the White House . He also figured he could make good on a lifelong dreamlearning to fly a plane. Photo-illustration by Miles Donovan. She and a few friends were planning a monthlong trip to Europe; she invited him to join them. Reporters were working sources and checking TV screens as a presidential debate was about to get under way. A banker from Houston, Joe proceeded to build an empire that included eight TV stations, most notably Washington's ABC affiliate, WJLA. Dr. Allbrittons approach to patients is holistic and includes examining the role that diet, mindfulness and exercise play in ones overall health. . He and Hardy decided to take the trip anyway. He was the most important at the company, but not a constant presence, so it felt more like a vice chairman at times., At the same time, TBDs leaders became frustrated when Allbritton did insert himself into operations. Why not create their venture within the Post? In 1978, he was forced to divest the newspaper. Everyone should be proud of a great run. He also chaired Houston International Bank, Houston Citizens Bank and University Bankshares. Robert Allbritton was Joes only child. A banker from Houston, Joe proceeded to build an empire that included eight TV stations, most notably Washingtons ABC affiliate, WJLA. I dont see us competing against the Post, Robert Allbritton tells me. By 1998, Allbritton was chief operating officer of Allbritton Communications. In the next years, Allbritton Communications went on a buying binge. Friedman discussed hiring VandeHei as an on-air reporter. He spent two years learning the television business. Dr. Elena Allbritton is a board certified dermatologist devoted to providing excellent comprehensive dermatologic care for adults and children. I learned by osmosis how to deal with people, what was a good risk, what was a bad risk, Robert says. VandeHei, 38, and Harris, 45, dont seem to be natural allies. Allbrittons involvement with Politico steers clear of the publications political tone. Harris grabbed an umbrella and walked over. Want to more about Him? While there, he landed a part-time job at the local daily. In 1991, his 3-year-old horse, Hansel, won two legs of the U.S. Back at company headquarters in Rosslyn, Robert Allbritton analyzed spreadsheets and crunched the numbers. In the late 1980s and early 90s, Allbritton attended Wesleyan University, known for its liberal activism. Reporters appeared on every TV and radio program imaginable, and spokespeople urged other media outlets to write the name as POLITICO, per house style, so it would stand out. Hed been skiing since he was a kid, but he fell and broke a bone in his neckand wound up wearing a collar brace at his wedding in May. Because of her stellar academic record, she was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. They made their pitch again. [8] He is survived by his widow, Barbara, and their son, Robert and two grandchildren.[1]. I just want to be able to shop at the grocery store and not have people know I am anything more than an average guy buying tomatoes, he says. Seven months after the funeral, his son emerged from his grief with dramatic plans to transform the company hed inherited. The Times Company was beginning to feel pressure from prints loss of advertising revenue to digital media, so it wanted to cash out of television. At 22, he was analyzing deals and helping the bank decide on loans. Less than a year later, VandeHei was working in Washington. You have to flip your view and think of Politico beyond what you see in DC. Additional executives left Politico around the time of the power struggle. Around 2004, he was covering John Kerrys presidential campaign when Joe Dill, VandeHeis first editor at the Oshkosh daily, overheard a familiar name on TV, which was tuned to CNN. Although Politico never solicited an investment and Axel Springer never made a formal offer, VandeHei became captivated by the idea of a dealsomething he believed would help Politico grow beyond its boutique roots. But while established news outlets had a self-important tone, Politico reveled in tabloid energy. Every company has a small group of deciders, always including the CEO, CRO, and COO. Politicos extended leadership team comprised 20 people, he adds. He completed his undergraduate degree and law degree from Baylor University, where he was a national champion debater. Politico also bought a news website that gave it a beachhead in New York. The sources of tension included all the pitfalls that have driven apart other successful collaborations: power, ambition, ego, glory. He was probably the most powerful businessman in the city, says Bill Regardie, the former publisher of Regardies, Washingtons monthly business magazine at the time. Robert was always better than I was [at programming], remembers Face the Nation host John Dickerson, Allbrittons childhood friend. Allbritton sought advice from Bob Barnett, a lawyer and literary agent for many top journalists. They have done a very good job of establishing themselves as one of the go-to sites for Washington political coverage, says Brian Kelly, editor of U.S. News. He had spent his teen years there, holed up in his room with friends working on computer programs, playing tennis, and swimming in the back yard. Everybody brought something to the table. Speaking to the press, VandeHei made sure to flatter his benefactor. Politico hired Josh Gerstein from the New York Sun and David Cloud from the New York Times. I see myself as a normal kind of person, he says. Since then, I have continued my follow-up visits with Dr. Peck at Dr. Skelseys office, even though it is at a great distance from my home. [5] The Riggs Bank was also investigated for concealing Pinochet's money, an investigation that revealed direct tied between the dictator and Joe Allbritton. Beginning in 2006, the conversations turned to VandeHeis idea for a new business: creating the New York Yankees of political journalism. Robert Allbritton is chairmanand pilot. His father expected him to work for a few years and return to school for an MBA. The Potomac River curves below. You either do something big, concentrate on the Internet, or go home.. He had covered the 2004 presidential campaign and was free to roam the capital for stories. His professors were Allbritton executives. He rarely wears a tie, often dresses in jeans, and bows to style only with a pair of Gucci loafers. In May 2005, Pennsylvania-based PNC bought Riggs. VandeHei began playing poker with GOP staffers and breaking stories of national consequence: House Republicans were using a secret fund to explore the possible impeachment of President Clinton; Congressman Bob Livingston was ending his campaign for speaker of the House because of an extramarital affair. In a series of interviews, Allbritton makes clear that he doesnt relish the limelight. Instead, he often works alongside top editors and executives, at a desk with a view of Politicos newsroom. Upon graduation, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U. S. Air Force. [1], After naval service and law school, he borrowed $5,000 to buy land outside Houston, which was later used in the construction of a freeway connecting Houston and Galveston, earning Allbritton a small fortune. VandeHei, a native of Wisconsin, was watching a Green Bay Packers game. This became the foundation of his company, Allbritton Communications, which includes WJLA-TV,[2] NewsChannel 8, short lived Internet venture TBD, and Politico, now run by his son, Robert Allbritton. You cant skimp on that.. But that wasnt always practicable because he wasnt always in the office on a day-to-day basis. This muddled TBDs vision and direction, Brady says: His decisions sometimes seemed like they came out of nowhere.. And all the players had to get their stories straight. The paper was already reeling from losses in circulation and advertising revenue. Jim and I started shooting the breeze, Harris recalls. Every Friday, Allbritton meets with news directors at WJLA and NewsChannel 8; then he gets together with Harris and VandeHei, as he does most mornings. He visited stations, sold ads, studied the technology, worked on programming. Its wrong what they do to people, says Grim, 31. Sure enough, there he was: The lanky kid who once covered high-school sports for a tiny paper in an anonymous Midwestern city was now the star political reporter at the most glamorous newspaper in America. But then we thought people would just make fun of us [by abbreviating the name to] PP.. Certain items were perfect for the Huffington Post, others for Drudge. Harris had just returned to the paper after cowriting a book about the 2004 presidential campaign. The burnout factor is high, says one Politico writer. The first idea was to hire a band of six star reporters and six younger reporters, launch a Web site, and start covering Washington politics in a new way. He can see all of Politico and the assignment desk of the TV stations. It was not in my heart.. Its time to double down and take another risk, he said. Harris was torn; VandeHei was ready to bolt. The more VandeHei thought about the future of media, the more restless he became. There was one problem: VandeHei and Harris wanted to publish only on the Web. He had been running the family communications business since 1996, when he was four years out of college. All the same, employees could feel the tension between the men, even as Allbritton and VandeHei focused on the bright futures before them. He was a Post lifer. Hes engaged in the community and journalism beyond the Post. At a meeting Allbritton said, We have run the numbers.
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