Journal Newspapers Inc., the Alexandria-based chain of free suburban tabloids, plans to begin distributing a free daily newspaper in the District on Feb. 1, according to one of its major advertisers and a source close to the company.
Journal Newspapers president and publisher James McDonald would not confirm or deny the launch date of a District edition. Managing Editor Nicholas Horrock said Journal Newspapers is close to naming a Washington editor and a few additional reporters "to cover a wider area."
Journal Newspapers currently publishes two editions, one in Northern Virginia and another in Montgomery and Prince George's counties.
McDonald said the publications target readers who view conventional broadsheet newspapers as too time-consuming and hard to navigate.
"[The Journal newspapers] are designed as a response to a change in consumer habits, which points to less time to read. People feel guilty. When they pay for something and don't use it all, they stop buying it," McDonald said. He added that the "strength of our model" is running shorter news stories than conventional broadsheets in a tabloid format while mixing them with local news coverage not found in commuter newspapers such as Express, which is a free tabloid distributed by The Washington Post Co.
The District newspaper will be called the Examiner, borrowing brand identity from its better-known corporate cousin -- the San Francisco Examiner. Journal Newspapers and the San Francisco Examiner are owned by Clarity Media Group Inc., an investment vehicle for Denver billionaire and Qwest Communications International Inc. founder Philip F. Anschutz.
Clarity in October trademarked variations of the Examiner moniker using the names of at least 68 cities, including Washington, Baltimore, New York, Detroit, Denver and Salt Lake City, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office records show.
Jim Monaghan, a spokesman for Anschutz, downplayed the significance of the trademark push: "It's prudent to trademark it. Nothing should be made of it."
But in Washington, the Examiner name will be more than a place holder.
Here, the Examiner will be distributed free to households in select Zip codes and in sidewalk boxes, according to a major advertiser and a source close to the company. Both sources would comment only on condition of anonymity because the details have not been announced by the company.
