What Those Glowing Obits Didn't Tell You About Joe Allbritton Robert Allbritton and Politico: How He's Doing Now Plus a Look Back at Most of the newsroom had no idea about the infighting that had transpired over the previous months. Last week,. They came up with a nameCapital Leaderand began hiring reporters. According to a source familiar with the discussions, VandeHei believed Axel Springer would pay three times Politicos assessed value for whatever portion of the company it acquired. Everyonefrom Joe Allbritton on downexpected Robert to buy the nine New York Times Company television stations. 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. I asked Allbritton how he could have started up a news operation and be making money when so many newspapers and Web sites are operating in the red? He visited stations, sold ads, studied the technology, worked on programming. The relationship ultimately deteriorated during a series of events that has not been reported until now. Walking through the rain back to the Post, VandeHei said to Harris: Dude, this is meant to be. Meanwhile, the political reporting at Politico often eclipses the Posts coveragefrom the White House to Capitol Hill. He wanted to be involved in most of the decisions, Brady says. They decided to make a run at entering the newspaper market on Capitol Hill. Don Graham is chairman of the Washington Post Company; Len Downie was executive editor of the Post. Full Body Cancer Screen He befriended Presidents. He wanted to be seen as the guy in charge, Allbritton says. I thought it would be cool, says Harris. These scoops raised VandeHeis profile. In fact, he doesnt wear a watch. I even did some on-air reporting, he says. My dad was one of those guys who always said, Cmon, listen in. When Robert was seven, the Allbrittons pulled up stakes and moved to a house in Georgetown. 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. VandeHei has told others that all employees of his new company will get stock. [1], He died on December 12, 2012, aged 87, of heart trouble, in Houston, Texas. Late last summer, VandeHei began pushing Allbritton to consider selling a chunk of the company. I catch up with Allbritton in the glassed-in conference room in the center of the combined newsrooms. My melanoma was treated at the Washington Hospital Center. I interviewed the best anchors and on-air talent in the region and cherry-picked the best to create a star staff, he says. Last week, I met with Allbritton, who is 49, to discuss all of this during an interview, which has been edited and condensed below. Political reporting means long and unpredictable hours, and thats fine. Robert Allbritton would wake up for the next four years to stories about the investigations into the bank he now ran. Dr. Gary Peck was the director of the Melanoma Center there. A banker from Houston, Joe proceeded to build an empire that included eight TV stations, most notably Washingtons ABC affiliate, WJLA. They were surprised and a little disappointed but respected his judgment. In high school, his guidance counselor was so underwhelmed that he recommended that VandeHeison of an accountant and a stay-at-home motherconsider trade school or the Army. Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Allbritton surname lived. The ESPN of Politics, as Allbritton Communications then-president, Fred Ryan, describes it. I love Don, Robert says. When Fred Ryan stepped down as CEO (hes now publisher of the Post), VandeHei got the job. VandeHei had never had a full-time job in journalism, and now hed be running a newspaper. His father, Joe, had barreled into town in 1974 when he bought the Washington Star, the citys afternoon paper. Im a businessman.. Politicos identity as a singular scoop factory faded. Early life [ edit] Joe Allbritton was born on December 29, 1924, in D'Lo, Mississippi, the sixth of seven children. Afterward, Allbritton occasionally gave instructions to executives and said, Dont tell Jim that I told you this., Politicos leaders were grateful to Allbritton for the resources he devoted to the company but were puzzled about why he wouldnt embrace the role of owner and allow the executive staff to run the company, the source says. Organizations they donated to including the Baylor College of Medicine, the Allbritton Art Institute, the Oxford Scholars, and the establishment of the International School of Law, which has become the George Mason University School of Law. Felisa Lewis, MD By that time, Robert had lost respect for Jim as a CEO, says a person familiar with Allbrittons thinking. The subscription service, which cost users thousands of dollars a year, revolutionized the companys balance sheet. 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 . The bank agreed to pay a $25-million fine. If youre a 19-year-old kid from Oshkosh, VandeHei says, youre like, Hallelujah!'. 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. Elena Allbritton, MD Eamon Javers came from Business Week. Were playing with house money.. VandeHei is tall and thin and has a manic bent; Harris is stout, a few years older, and seems more steady. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. "Barbie" is Allbritton's wife, Barbara, who was a director of Riggs Bank until early 2004,when she and her husband resigned as directors. The TV stationsthe centerpiece of his dads empirewere sold off for nearly $1 billion. She was very aware of the challenges the newspaper industry is going through.. 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. According to the early recruit, VandeHei said hed divide the companys equity among himself, his cofounder, and each reporter and editor they hired. It seemed like it was going to be a good paper. Joe Allbritton phoned his son a few weeks before Christmas 2000 and said, I have six weeks to live.. VandeHei and Harris chose not to answer the question directly. The paper was already reeling from losses in circulation and advertising revenue. 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. Three years ago, Robert Allbritton flew his executive team to Oklahoma City to kick the tires on a pair of television stations. Moodys called the achievement of profitability for Politico also a positive for the rating.. They could generate more than enough cash to pay their interest expenses, Berckmann says. But then we thought people would just make fun of us [by abbreviating the name to] PP.. From a 2009 Washingtonian magazine story by Harry Jaffe headlined The Son Also Rises: Robert Allbritton may seem low-key, but one of his top people says, He has vision, balls, and money.'. 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. He wanted to go to give speeches and tell the Politico story. A former member of Politicos leadership says VandeHei made public appearances to promote the companynot himself. A high valuation could have made VandeHeis phantom shares worth more than they already were. Last December, after Barack Obamas victory but before his inauguration, Harris met with Allbritton in the newsroom to map out their plan to cover the White House. 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. Perhaps thats the secret to his success: eight hours a nightexcept when son Alex wakes him at 6. In 2007 Robert started Politico, which began as a small tabloid paper covering Capitol Hill. The companys group head left, and I replaced him, Allbritton says. Harriswho by then had concluded that the drama was a distractiontried to mediate. Too many top reporters had left for other news organizations or taken buyouts. Thats never been important to me. It was owned for many years by developer Herb Miller, who added indoor and outdoor pools, geothermal technology for heating and cooling, a spa, a gym, and a media room. Were both very fortunate people, he says. One guy battling another is old-media thinking. The next day, Ryan met VandeHei and Harris for lunch at the Metropolitan Club. He asked to meet with Harris. A banker from Houston, Joe proceeded to build an empire that included eight TV stations, most notably Washington's ABC affiliate, WJLA. Aboard his Citation Sovereign airplane were Allbritton Communications president Fred Ryan, chief financial officer Stephen Gibson, general counsel Jerald Fritz, and marketing chief James Killen. Seeking to bridge the gap between print and digital news, it has hired many top journalists and broken more than a few stories. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. He was in his seventies and in good health. He doesnt use a Montblanc pen or sport a Rolex. McManus was on board. 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. Says Fred Ryan: It was going to be a more modest endeavor than Politico turned out to be. At the same time Robert Allbritton was guiding Riggs through the money-laundering investigation and sale, he was courting his wife-to-beand recovering from a broken neck. Come over to the Jefferson.. The only thing I couldnt give him was ownership, Allbritton told the crowd. He graduated from Wesleyan in 1992 and went directly into Riggs Banks investment-management side. This was painful from a personal perspective, intolerable from the publications perspective. I know he has a commitment to a high level of quality.. Senior writer Luke Mullins (@lmullinsdc on Twitter) can be reached at lmullins@washingtonian.com. Robert explained the pros and cons, the debt theyd have to assume, the cost to the company in time and energy. Allbritton and Fred Ryan started negotiating with James Finkelstein, owner of the Hill.They made an offer, and Finkelstein seemed ready to accept. New systems, more branches, better hours. In Rosslyn, Allbrittons company has been taking steps to put the drama behind it. Allbrittons retirement lasted less than a year. They are not likely to continue distributing cash to the parent company.. His professors were Allbritton executives. Dr. Elena Allbritton is a board certified dermatologist devoted to providing excellent comprehensive dermatologic care for adults and children. Ryan finally said to Allbritton: We can start our own paper for less.. We looked at radio, but WTOP was the best and not for sale. Now, as publisher of Politico, hes taking on a more public role. Valenti, who died in 2007, was one of Allbritton's closest friends; the 41st president was a regular at the annual brunch Allbritton and his wife, Barbara, held at their Washington home on. Today chicken salad was on the menu, as usual. Although he lacked the Ivy League pedigree of many of his peers, VandeHei scraped his way up the media food chainfrom New Fuels Report to Inside the New Congress to Roll Call. Before Politico, VandeHei says, his only management experience had been being a night-shift manager at Little Caesars in high school. But over the previous two years, hed charted new income streams and driven impressive revenue growth. They have multi-revenue streams and a layered audience, so they can take advantage of their national reach and a very targeted local readership at the same time., She agrees that ad dollars are plentiful on Capitol Hill. Allbritton sought advice from Bob Barnett, a lawyer and literary agent for many top journalists. In this article, we covered Robert Allbritton's net worth, wiki, bio, career, height, weight, pics, family, affairs, car, salary, age, facts, and other details in 2022.Continue reading to discover who is Robert Allbritton. Robert was always better than I was [at programming], remembers Face the Nation host John Dickerson, Allbrittons childhood friend. Harris found himself defending his partner. Until then, VandeHei hadnt shown much ambition. Were doing this.. 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. Its a businessand a very successful one. [8] He is survived by his widow, Barbara, and their son, Robert and two grandchildren.[1]. Whats different about working for the Huffington Post? Every new job or new step I took, I thought, Oh, these people arent that much smarter than I am,' VandeHei says. After her internship in internal medicine, Dr. Allbritton completed a two-year melanoma research fellowship and her residency in dermatology at the Washington Hospital Center. One of his first questions was Why did you go to Allbritton?. After Joe Allbritton died in December 2012, his son Robert sold the Allbritton TV stations for $980 million. Additional executives left Politico around the time of the power struggle. There are also days when only six of 28 pages are paid ads. That Sunday, November 19, VandeHei called Ryan, who was hunting pheasant in Boonsboro, Maryland. At 22, he was analyzing deals and helping the bank decide on loans. He invested profits in banks, insurance companies, and a chain of mortuaries. You have to flip your view and think of Politico beyond what you see in DC. What if I got you on Face the Nation every other week? Friedman asked. When students demonstrated and some were arrested, Allbritton pulled up a lawn chair, popped a beer, and watched. He had met Elena Christine Hardy at Wesleyan, but they didn't date. They could spoon-feed previously unreported materials to Politico, whichin its dash to be firstwould publish these scoops with little regard for news value. Mike Allen arises at 4 am to write the Playbook, his daily take on news, links to articles, musings on the coming day, and birthday greetings. I tend to agree with that.. Founded in 1836, the bank had been called on to finance the Mexican War and the purchase of Alaska and to hold deposits for 21 Presidents. Allbritton felt that Jim became intolerant to any ideas but his own, says a Politico executive. In late 2009, Allbritton announced plans to take the lessons hed learned and create another digital start-up, this one focusing on local news. Its not far-fetched to see another publication or two feeding happily at the same trough. Other than that, Politico follows an old-school model of gathering and disseminating news. For years, investors had approached Allbritton to gauge his interest in selling part or all of Politico. No, he said. True, our first two guys came from the Post, but most came from all over the place.. A Texan with a Washington footprint big enough to rival the Lone Star State is how the Washington Business Journal described Joe Allbritton. But, he adds, I never gave up my day job at Allbritton Communications.. In 2000, she was practicing dermatology in Washington; he was in the banking and media business. Eventually, he reached Zane Zander, who owned a paper in the small town of Brillion. [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. 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. He also chaired Houston International Bank, Houston Citizens Bank and University Bankshares. If he was right about that, says the source, he would have gotten a very handsome financial reward for his work, and he desperately wanted it., A former member of Politicos leadership says personal financial incentives had nothing to do with VandeHeis recommendation that Allbritton sell. She has a special interest and training in the diagnosis of pigmented lesions, dermoscopy, and melanoma detection. Media writer Mike Calderone was riding the 42 bus down Connecticut Avenue when he got e-mails that Joe Scarborough had dropped the F-bomb on MSNBC. He chooses the latter. He could not have been more mature if he had been 30 years older. But it was not the level of quality I wanted to attach my name to, he says. I caught the entrepreneurial bug a decade ago when we started this place and cant seem to shake it, he said. VandeHei says it was the holy s moment. The defection of VandeHei and Harris jolted the Washington Post. David Rogers came from the Wall Street Journal. The previous days events had rattled Politicos rank and file. Give me the six bestreporters people must read.. In the 80s, he took control of Riggs Bank, the citys largest and most historic financial institution. He sat on the boards of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, to which he donated the official White House portrait of President Reagan. On July 11, Harris announced that Politico veteran Carrie Budoff Brown will become its new top editor. And then the next step Id be like, Oh, these people arent much smarter than I am. Harris spelled out his reservations and argued for staying with the Post. 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. I do this because Dr. Peck is expert in diagnosing melanomas and takes his time examining me and answering all the questions that I and my wife have. I knew journalism was changing, and no one had come up with answers about how to take advantage of the changes.. Upon graduation, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U. S. Air Force. Instead, he often works alongside top editors and executives, at a desk with a view of Politicos newsroom. Its wrong what they do to people, says Grim, 31. Were off to the races.. For many people in DC, the most important thing is what they project, how they dress, which party they were invited to. After months of behind-the-scenes drama, Washingtons most successful media partnership in a generation was busting apart. The [only] other one that was really in the running was Power and Politics, VandeHei says. Neither was attached. When the deal was signed in November 2006, the only thing missing was the crucial benefit that most start-up leaders enjoy and that VandeHei had envisioned for Project Xs founding members: equity. But after his father was diagnosed with cancer in 2000, Allbritton took over at Riggs. I want to get this done before the end of the game, VandeHei said. The only dark clouds, in fact, had little to do with Politico itself. We were in a constant rolling conversation about ideas. It was the first major cutback the station has had to make. Too much money, too much risk, VandeHei told his wife. I learned by osmosis how to deal with people, what was a good risk, what was a bad risk, Robert says. But the division between Allbritton and VandeHei was too profound to be resolved over beers, the way the old partners used to do. It doesnt really work for me, VandeHei said. The view reaches from Bethesda to Prince Georges County. Seven months after the funeral, his son emerged from his grief with dramatic plans to transform the company hed inherited. Such a change could have given global throw-weight to the growing news outlet and could have benefited VandeHei financially. If VandeHeis vision had been realized, Politico would have joined forces with a European media giant.