Is the first lady trying to overthrow the president? Award-winning writer Kathleen Antrim's fictional response to this shocking premise is at the heart of her chillingly convincing political thriller, CAPITAL OFFENSE.
Powerhouse Party Launches D.C. Examiner
Friday, Feb. 11, 2005 9:59 a.m. EST
Five hundred of Washington, D.C.'s most influential powerbrokers gathered this week at The National Museum of Women in the Arts to celebrate the launch of The Washington Examiner newspaper.
The Tuesday event was hosted by Examiner owner Philip Anschutz, whose free daily newspaper concept is causing a stir in traditional media circles.
The packed venue no doubt signaled an overwhelming response to a new voice in Washington.
Washington Mayor Anthony Williams was on hand to extend a gracious welcome to the newspaper.
Ryan McKibben, CEO of Clarity Media Group, the parent company for The Examiner newspapers, spoke on behalf of Mr. and Mrs. Anschutz by saying how very proud and honored they are to own a newspaper in our nation's capital.
McKibben also expressed a serious commitment to journalistic excellence, credibility and quality.
Guests sipped champagne while enjoying hors d'oeuvres under an ice sculpture of the legendary Examiner masthead featuring an eagle. The San Francisco Examiner was once the flagship newspaper for William Randolph Hearst.
Some of the esteemed in attendance were Virginia Senator George Allen; Colorado Senators Ken Salazar and Wayne Allard; Utah Senator Orrin Hatch; William Bennett of Empower America; Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder; AOL founders Jim Kinsey and Steve Case; Colorado Congressman Bob Beauprez; Iowa Congressman Steve King; Secretary of the Interior Gail Norton; Arkansas Senator Blanche Lincoln; Christopher Ruddy of NewsMax; Patricia Schroeder of the Association of American Publishers; Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum; and numerous other luminaries.
Conversation speculated on the plans of Clarity Media and The Examiner name, which Anschutz has trademarked in 69 cities in the United States.
The Washington Examiner is Clarity Media's second newspaper acquisition - the first being The San Francisco Examiner - with an initial distribution of 260,000 throughout Northern Virginia, Maryland and D.C.
This free tabloid will also feature home delivery aimed at a target market age group of 29 to 45, which hits the bulls-eye of all the important advertisers' demographic.
The newspaper will offer about 60 pages of staff-written content.
As Lorraine Sanders reported in Media Life, Anschutz has already turned around a formerly struggling San Francisco Examiner, increasing circulation from 57,518 to 161,000. With a talent for assembling excellent management teams, this success bodes well for The Washington Examiner.
This Inside Cover was filed by Kathleen Antrim, a weekly columnist for The Examiner and author of the political thriller "Capital Offense." She appears every Monday at 3PM (EST) on Radio America-Alan Nathan's "Battle Line" (www.radioamerica.org), and on alternating Mondays at 8 a.m. (PST) on KSFO 560 AM, on 'The Lee Rogers and Melanie Morgan Show." For more information go to www.kathleenantrim.com.
