The Mirror

Politico Playbook gets a baby sibling

Betsy Rothstein Gossip blogger
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Think of it as double your pleasure, right?

Politico Playbook, written by D.C.’s famous Mike Allen will soon get a little sister or brother. It’s called Capital Playbook, as in another version of what he does but the venue is now CapitalNY, the new media venture of Robert Allbritton of which Allen’s longtime BFF Jim VandeHei is president and CEO.

In a release today, this news and more was announced. The newly acquired publication will re-launch on Dec. 3. They promise that “the publication will drive the conversation with the same high-impact, high-velocity journalism that has made POLITICO Washington’s indispensable news source.”

“New York has a hunger for better coverage,” said VandeHei, who was also recently named CEO of Politico. “We have hired some of the best journalists in the industry to disrupt the competition and deliver essential coverage to the most powerful people in the state.”

The free site promises to have a “robust” flavor, the release states. But the majority of CapitalNY will be exclusive to “Pro” subscribers. The “Pro” offerings will be gratis until early next year.

As for Playbook Jr., it’ll be penned by Azi Paybarah and Jimmy Vielkind with Politico‘s Allen. You didn’t think he’d let his offspring (i.e. his BRAND) be on too loose of a leash did you? This daily feature, however, will be scoops for New York readers.

The National Retail Federation is the launch sponsor.

We’ll see if his D.C. must-read morning feature translates to New Yorkers, who have a wealth of reading choices.