Exclusive: Bloomberg Media's D.C. offensive

Bloomberg Media is ramping up its D.C. coverage plans ahead of the midterms with a slew of new products, hires and events.

Why it matters: The D.C. media market has proven particularly lucrative for publishers looking to capitalize on a growing pool of political and issue ad dollars.

Details: This fall, Bloomberg will debut “DC Policy Forward,” a new annual summit that will host more than 300 policymakers and Washington opinion leaders.

• It will also launch a ticketed policy debate series called “Bloomberg Counterpoint,” a spokesperson told Axios.
• There are currently 150 Bloomberg journalists and analysts based in Washington, D.C., with 13 that have joined so far in 2022.

Next year, ahead of the 2024 election, Bloomberg will launch a yet-to-be-named weekly politics show as a livelier alternative to the traditional Sunday shows, from a redesigned D.C. studio.

• It also plans to debut a new podcast hosted by Bloomberg senior Washington correspondent Saleha Mohsin, as well as a new Washington-based newsletter focused on economics and politics.

Between the lines: To capitalize on those opportunities, Bloomberg has hired a new director for Washington sales, Cliff McKinney.

• He will work alongside Bloomberg's new Washington editorial leaders, bureau chief Peggy Collins and executive editor for U.S. government news Mike Shepard.