Bloomberg News beefs up DC operation ahead of midterms

Bloomberg News is pouring more resources into its Washington, D.C., arm ahead of the coming midterm elections.

The financial and political news outlet announced on Tuesday it had hired 13 more reporters to join its D.C. bureau, which is already home to more than 150 reporters, editors, producers and analysts.

The outlet said it will, at the same time, embark on new initiatives ahead of the coming election, including an annual summit which it is calling “DC Policy Forward,” that will host more than 300 policymakers and Washington opinion leaders.

In the run-up to the next presidential election, Bloomberg said it also has plans to launch a weekly politics show described as “a livelier alternative to the traditional Sunday shows.”

“Every month, we reach close to two million people in the DC area across Bloomberg Media, more than 10 million globally on Bloomberg Politics and more than 100 million in total across all platforms,” said M. Scott Havens, CEO of Bloomberg Media. “It’s an ideal time, ahead of two critical U.S. elections, for us to deliver even more at the intersection of U.S. government, politics and business, and to connect influential brands and organizations with our audience of modern leaders looking to get ahead.”

Bloomberg is the latest in a slew of major national and international news companies who have made pushes into the lucrative D.C. media market ahead of the coming election cycles. Last fall, Axel Springer purchased Politico for a reported $1 billion. In August, Axios sold to Cox Enterprises for $525 million.

The Hill was purchased by Nexstar Media Group last summer for $130 million.