Scoop: New Brit regime atop Washington Post aims to boost local coverage

Washington Post CEO Will Lewis is the talk of the town, but how much of a payoff does the new British regime see in covering hometown D.C.?

What I'm hearing: Sir William and co. are floating an idea called "Local+," a new offering for readers who want to pay extra for premium local content, sources tell me.

• The nascent idea includes building a subscription model with premium newsletter(s) and "exclusive experiences" for locals.

The big picture: This would be a 180. The Jeff Bezos era introduced the idea of the Everything Newspaper — local took a backseat in the pursuit to go toe-to-toe with the New York Times.

• In pre-Bezos times, the Post made the world of Washington front and center, dedicating A1 columns to city hall and zoning disputes in the suburbs.

Inside the room: Karl Wells, a Lewis deputy, now sees renewed value in metro coverage. Local+ (like Disney+, get it?) would be part of a grander strategy for new upscale and pricier Post products.

• He articulated a vision where the Post will laser focus on readers who have the "highest levels of engagement and have that daily habit" with its journalism. "Starting with our audience right here, in D.C.," Wells said at a May 22 company presentation, per an audio recording I obtained.
• A new import from UK's News Corp, Wells is the Post's chief growth officer .

What they're saying: A Post spokesperson pointed to previous coverage about the paper "experimenting with the new offerings."

Catch up fast: The British are coming! As Axios senior media reporter Sara Fischer observed , it's hard not to notice the legion of English accents explaining turnaround strategy to a big American newsroom.

• Besides Wells, the "British invasion" includes the incoming newsroom leader Robert Winnett, whose drive for scoops at the Telegraph earned him the nickname "Rat Boy."
• The ensuing media frenzy has chronicled a week of tension after the defenestration of Sally Buzbee and the rise of the Fleet Street boys.
• Politico's Jack Shafer is calling the revolution "The Rupert Murdoch-ization of the Washington Post" ( a bit harsh , perhaps).

For a taste of the differences between U.S. and UK journalism, look no further than the Watergate-esque investigation produced by the Telegraph in 2009 with Lewis at the helm. When his reporters were prodding a source to leak explosive documents, Lewis had a sweetener: offer 100,000 pounds — icky to American sensibilities, but not unheard of in English newspapering.

• "Honestly, the payment thing is a red herring, right," Lewis says in a dramatic documentary about the exposé. "I can't think of a more impactful bit of journalism for Britain."

Zoom in: In his quest to return the Post to profitability, Lewis will need to win the newsroom's trust (he issued a mea culpa post-Buzbee), and his balancing act will need to involve letting the positive elements of Fleet Street sensibility shine, instead of emphasizing the bits American journalism monks find distasteful .

My thought bubble: There are positives to having an outsider, business-savvy mind. The go-getter energy the Post could use more of may be exemplified — albeit in a hammy way — by an anecdote in which Lewis offered to "do some business" with journalist Ben Smith's Semafor publication when Smith just wanted to interview Lewis for a story. (Whether Lewis was offering to buy them out or partner, Smith wasn't having it. "This is the wrong meeting," he said in the published Q&A .)

• Perhaps Semafor isn't the acquisition the Post needs (observers have speculated about Punchbowl), but it gave an early hint into how Lewis operates.

Which brings me back to local news. While the Graham-family era newspaper model of focusing on the Beltway seems ancient, the Post still makes a good deal of revenue (at least in print, which remains lucrative) from local advertisers.

• As the Washington-ism says: Follow the money.

💭 You say you want a revolution ? Town Talker is a weekly column about money and power in Washington. While we're at it, I say why stop at Local+? Turbocharge your news intake with Local TURBO, every morning with us . And send your tips (news, not currency) to cuneyt@axios.com