Bloomberg Government Could be Expanded to the State Level

Jeremy Peters of the New York Times writes for Monday’s paper about the upcoming Bloomberg Government service, which will be launched to the public on Jan. 1 and cost $5,700 a year.

Peters writes, “Bloomberg’s existing Washington bureau employs 175 journalists apart from the nearly 40 journalists and analysts Mr. Riley has hired so far for Bloomberg Government. He plans to hire 60 more by the end of the year, half of them journalists, half policy experts like trained economists.

“By the end of 2011, Bloomberg Government expects to have 150 journalists and analysts on staff. Counting nonjournalists, plans call for Bloomberg Government to expand to 300, which would make the company’s Washington office the largest for a news organization not based in the capital.

“Bloomberg’s investment in the staff alone will be in the area of $30 million a year.

“If Bloomberg Government is a success, the company would like to replicate the model on the state level, providing the same kind of information and analysis about state contracts and legislation — a vast potential market that many local news organizations have retreated from in recent years.”

Read more here.