An internal email sent from Washington Times President Tom McDevitt, obtained by FishbowlDC:

Dear Washington Times Colleagues:

I am happy to share more details of the exciting plans for the future growth in distribution and influence of The Washington Times.

This week and next we are launching 13 Task Forces staffed with close to 80 Washington Times employees. Based on our new strategic plan, these working groups will help reshape our products and processes to better serve customers. Clearly, the foundation for these new developments is the distinctive and reliable market position set forth by The Washington Times in the past 25 years. Our ambitious, yet achievable goal is to significantly extend our online presence while also growing our print circulation.

Though the overall course has been set, many details will be worked out through the Task Force process and in consultation with our readers and advertisers. Please keep an open mind as you hear about potential changes, and be assured that they are being considered as part of an aggressive plan for growth. While it is possible some areas of coverage and activities may be reduced, others will be expanded, providing new opportunities for employees to learn, to grow and to contribute to a healthy future for our organization.

Our research shows that there are more and better ways to serve our core audience and attract new print and online readers with the special kind of reporting only the Times can provide. Our primary aim is to meet the changing needs of our readers and advertisers by doing what we do best. For example, we are considering a groundbreaking retooling of our weekend products to best showcase our superior news and analysis both online and in print. Ultimately, this new weekend offering will likely replace our existing editions.

The timelines for rolling out new products and services are aggressive: we want to minimize any uncertainty for our employees, our readers and our advertisers. And we want to bring exciting new products to market as soon as we can. Completing the transformation of our processes will take longer. This is not a quick fix, but a sustained improvement in the ways we operate. The Washington Times is committed to being a highly responsive and responsible organization, for our employees, our readers, our advertisers and our partners.

Please know I will continue to keep you informed of our progress in the coming weeks and months.

Thank you.

Tom McDevitt
President