Allnewsco is owned by Joe L. Allbritton, chairman and chief executive of Riggs National Corp. and the owner of WJLA, Channel 7 in Washington (the TV station bears Allbritton's initials, JLA, and the cable venture has part of his last name).

To give the channel what [John Hillis] calls a "hyper-local" slant, Allnewsco will supplement its regular programming with three shorter news reports each day tailored specifically for viewers in suburban Maryland, Northern Virginia and the District.

[Jerald Fritz] said Allnewsco will operate independently of WJLA. He disputed industry speculation that Allbritton eventually plans to replace the higher-paid talent at WJLA with Allnewsco's nonunion staff.