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L.A.'s most important Denver-based player, Philip Anschutz, has filed trademark applications to reserve "The Examiner" as the name of newspapers in 69 cities. The Denver Post (via Romenesko) only mentions a few of the locales, not including any in Southern California. A spokesman says they are just protecting the brand name of Anschutz's San Francisco Examiner, but the implication is that the nascent Hollywood mogul and land developer has some national strategy in mind. Anschutz has supported some conservative causes, is quite religious and is trying to single-handedly clean up the culture of Hollywood—this move raises the question of whether he's planning a new chain of right-wing papers.
Also on Romenesko: Microsoft sells Slate.com to the Washington Post Co. No editorial changes are planned, the WP story says.