Michael Schaffer, who spent three years at Washington City Paper in the late 1990's, is back as the top editor for the D.C. alternative weekly. He replaces Erik Wemple who left for TBD.com, the new Washington site from Albritton Communications.

Schaffer, 36, who has worked at the Philadelphia Inquirer and U.S. News and World Report since he left City Paper in 2000, spent his first day on the job Monday. He had few major changes to order on day one, but said Web and print must both be well-served.

“The trick is to make sure we are pushing for excellence online as well as in the print paper,” he told me. “It is a question of picking what areas we cover and then having a dominant presence in those areas.”