The Daily News – New York’s Hometown Newspaper
Founded in 1919, Daily News was the first successful tabloid newspaper and once had the highest circulation of any daily newspaper in the United States. The paper billed itself as “New York’s Hometown Newspaper,” informing readers about the city and their own lives while also entertaining them with zesty headlines like “Ford to City: Drop Dead!” during New York’s financial crisis of 1975, and gossip, sports and city coverage by star columnists such as Jimmy Breslin, Pete Hamill and Liz Smith. The News’s large circulation grew during the 1920s and 1930s as it attracted readers with sensational stories about crime, scandal, and violence, lurid photographs, and cartoons and entertainment features. The newspaper also expanded into radio and television, establishing WPIX-TV Channel 11 in 1948, whose call letters were derived from the paper’s nickname, and buying what became CBS Radio’s WFAN-FM in 2014. Both stations remain located at the former Daily News Building.
The newspaper remained profitable in the 1940s and 1950s as it took a Democratic perspective on local politics and national issues, while maintaining strong coverage of the City’s top sports teams, particularly the Yankees, Mets and Giants. The News was also an early user of the Associated Press wirephoto service in the 1930s, and developed a significant staff of photographers.
Over the years, the Daily News won a number of Pulitzer Prizes for investigative journalism, including this year’s award for its exposé on the city’s use of an obscure law to evict tenants. The paper also has been a consistent winner of awards from the Society of Professional Journalists and the National Press Club.
In recent years, however, the Daily News has struggled to compete with an aggressive hometown rival, the New York Post, as well as the general decline in newspaper circulation and advertising revenue as more people read news online. In 2015, the paper went on the market but ultimately stayed under the control of publisher Mortimer Zuckerman.
In 2023, the Daily News was sold to Tronc, a company that owns other newspapers including the Chicago Tribune and Los Angeles Times. The deal includes the assumption of all the Daily News’ liabilities and 100 percent ownership of its Jersey City printing plant. The News will retain its editorial and business operations in Manhattan. Earlier this year, the paper began publishing a Sunday edition. This is the second time in its history that the Daily News has published a Sunday edition, which will be distributed alongside its weekly print edition. The move will help the newspaper continue to provide high-quality content to its loyal readership. The Daily News also recently announced that it will be relaunching its Sunday magazine. The revamped edition will focus on more local content and a deeper exploration of the New York City area.