The Daily News, founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson, was the first tabloid newspaper to publish in New York City. It became one of the largest newspapers in the United States, and at its peak during the Roaring Twenties reached about a million readers each day. Its success was based on sensational pictorial coverage and a willingness to go further than its rivals in the pursuit of attention-grabbing headlines. The paper gained particular popularity among commuters riding the city’s subway system, who found its smaller tabloid size and layout easier to handle in transit. The Daily News became known for its emphasis on political wrongdoing, scandals and social intrigue, including the romance between Wallis Simpson and King Edward VIII that led to the latter’s abdication.
The newspaper incurred heavy losses throughout the 1980s as its parent company, the Tribune Company, sought to expunge many of the paper’s union employees. The resulting strike lasted for five months, and the Daily News continued to operate at a loss as it used non-union replacement workers to keep printing. Eventually the newspaper lost its home in the News Building, and moved to a single floor office space in Manhattan’s Hudson Square neighborhood.
A shaky financial situation continued into the 1990s, and in 1991 controversial British media mogul Robert Maxwell purchased the Daily News from the Tribune Company. Maxwell brought a much needed financial infusion into the struggling tabloid, and began to negotiate more favorable contracts with the ten unions that controlled the paper’s production staff.
By 1975 the Daily News had rolled out what would become its most famous headline. After President Gerald Ford had delivered a speech the previous day vetoing a bankruptcy bail-out for New York City, the Daily News’ front page read “FORD TO CITY: DROP DEAD.” The infamous headline was widely credited with contributing to Ford’s loss to Jimmy Carter in the 1976 presidential election.
The Daily News continued to report on a wide variety of topics, and also started a number of popular inserts such as the quarterly BET Weekend for African Americans and the monthly Caribbean Monthly. The News expanded into television and radio, and in 1996 began publishing an online edition of the newspaper.
In 2001, the Daily News was sold to Mortimer Zuckerman, who repositioned the newspaper as a serious tabloid. Zuckerman invested $60 million in the purchase of color presses, enabling the paper to match the visual quality of USA Today, the nation’s largest newspaper at the time. The Daily News’ circulation increased, and it once again became one of the top selling papers in the country.
In addition to its regular print and online offerings, the Daily News provides a range of mobile apps. The Daily News app features breaking news, local and national news, as well as sports and entertainment content. The app also offers a range of interactive tools and resources to enhance the reading experience. The app is free to download.