In the early 1920s the New York Daily News began to supplant its competitors as the nation’s first successful tabloid newspaper. Its sensational pictorial coverage, focus on crime and scandal, lurid photographs, and cartoons and entertainment features made it popular with readers. By the end of the decade circulation had surpassed one million.
By the end of the 1930s the Daily News was regarded as America’s leading tabloid and had become a national phenomenon. Its editorial stance was more often than not conservative, but it also had a reputation for going to extreme lengths to grab a headline. One example occurred in 1928, when a Daily News reporter strapped a hidden camera to his leg and photographed Ruth Snyder being electrocuted in the electric chair for murdering her husband. The next day the paper ran a picture of Snyder mid-electrocution with the front page headline, “DEAD!”
After World War II, the News began to shift its politics to the center and by the 1970s had developed an image as a “flexibly centrist” publication. On October 30, 1975, the News rolled out what would become its most famous front-page headline. It read, “FORD TO CITY: DROP DEAD.” The headline was a reference to President Gerald Ford’s speech the previous day in which he vetoed a city bankruptcy bail-out.
The News also became known for its celebrity gossip, classified ads, and cartoons. In addition, it was the first newspaper to operate a full-time television news service, WPIX, which launched in 1946. The News subsequently acquired another television station, WNYW-TV, in 1976. In the late 1980s, however, the News began to lose money. Part of the reason was due to a multi-month strike by its union workers, which resulted in the News hiring non-union replacements. The News was losing about a million dollars per month by 1990.
In the mid-1990s, the News left its home of 65 years, the News Building at 450 West 33rd Street, and moved to a single floor office at 5 Manhattan West. The same year it launched a quarterly (later monthly) insert for African Americans, BET Weekend, and in 1996 began publishing Caribbean Monthly.
Today, the Daily News is available in print, online and on mobile devices. Its award-winning writers, columnists and opinion formers bring you news from the great city of New York and from the world beyond. In addition to national and local politics, sports and celebrity gossip, the Daily News is a top source for New York Yankees and Mets news.
