Tabloid circulation war in New York

Posted by Jeffrey Blyth on 7 March 2006 at 12:03
Tags: Circulation, Journalism, Newspapers, United States

Although its still bleeding money, Rupert Murdoch’s New York Post is catching up with its big rival, the Daily News, at least in circulation. The gap is now down to 16,000. Mort Zuckerman, the real-estate developer who bought the News in a bankruptcy sale in l993 for $36 million, is still confounded how the Post continues, but puts it down to the fact that Murdoch is still prepared to pour millions into the Post — one estimate put the figure at $70 million a year.

The lack of economic logic in the media business almost drives him crazy, Zuckerman admits. For his part he has tried to change the editorial image of the News, changing editors no less than three times since he took over. His latest editor is former Fleet Street newsman Martin Dunn, who once worked for News Corp.

Losing its narrow lead over the Post, it has been suggested, would drive Zuckerman really crazy. But, as he told the New York Times, Zuckerman has no intention of giving up the battle — in fact his hope is that one day his daughter Abigail, who is just seven, will some day be named publisher of the Daily News.

Tags: Circulation, Journalism, Newspapers, United States