The History of the Daily News
Whether you’re reading the latest headlines on a morning paper or catching up with the latest social media posts, daily news is an important source of information that will help keep you up-to-date with current events. Depending on what’s happening in the world around you, this may include issues of high significance such as war, climate change and national elections, or topics that are arguably more trivial, including political sex scandals, celebrity gossip and debates on minor issues.
While the Internet has helped many newspapers thrive, it’s not been without its impact, as digital subscriptions and online competition have eaten into traditional print sales. As a result, market penetration for printed newspapers has dropped significantly in recent years. In the early 20th century, a newspaper’s national market penetration averaged 123 percent, meaning that almost every household received a copy of the daily news. As other forms of media began to emerge, however, this figure began to decline.
The Daily News first launched in 1919 as the Illustrated Daily News, founded by Joseph Medill Patterson and owned by the Tribune Company of Chicago. The Daily News was the United States’ first successful tabloid, attracting readers with sensational coverage of crime and scandal, lurid photographs, and cartoons. By the mid-1930s, when circulation reached 2.4 million, the News was one of the most read publications in the country.
In 1948, the News created WPIX-TV, which still operates from the 220 East 42nd Street building designed by Raymond Hood and John Mead Howells (it also served as the model for the Daily Planet building in the Superman films). The New York City landmark also houses a large collection of meteorological instruments, giving it the nickname “The Weather Building.”
As the News struggled to compete with television, radio and other media outlets, its owner, Col. Arthur Maxwell, became increasingly corrupt and crooked. He was found guilty of illegally diverting pension funds to his private business interests and was convicted on several counts of swindling. Maxwell’s empire collapsed and the Daily News faced financial ruin.
Despite its fading popularity, the Daily News was able to find some success in the post-World War II era. In the 1960s, it introduced color printing and shifted to a more serious tone in an attempt to boost readership. Its efforts paid off, as the News was able to increase its circulation by more than 100 percent over the course of a decade.
In 2017, the Daily News suffered a major setback when its circulation dipped below half a million for the first time in history. The following year, it was sold to Tronc for just a single dollar. Tronc promptly went on a firing spree and cut the Daily News’ editorial staff by nearly two-thirds.
As a leading provider of daily news delivery services in the greater New York City area, Mitchell’sNY is proud to provide a wide range of local and national papers, delivered fresh off the presses every day. We offer convenient, timely deliveries to homes and businesses throughout the five boroughs and surrounding areas.
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