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News Corp ( NWSA ) to launch the California Post in early 2026

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Will be its biggest US daily newspaper launch in nearly 15

years

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California Post could attract readers with populist,

conservative approach -experts

By Dawn Chmielewski

LOS ANGELES, Aug 4 (Reuters) - "Headless body in topless

bar"-type headlines made famous by the iconic New York Post

tabloid could soon greet Californians as Rupert Murdoch's News

Corp ( NWSA ) prepares to expand to the West Coast with its

biggest U.S. daily newspaper launch in nearly 15 years.

The California Post will be headquartered in Los Angeles and is

set to launch in early 2026, said Sean Giancola, CEO and

publisher of the New York Post Media Group, which will include

the new publication. California news industry experts said the

tabloid would seek to capitalize on the struggles of the

incumbent Los Angeles Times, which has shed subscribers and

staff.

The California Post will offer a familiar mix of what it calls

"common-sense journalism," celebrity and entertainment news and

sports reporting across multiple platforms, including mobile and

desktop, audio, social media and print," Giancola said in an

interview.

"We already reach 3 million people in the L.A. (market) and over

7 million in California, so there is a base of audience there

that already engages in our brand," Giancola said.

Murdoch, the company's chairman emeritus, recognized California

as a market opportunity and gave the venture his blessing, said

one source with knowledge of the matter.

"You don't launch a newspaper without getting feedback from one

of the best guys in the business," the source added.

The last daily newspaper launched in the U.S. by News Corp ( NWSA ),

owner of the New York Post and the Wall Street Journal, was the

Daily, a digital newspaper for Apple's then-new iPad tablet, in

2011. It folded the following year.

A Los Angeles Times spokesperson did not respond immediately to

a request for comment on the California Post.

POPULIST APPROACH

California news industry veteran Jonathan Weber said the state's

newspapers adhere to a mainstream approach to journalism, which

could present an opportunity for a different kind of voice that

reflects this moment in the country's evolution.

"Maybe there is room for a sort of pugilistic, more

right-wing, kind of sensationalist sort of approach," said

Weber, a former Reuters editor and serial entrepreneur who

founded the San Francisco Standard and the tech business-focused

Industry Standard. "There might be an opening for that."

But he said the California Post also faces challenges.

The New York Post is popular with readers who buy the tabloid at

a newsstand before jumping on the subway, whereas Californians

tend to drive to work, Weber said.

Giancola said the New York Post Media Group has a much broader

reach online than through its print edition, via a trio of

digital brands including celebrity-focused Page Six, an

entertainment and pop-culture guide, the Decider and its main

website. These sites attracted a combined 90 million monthly

unique visitors in June, the company said.

The Post achieved profitability in 2022 by monetizing these

audiences, and running a "lean" news operation, Giancola

said. It also has expanded into new formats, including podcasts,

video and e-commerce.

"L.A. and California - like a lot of geographical areas in the

country - are news deserts," said Giancola. "We think we can

come into L.A. with the same formula and really cover California

in a bespoke way."

Ken Doctor, the California-based CEO of Lookout Local, a

community journalism organization, said the New York Post could

simply rebrand the tabloid for California and boost its

readership and advertising.

It could also fill a void for a niche set of readers in a state

that is dominated by left-wing politicians but where 38% voted

for President Donald Trump in the last election.

"There is a place for a culturally conservative publication,

and one that is populist and fits the populist times," said

Doctor.

Los Angeles Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong has said he plans to

bring in more conservative voices as he seeks "balance" to

correct what he perceives as a left-leaning bias ahead of an

initial public offering of the publication within the next year.

The loss-making 143-year-old newspaper laid off more than 20% of

its newsroom staff in January 2024.