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By Dawn Chmielewski

LOS ANGELES (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 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, 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.