Throughout the 1920s the Daily News thrived, establishing itself as one of America’s largest newspapers and becoming known for its “brassy pictorial” style. Like other popular dailies of the day, it found plenty of subject matter, ranging from political wrongdoing (such as the Teapot Dome Scandal) to social intrigue (the romance between Wallis Simpson and King Edward VIII). The paper also became an early user of AP wirephoto services, and had a large staff of photographers.
In 1975, the Daily News rolled out what would become its most famous headline ever: “FORD TO CITY: DROP DEAD”. The headline referred to President Gerald Ford’s speech vetoing a city bankruptcy bailout. The newspaper’s then-owner, Mort Zuckerman, had just acquired the paper from its founders and was trying to reposition it as a serious tabloid, making it “the most New York you can get.”
The Daily News remains a morning newspaper with intense city news coverage, celebrity gossip, classified ads, comics and a sports section. It also publishes an opinion section and Femail, a major feature for women. Its website offers several other features, including a TV guide called Weekend which is included free with the paper every Saturday.
The News is headquartered at 220 East 42nd Street near Second Avenue, an official city and national landmark designed by John Mead Howells and Raymond Hood and modelled on the Daily Planet building in the first two Superman movies. The News moved to a single floor office at 5 Manhattan West in 1995, and the 42nd Street site now houses the cable news channel WPIX.