News Corp this week introduced the California Post, a daily tabloid published both in print and online that serves as a regional counterpart to the New York Post. The paper debuted in Los Angeles with an approach that its publisher says mirrors the lively and irreverent style associated with the company’s tabloids elsewhere.
Sean Giancola, CEO and publisher for New York Post Media Group, told Reuters that he expects California readers to respond to coverage he described as "snarky" and "entertaining." He said the company is confident readership will expand over time despite the many closures of print publications in recent years, noting that millions of people in California already consume New York Post content online.
Copies of the California Post are on sale at 678 West Coast newsstands at $3.75 each. Giancola attributed that price to higher production costs on the West Coast relative to the $2 cover price for the New York Post. The paper’s material is also available online, where engagement has reportedly been increasing since the Monday launch. He said the company plans to introduce home delivery eventually.
One of the paper’s marquee features is Page Six Hollywood, a West Coast edition of the New York Post’s Page Six gossip column led by editor Ian Mohr. Giancola said the staff has plans beyond celebrity coverage, including expanded reporting on the business side of entertainment. He noted the operation in Los Angeles now includes about 80 people in an office positioned closer to the entertainment industry.
The front page of a recent edition carried the headline "LAWLESS," with the letters "LA" highlighted in red to underscore the Los Angeles focus. The story recounted an incident in which a Post journalist said they were assaulted by protesters while covering a Los Angeles Police Commission meeting. The article described the demonstrators as "radical agitators" who disrupted the meeting, shouted insults at police and later confronted the reporter, asking, "Are you scared yet?" The paper used the term "anti-cop punks" to characterize those protesters.
Other content in the debut editions included coverage of recovery efforts following the Pacific Palisades fires, reporting on a mass killing in Sacramento, and a lifestyle piece on actor Sydney Sweeney launching a lingerie line after an incident in which she climbed the Hollywood sign and draped a clothesline of bras from it.
To mark the launch, the California Post partnered with Yeastie Boys Bagels to hand out free copies and New York-style bagels from a Los Angeles food truck. A video the tabloid posted to Instagram showed shoppers at The Grove, an upscale Los Angeles shopping center, expressing enthusiasm for the new print publication. One person said they were pleased the paper appeared in print and not only online; another described the arrival of the California Post as a "dream come true" after buying the New York Post for 36 years as a New York resident.
Reactions were not uniformly positive. At the bagel distribution, Nathaniel Smith of Los Angeles criticized the launch, invoking Alexander Hamilton and calling the California Post "kind of a rag." Smith also said he obtains most of his news from X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
The Los Angeles Times remains California’s largest daily newspaper.
Beyond the launch and local reactions, the company outlined future content plans that include podcasts, newsletters and events tied to the new publication. Giancola framed the Los Angeles operation as a foundation for deeper engagement with entertainment industry coverage and signaled a longer-term commitment to building readership and formats beyond the print edition.
Separately, there was promotional material relating to financial coverage embedded in the rollout materials. A segment in the promotional copy asked whether investors should be buying NWSA now and described an AI-driven ProPicks product that evaluates NWSA among other companies using over 100 financial metrics. The copy stated the AI identifies stocks based on fundamentals, momentum and valuation and mentioned notable past winners, and it offered a New Year’s Sale markdown of 55% off.
Key points
- News Corp launched the California Post as a print and online tabloid aimed at California readers, with a Los Angeles office of roughly 80 people and plans for home delivery, podcasts, newsletters and events - sectors affected include media, publishing and entertainment.
- The paper carries a West Coast Page Six led by Ian Mohr and intends to expand coverage of the business side of entertainment beyond traditional celebrity reporting - this impacts entertainment industry coverage and trade reporting.
- Initial distribution includes 678 West Coast newsstands with a cover price of $3.75, and online engagement has been rising since launch - this affects print distribution economics and digital media metrics.
Risks and uncertainties
- Print media faces ongoing structural challenges, and the company acknowledged the landscape of recent closures; success in growing readership is stated as a confidence rather than a settled outcome - this risk affects newspaper publishers and print distribution.
- Mixed public reception emerged at launch events, with some attendees enthusiastic and others dismissive; differing audience adoption and local competitive dynamics, including the Los Angeles Times’ position as California’s largest daily, create uncertainty for market share - this impacts local news competition and advertising markets.
- Higher production costs on the West Coast, reflected in the $3.75 cover price versus $2 for the New York Post, may affect unit economics and pricing power in print sales - this risk influences publishing margins and retail pricing strategies.
Note: The article reflects statements and details provided by News Corp representatives about the California Post launch and reports reactions observed at launch events. It does not project outcomes beyond those claims or introduce new facts.