Rupert Murdoch Launches New Newspaper Named The California Post

"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.O), opens new tab 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.