The California Post, a new print and digital tabloid edition from the New York Post's parent company News Corp, launched on Monday, aiming to become Californians' primary source for local, national, and global news despite industry-wide declines in print and digital traffic.
The launch features a team of 80–100 staffers, with reporters in Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Francisco, and San Diego. The main newsroom operates from the Fox studio lot in LA.
As of this week, about 20 positions remained open, including crime and politics reporters, audience development specialists, and photo editors.
Led by New York Post editor-in-chief Keith Poole and California Post editor-in-chief Nick Papps (who joined in August 2025 from News Corp Australia's Herald Sun), with deputy editor-in-chief Barclay Crawford (formerly of Daily Mail operations), the brand extends the New York Post's model: a national digital powerhouse (third-largest U.S. print newspaper) now layered with in-depth California coverage.
Editors Poole and Papps told Press Gazette the goal is not just local news but a one-stop destination via print, app, homepage, and social channels.
A major marketing campaign supports the rollout, focusing on converting existing visitors into direct, loyal users through a curated California homepage and app to foster habits and engagement.
The move counters shrinking Google referrals and AI-driven traffic erosion. Industry declines have hit the New York Post (unique users fell from 103 million in September 2024 to 94 million a year later per Google Analytics; visits down 34% year-over-year in December per Similarweb), but direct traffic remains robust—55% of December worldwide visits were direct, and 62% since February 2024.Poole emphasized a long-term business plan with investment in audience growth, revenue, and partnerships rather than quick profits.
He joked that while the New York Post took 221 years to turn profitable (now three straight profitable years since 2022), the California Post would achieve it faster.
News Corp's backing aids talent recruitment, with Poole calling California a "news desert" — one of the lowest professional journalists per capita despite being the second-largest U.S. media market.
The publication applies the New York Post's signature style—common-sense lens, reader-first focus, wit, brevity, and punch—to California issues like affordability, homelessness, crime, and traffic across the diverse state. Papps said it carries the sister paper's DNA but through a California perspective, criticizing competitors (notably the Los Angeles Times) for failing to prioritize readers amid declines and positioning the investment as an opportunity to cover under-resourced stories.