“No paper, no presses, no trucks.”
With those words, uttered Wednesday morning by News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch, the world of journalism turned a virtual page as The Daily, an iPad-based publication designed to revitalize the industry, was launched.
The Daily, a national multimedia publication created specifically for Apple’s iPad, was introduced by Murdoch and Apple executive Eddy Cue to members of the media at New York’s Guggenheim Museum.
The Daily will implement a mix of written articles and video and will be sold for 99-cents-a-week and $39.99-a-year subscriptions, Murdoch said. It was scheduled to go on sale in the iPad app store shortly after the event, at noon.
VIDEO: FIRST LOOK AT THE DAILY
The publication will feature 360-degree photographs, graphics that respond to the touch and “other innovations that are unthinkable in print and television,” Murdoch added.
“This pioneering digital venture, fully championed by Steve Jobs and the rest of his team at Apple, establishes an entirely new category of delivery and consumption,” Murdoch said in a Wednesday morning email to employees. “I am especially proud that we have done so by building on News Corporation’s decades-old legacy of exceptional journalism.”
News Corp., in coordination with Apple CEO Steve Jobs, has been developing The Daily for months, according to reports. Jobs had been scheduled to attend Wednesday’s presentation, but announced last month that he had taken a leave of absence from his job due to medical issues.
Calling the iPad “an incredible new platform,” Murdoch said Wednesday that the device would allow journalists to “completely reimagine our craft.”
With bureaus in New York and Los Angeles, Murdoch has reportedly built a staff of about 100 writers, editors and producers, poached from name-brand journalism outlets, including The New Yorker, the Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal and ABC News. Murdoch, whose News Corp. also owns News Core, is said to have poured $30 million into the endeavor.
Former New York Post Managing Editor Jesse Angelo will run editorial, while business operations will be handled by Greg Clayman, the former head of Viacom’s digital empire. Angelo and Clayman were also present for the introduction.
One of the greatest benefits of The Daily, Apple point-man Cue said, will be its ability to cater to local tastes across the country.
“You don’t have to live in Wisconsin to get the Green Bay Packers as the home team in your paper,” he said.
That kind of adaptability will augment story-telling as well, Angelo added.
“The versatility of the iPad allows us to choose what medium will be the best to tell the story,” he said.
Traditional print advertising has fallen nearly 50 percent from 2005 levels, according to recent revenue figures from the Newspaper Association of America. But with a versatile platform and a firm subscription model in place, Murdoch said he was confident the iPad could return journalism to profitability.
“We can make the business of newsgathering and news editing viable again,” he said.
Readers will mostly experience The Daily exactly how it is “delivered” to their iPad each morning, Angelo said, adding that the device will allow limited breaking-news updates throughout the day.
The Daily will publish about 100 pages related to news, sports, gossip and celebrity, opinion, arts and life, in addition to localized weather reports and games including Sudoku and crossword puzzles. Each edition will feature a video anchor who delivers a summary of the day’s stories.
The app will also be accompanied by a website — www.thedaily.com — which is expected to feature about 10 percent of The Daily’s content.
The premiere issue’s front page focused on the political crisis in Egypt, under the headline “Falling Pharaoh.”