Opinion

Roger Wood, 1925-2012

Roger Wood was editor of The New York Post for one of the most significant decades in its 211-year history.

Indeed, today’s Post was largely shaped by Wood’s editorial guidance.

Wood, who died yesterday at 87, took over the paper during the news-filled summer of 1977, just months after its purchase by Rupert Murdoch.

The Belgian-born Wood had already enjoyed a distinguished journalistic career in both Australia and Britain, where he was one of the youngest-ever editors of London’s Daily Express.

He led The Post’s transformation into a feisty tabloid that appealed simultaneously to working-class New Yorkers as well as the city’s business and political elite.

It soon became known for its breaking-news stories, its array of must-read columnists, its sports and celebrity coverage and — most of all — a brash and feisty attitude that reflected the city it covered.

Under his leadership, the paper’s circulation soared to an all-time high of just under 1 million in the early ’80s.

In 1986, Wood was promoted to editorial director of News America, supervising the company’s American newspapers.

Roger Wood was a key figure in the history of The New York Post — one whose imprint lasted long after his departure. RIP.