The New York Daily News announced Monday that gossip columnist Richard Johnson is coming out of retirement to contribute to the tabloid — and in doing so, revealed it will continue in its print form. A source with knowledge confirmed to TheWrap the print edition is not going away.
The Johnson news came first from Vanity Fair, which included this nugget a few paragraphs into the announcement: “Tribune’s previous management was planning to make the tabloid digital-only, according to someone familiar with the plans, but the print edition will remain intact under Alden.”
The Daily News is owned by Tribune Publishing, which was taken over by Alden Global Capital earlier this year. The Monday announcement of Johnson’s hiring further hinted at the ongoing print editions.
“Johnson will be leaving retirement and rejoining the Daily News (where he worked briefly in the early 1990s) to reveal the most closely guarded secrets and unspeakable scandals of the power elite. His weekly column will go online Fridays and in print Sundays starting this Friday,” said the Daily News announcement, which was notable for not only acknowledging the print edition, but revealing the nabbing of Johnson, who worked for decades at the News’ chief rival, the New York Post.
“I’m thrilled to rejoin the Daily News now that COVID is fading and the city is getting slowly back to normal,” Johnson said in a statement. “The city that never sleeps has been taking a little nap, but it’s waking up. There will be plenty to cover in the resurgence.”