Recent changes at the New York Daily News, now run by former Rupert Murdoch man and ex–News of the World editor Colin Myler, have included high-profile exits and hirings, as well as some strategic (more British) shifts. But since the Fleet Street boss took over at the start of 2012, the gnarly dog-fight many media nerds anticipated with the tabloid’s perennial rivals at the New York Post has mostly failed to materialize, despite ample bait. But another chance to rile things up comes today with the news that “Gatecrasher,” the News’ “Page Six” also-ran, is getting a makeover, hopefully born out of a sense of competition.
Capital New York reports that along with adding fashion coverage two days a week, the paper’s gossip pages, including the “Scene and Heard” column, will be scrapped in favor of a new section called “Confidential.” The rebranding, which starts Monday, will have a “much livelier layout,” according to features editor John Oswald, and “we’re going to be much more conscious of who we’re covering and how those people relate to our readers.”
“Gatecrasher” started in 2004, and while daily tabloid gossip has only become more of a relic in the years since (in the time of Twitter and the bottomless blog swamp), New Yorkers just aren’t good at letting things go, especially guilty pleasures, so we’ll take some spice when it comes. We’ll be watching.
