New York

YANKEES FANS WATCHED THEIR ARCHRIVAL BOSTON RED SOX WIN THEIR FIRST WORLD

Series since 1918 last week after the Bronx Bombers historically blew a 3-0 lead in the American League Championship Series playoff. But while that sting lingered, New Yorkers, at least those in the media, returned to what they do best: fighting amongst themselves. No where is that slugfest more nasty than in the Big Apple newspaper war that continues to rage, with numerous players trying to eke out slivers of market share in a saturated marketplace.

New York's tabloid spat between Mortimer Zuckerman's New York Daily News and News Corp.'s New York Post has become particularly nasty. Last week the Post accused the Daily News of inflating its circulation. The Daily News declined comment other than calling the Post report "scurrilous." The Daily News' daily circ grew 1.4 percent to 747,053 as of March 31, compared to the same period ended March 31, 2003, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulations. Sunday circ dipped 1 percent to 802,103.

The Daily News has seen several senior managers depart this year. Most recently, Fred Drasner, the chief executive and co-publisher stepped down to become a senior adviser to the Daily News. Editor in chief Edward Kosner retired in March of this year, and a successor has yet to be named. Martin Dunn, one-time Daily News editor in chief, was named editorial director in October 2003.

The Daily News launched a glossy Sunday magazine Oct. 3 called 25 Hours. The mag, which premiered on the same day as the new Life magazine newspaper insert, focuses on celebrity, society and entertainment in the city, and is edited by Jayne Gould, who most recently worked with Associated Newspapers in London. In September, the Daily News launched a free weekly Hispanic newspaper, Hora Hispana, distributed to 200,000 Hispanic homes.

The Post, which spent months revamping its Sunday edition, has made some circ inroads on its larger rival. Its daily circ jumped 9.3 percent to 678,012 as of March 31 compared to the same year-ago period. Sunday circ rose 5.9 percent to 445,094. Beginning July 4, the Post added Parade to help boost its Sunday circ.

The sniping between the two tabs is perpetual. The Post's business and Page Six...