“Daily News” to Name New Editor?

Former Philly Mag boss Larry Platt could take the reins BY STEVE VOLK

Former Philadelphia magazine editor Larry Platt might soon be named the editor of the Daily News. “I don’t know the timeline,” said a higher-up at 400 N. Broad St., who prefers to remain anonymous, “but it seems very clear to me that Platt will be named editor of the Daily News. And the current editor, Michael Days will be moved up, not out.”

If this comes to pass, possible landing places for Days include a position at the Inquirer, where new editor Stan Wischnowski is expected to be making changes to the masthead in the coming days and weeks. Days could potentially also wind up in a position overseeing editorial at the Inquirer, DN, and philly.com, if new newspaper CEO Greg Osberg chooses to go that route. The two papers and philly.com are cooperating on a previously unheard of level, and Osberg told this reporter a couple of weeks ago that a director of editorial position, overseeing all three platforms, might be created in the future.

For now, Osberg’s VP of external affairs is mum on any changes at the DN. When asked if Platt was coming on board as editor, Mark Block didn’t offer a flat denial. “The Inquirer is where the changes will be coming in the next few weeks,” he said. “Now that Stan has been named the editor and is no longer interim he’s going to be making changes there. When the Inquirer is settled, we’ll turn to the Daily News.”

Neither Platt nor Days immediately returned calls for comment.

Platt resigned as editor of Philly Mag in June after a nearly eight-year tenure. If he were to be named editor of the DN, the position would come with some built-in irony. Prior to his resignation, the Daily News reported that Platt had given a framed photo of a cyst he had removed from one of his testicles to a departing female Philly Mag staffer as a gift. Now, he could be the paper’s boss.

Update: It’s official.