USA Today
A national newspaper known for its colorful, concise design.
USA Today is an American daily newspaper and news broadcasting company. It was founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and first published on September 14, 1982. The paper is based at USA Today Co.'s corporate headquarters in New York City, and it is printed at 37 locations across the United States, plus five more facilities internationally. Its distinctive style—featuring short reports, color images, informational graphics, and coverage of popular culture—has shaped the look of newspapers around the world. As of 2026, USA Today draws over 134 million monthly visits to its website. It ranks fourth in U.S. print circulation, with 89,200 print subscribers. The newspaper is available in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, and an international edition reaches Asia, Canada, Europe, and the Pacific islands.
Quick Facts
- Format
- Broadsheet
- Founder
- Al Neuharth
- Chief editor
- Michael McCarter
- Custom data
- Kristin Roberts
- Founded
- 15 September 1982
- Language
- English
- Headquarters
- 1675 Broadway, 23rd Floor, New York City 10019
- Sister newspapers
- Newsquest
Facts from the source article.
History
USA Today was first conceived on February 29, 1980, when a company task force known as 'Project nn' met with the then-chairman of Gannett, Al Neuharth, in Cocoa Beach, Florida. Early regional prototypes included East Bay Today, an Oakland, California-based publication published in the late 1970s. On June 11, 1981, Gannett printed the first prototypes of the proposed publication. The two proposed design layouts were mailed to newsmakers and prominent leaders in journalism for review and feedback. Gannett's board of directors approved the launch on December 5, 1981. At launch, Neuharth was appointed president and publisher. Gannett announced the launch on April 20, 1982. USA Today began publishing on September 14, 1982, initially in the Baltimore and Washington, D.C. metropolitan areas, for a newsstand price of 25¢. After selling out the first issue, Gannett gradually expanded distribution, reaching an estimated circulation of 362,879 copies by the end of 1982, double the amount of sales that Gannett projected. The design uniquely incorporated color graphics and photographs, developed by Neuharth in collaboration with staff graphics designers George Rorick, Sam Ward, Suzy Parker, John Sherlock and Web Brya. Critics derided it as a 'McPaper' or 'television you can wrap fish in'. Although USA Today had been profitable for just ten years as of 1997, it changed the appearance and feel of newspapers around the world. On July 2, 1984, the newspaper switched from predominantly black-and-white to full-color photography and graphics in all four sections. On July 10, 1984, USA Today launched an international edition intended for U.S. readers abroad. On April 8, 1985, the paper published its first special bonus section, a 12-page section called 'Baseball '85'. By the fourth quarter of 1985, USA Today had become the second-largest newspaper in the United States, reaching a daily circulation of 1.4 million copies. Total daily readership by 1987 had reached 5.5 million, the largest of any daily newspaper in the U.S. On May 6, 1986, USA Today began production of its international edition in Switzerland. The newspaper operated at a loss for most of its first four years, accumulating a total deficit of $233 million after taxes. According to figures released by Gannett in July 1987, the newspaper began turning its first profit in May 1987. On January 29, 1988, USA Today published the largest edition in its history, a 78-page weekend edition featuring a section previewing Super Bowl XXII; the edition included 44.38 pages of advertising and sold 2,114,055 copies. On April 15, 1988, USA Today launched a third international printing site, based in Hong Kong. In January 1989, USA Today started its survey of television commercials during the Super Bowl, known as the Super Bowl Ad Meter. By July 1991, Simmons Market Research Bureau estimated that USA Today had a total daily readership of nearly 6.6 million, an all-time high. On September 1, 1991, USA Today launched a fourth print site for its international edition in London. On April 17, 1995, USA Today launched its website. On August 28, 1995, a fifth international publishing site was launched in Frankfurt, Germany. On October 4, 1999, USA Today began running advertisements on its front page for the first time. On February 8, 2000, Gannett launched USA Today Live. The paper launched a sixth printing site for its international edition on May 15, 2000, in Milan, Italy, followed on July 10 by a facility in Charleroi, Belgium. On June 19, 2001, USA Today and Gannett Newspapers launched the USA Today Careers Network. On July 18, 2001, the USA Today News Center was launched. On September 12, 2001, the newspaper set an all-time single day circulation record, selling 3,638,600 copies for its edition covering the September 11 attacks. In November 2001, USA Today migrated its operations to McLean, Virginia. The company moved its headquarters to New York, NY in 2024. In 2004, Jack Kelley, a senior foreign correspondent, was found to have fabricated foreign news reports over the past decade; Kelley resigned.
Layout and format
Only the following is known: The paper's design uniquely incorporated color graphics and photographs. Initially, only its front news section pages were rendered in four-color, while the remaining pages were printed in a spot color format. On July 2, 1984, the newspaper switched from predominantly black-and-white to full-color photography and graphics in all four sections.
Related publications and services
The source mentions: On June 19, 2001, USA Today and Gannett Newspapers launched the USA Today Careers Network (now Careers.com), a website featuring localized employment listings. On July 18, 2001, the USA Today News Center was launched as an interactive television news service developed through a joint venture with the On Command Corporation that was distributed to hotels around the United States.
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