"Daily News to the Post: Drop Dead!" That's a likely headline from the New York City tabloid that penned the "Ford to New York: Drop Dead" kicker in 1975 and battles with Rupert Murdoch's rival tab, the Post. Founded in 1919, the Daily News boasts a circulation of some 730,000. Real estate magnate Mortimer Zuckerman (Boston Properties) and Fred Drasner took over the paper in 1993; the pair previously had attempted to resuscitate The Atlantic Monthly (sold in 1999) and US News & World Report. They have converted the morning paper to electronic publishing, built a color-printing facility, and pushed distribution into Long Island. Publication of its free newspaper for afternoon commuters was halted in 2001.