Recently the Daily Caller got a Facelift, We Give it a Grade

Last week one of the editors at USA Business Radio did his regular routine of checking his favorite websites in order to get various takes on the day’s news. Those sites are all over the ideological perspective and include The New York Times, The Daily Beast, and others. One of those on his short list is the Daily Caller. Often referred to as “The DC,” this Tucker Carlson and Neil Patel created website has a definite conservative bent. Carlson is one of the highest rated hosts on Fox News and his website has only bolstered his position as a conservative pundit.

When one of our editors went to the page, he thought he had a flashback — the site has changed significantly and looks very similar to how The Daily Beast (the very independent, liberal site) use to look. The Daily Caller has long been considered the conservative answer to the Beast’s obvious liberal agenda, so the similar look isn’t entirely surprising. No, it was not an accidental visit to the Beast, and that site was not going retro, it was the Daily Caller which has decided to give itself a “totally redesigned mobile and desktop website.”

RELATED: THE DAILY CALLER CELEBRATES ITS FACELIFT WITH A NEW THEATER STYLE TRAILER

To read the article announcing the changes, one must conclude that the changes were mandated by the readers with the proclamation “You asked, so we delivered.” While most announcements like this are usually more style than substance, the changes at the Caller are noticeable and meaningful to any regular reader.

The Daily Caller offers a list of changes in the site, we are going to give them a grade and our take on each of those changes:

• “A total overhaul of the mobile site”

They achieve this with a site that is more enjoyable to navigate both on one’s computer and on a smart device. It looks and feels decidedly different and is more easy to navigate. It simply feels more intuitive.

• “A brand new, interactive video carousel, highlighting exclusive interviews and the funniest political comedy shows on the internet”

This is our favorite upgrade. There is some really funny takes on the most pressing news stories and they are needed as “comic relief” now more than ever. The site changes makes them easy to find. They are really unique and worth the visit alone.

• “LIGHTNING FAST load times, thanks to new image formatting and a beefed-up publishing suite”

It is true, it is hard to define what is “lightning fast” when it comes to websites, but our team grades that it is faster than most. Confession, we are having a difficult time remembering how fast it use to be. But we certainly like it now.

• “Bottom-up integration for our Patriots subscribers”

The Daily Caller has moved fast and significantly into the premiums approach. Some on our team checked it out and compared it with others and gave it favorable reviews finding it “unique,” “premium worthy,” and “intuitive.”

• “Updated footer makes finding podcasts, columns and fact checks even easier”

Definitely one of the most user friendly and easy to navigate sites on the web. The reposting of every necessary link on the site to the footer makes it the destination location for everything in it. If you cannot find everything you want on The Daily Caller in the footer, you must not be on the Daily Caller.  It is that simple.

Based on the Daily Caller’s criteria and the preferences of the USA Business Radio editorial team, we give the Daily Caller’s upgrade a solid A.

The hoopla in these changes line up well with reality.