Auger Will Become Daily News Publisher

David J. Auger, a cable-television marketing executive, has been named publisher of the Daily News newspaper in Woodland Hills, effective Aug. 7.

Auger, 33, succeeds Robert Steven Morris, who after two years on the job resigned in June to pursue other interests. The Daily News is owned by Washington businessman Jack Kent Cooke, whose holdings also include the Washington Redskins football team and the Chrysler building in New York.

For the past year, Auger had been vice president of marketing for Cooke CableVision Inc., another of Cooke’s media interests, which are based in Woodland Hills. Previously, he also was a marketing executive with Warner Communications’ cable division.

In the six months ended March 31, the Daily News had a daily circulation of about 183,000 and a Sunday circulation of about 201,500, according to figures reported to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, a newspaper auditing concern.

Earlier this month, Cooke announced plans to sell his extensive cable-TV holdings for $1.6 billion to a consortium of cable operators. Overall, the systems serve about 660,000 subscribers in 20 states.