With Daily News man Artie Browne ready to retire as editor-in-chief and publisher at year’s end, rumors are swirling about a successor.

Most expect Tronc Chairman Michael Ferro to dispatch his own replacement from Chicago to rescue the teetering tabloid.

Browne is said to be pushing for Jim Gaines, the former top editor at People and Time, who is on board at the News as enterprise editor. Another insider, Rob Moore, managing editor of news, is also said to be angling to move up the masthead.

But the bet is that News insiders will be disappointed.

Sources close to the situation said there has already been talk of putting Jim Kirk, the former editor & publisher of the Chicago Sun-Times, into the role on a temporary basis.

Kirk was most recently the acting interim executive editor of the Los Angeles Times.

Tronc is already reaching eastward from Chicago to implement some changes.

Jeff Zomper, the senior vice president of human resources — labeled the “axman” by many of the Daily News reporters fired over the past several years — also left recently.

The changes are expected to accelerate in the new year as Tronc assumes greater control and tries to stanch the red ink.