garciamedia

Oct. 24th The “real” tabloid is back: Weekly World News online, and soon in print

Ok, it was only a fantasy

Like everyone else, I have looked at the front page of Weekly World News often.  The times I stood there resting my arms on the grocery cart, while waiting my turn to pay, and wondered: how would you design this page?

How would you crop that picture of the strange creature stepping out of its flying saucer? And, isn’t that headline too big for a story that is pure make-believe?

Then, of course the Weekly World News disappeared last year. But, just when you thought it was gone, it has landed online, where today’s lead story is “Manigator spotted on Georgia Beach”. “Thank God it was not Florida” was my first reaction, as I read this in Delhi. However, as I read a little further, I found out that the “very inebriated creature” may, according to scientists, be making his way back home to Florida. Yikes.

The new publisher says he plans to publish WWN in print soon. Indeed, we need this type of entertainment at the check out counter. Aliens and Elvis impersonators need to come to the rescue soon and replace the constant barrage of Britney, Angelina, Oprah and Madonna “tabloid” coverage.

As for what to do about the design? Will the resurrected product launch with a new look, or will it stick to the tested formula to avoid alienating (could not resist that) anyone in its rarified audience?

If any of you out there ever ever fantasized about designing the front page of Weekly World News, here is your chance to pitch the job, and send me the pdf to post here, please.

Here is what the headlines offer online

My eyes wondered to the Most Read Stories, which included:
GIANT SQUID PLAGUES ICELAND
    BAT BOY BACKS OBATMA
    CHAOS CLOUD DESCENDS ON OHIO
    TINA FEY SHOOTS A BIGFOOT
          MCCAIN NEGOTIATES BETWEEN ANGELS & DEMONS


A new slant: more satirical than weird

Of course, the lead is about the beer-drinking manigator that washed ashore in Georgia, and there are giant squids attacking Iceland, but, most of the content of this “new” Weekly World News borders more on the satirical, including an image of Sarah Palin posing with an alien beer, and, the clincher: Madonna’s divorce is all about the fact that Alex Rodriguez is her son. Maternal Madge is not going to be happy about that at all.

WE SEND YOU
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/10/22/technology/adco.php
http://www.weeklyworldnews.com/

After a full day Friday in Konstanz, to kick off the Sudkurier project, I now prepare to fly back to Delhi, India, where we also kick off the Hindustantimes project.

TheMarioBlog posting #127

 

 

Posted by Dr. Mario R. Garcia on October 24, 2008