2021 shuffles in a new age for the established New York tabloid, Weekly World News, with a new editorial team, a new print issue, and the launch of Weekly World News Studios! The Weekly World News has begun a new era of investigative reporting as they continue to cover stories the mainstream media ignores. Stories about the latest sightings of alien abductions, Bigfoot sightings, conspiracy theories, biblical prophecies, alien invasions, the supernatural, the paranormal, and the cryptid phenomena infiltrating all corners of American life. In 2019, Weekly World News Senior Editor (and its most prolific writer), Greg D’Alessandro, took the reins as the imprint’s CEO/Editor-In-Chief along with his partner, David Collins, serving as President. Together they are bringing WWN’s cast of characters to a new generation, taking WWN beyond print, beyond its presence online and on social media.
2021 sees the imprint announcing the arrival of Weekly World News Studios in Los Angeles. WWN Studios is developing content for podcast, television, and cinema universe with D’Alessandro at the helm and veteran theatre producer, Joe Corcoran, serving as Director of Development.
Deadline has Mr. D’Alessandro’s comments on the launch of Weekly World News Studios “There has been an enormous amount of interest in the WWN IP over the last few years. We have a vast library of colorful characters and highly creative stories we are developing with our talented in-house writers and with various production partners, ” says D’Alessandro. “We are excited for what lies ahead and thrilled to finally be able to bring Weekly World News to the world of TV, film, and digital media.”
You can read about the launch of Weekly World News Studios on the Weekly World News website. WWN Studios will be creating and producing films, tv shows, and podcasts – on our own and with several production partners. The Zombie Wedding is WWN Studio’s first project out of the gate and you can read more about this project here.
|WWN Studios will be making more exciting announcements soon about two other exciting projects: SAUCERS IN A SMALL TOWN! Film. The story of alien abduction in the Berkshires, MA. Two WWN reporters are reporting on a famous alien abduction that occurred here in 969. But while they are reporting on it… the Gootans return and there’s another abduction, and guess who is taken? This is written by the INCREDIBLE ED NAHA (Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, Trolls, etc.).UNTITLED BEN GREENMAN PROJECT. A scripted comedy series. It’s about rock and roll, nostalgia, and the pain (and pleasure) of selling out. This is an exciting project written by the INCREDIBLE BEN GREENMAN. The plot is top secret because it’s so unique and SO awesome.|
The History of Weekly World News
The influential black and white tabloid, with its famously bizarre headlines, ceased its incredibly successful 27-year print run in 2007. But Weekly World News has continued disrupting the media landscape for the last 14 years. The stamp of Weekly World News’ hard-hitting investigative journalism continues to have a lasting impact on the American pop culture psyche and has impacted readers around the globe.
The top publishers in the media industry wouldn’t dare cover stories about the five members of the US Senate who are extraterrestrials or the allegations that the CIA kept classified documents about underwater UFOs or the failed attempts to recruit a cloned Adolf Hitler into QAnon.
As outlandish as the reporting might seem, Weekly World News still delivers the truth that major news organizations ignore. One of their recent investigative reports revealed the true cause of the record heat waves scorching the United States: A Door to Hell was left open in Death Valley! If the sensationalist reporting of Weekly World News doesn’t fully persuade readers to consider thinking “what if!” then the recurring storylines of the tabloid’s universe of characters keep them fully entertained.
The no-bullshit, zero filter advice of Dotti Primrose of the Dear Dotti column has been setting reader’s life priorities straight for a fraction of the cost a therapist charges. The hot-headed rants and raves of pundit Ed Anger have been flaring and tickling readers’ nerves with his unabashed thoughts on the range of topics from the generational culture wars, the foreign policies of ten different presidential administrations, and why we should pave the rainforests.
However, no character in Weekly World News has impacted both political affairs and pop culture more than the half man/half bat anomaly, Bat Boy. The de facto mascot of Weekly World News was initially co-created in 1993 by longtime art director Dick Kulpa and launched into countless adventures, ranging from short stints as president (and king!) of the United States, being an asset for the US military in locating Osama Bin Laden, leader of a globally touring rock band and escaping from countless bounty hunters.
The Impact of Weekly World News
National Inquirer publisher, Generoso Pope Jr, founded Weekly World News in 1979. Under the leadership of longtime editorial members Eddie Clontz, Dick Kulpa, Joe Berger, and their staff of eccentric writers, the paper went on to gain a global following over 40 years. There are 110,000 + hard stories in their library, ranging from mermen living among us, to pets enslaving their owners, and to the unthinkable love triangles involving aliens and the Clinton family.
Between Fall 1979 and Summer 2007, the tabloid’s peak circulation of 1.2 million brought the paper considerable attention with its iconic covers, questionable headlines, and stories involving their cast of characters such as Bat Boy, P’Lod The Alien, Manigator, Spycat, Ph.D. Ape, and Bigfoot Hooker among 300 + others. When the publication went fully online, the intrepid reporters of Weekly World News continued to break stories that received national attention.
The outrageous reporting even made media bigs cover Weekly World News stories! Fox News sourced the tabloid when morning show, Fox and Friends, reported as a factual the Weekly World News story about the LAPD purchasing 10,000 jetpacks at the cost of one billion dollars. Further feathers were ruffled in 2012 when Weekly World News reported that Facebook would shut down, causing Facebook to issue a public statement denying the claim when influential technology blog, Mashable, ran the story.
Weekly World News was published exclusively online until Spring 2020, when the first print issue in 15 years appeared thanks to a wildly successful 2020 Kickstarter campaign. Longtime readers made their voices heard: they want the paper to return to print!
By the way, have you picked up your copy of the Greatest Covers issue yet? This limited edition run is the first print copy of Weekly World News in 15 years and features the most iconic covers in the tabloid’s history! Copies are available here
The Cultural Significance of Weekly World News
The influence of Weekly World News is visible throughout all corners of American pop culture. References to the tabloid seen in dozens of prime television shows like The Simpsons, American Dad, Supernatural, Gravity Falls, and dozens more.
In the movie realm, Weekly World News is the main information source for the agents of Men In Black and the prime inspiration behind David Byrne’s 1986 directorial debut, True Stories. The tabloid also received considerable coverage in Mike Myer’s romantic dark comedy, So I Married An Axe Murderer, referenced in the Brad Pitt and Bruce Willis science fiction thriller, 12 Monkeys and featured in the Leslie Nielson comedy The Naked Gun 2½ The Smell of Fear. Howard Stern, Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert, and Jimmy Kimmel regularly reference Weekly World News on their late-night shows.
Many musicians have also been influenced by the tabloid. New York punk rock group, Lunachicks, wrote about their admiration for Dotti Primrose’s no-nonsense advice with the high-energy tongue-in-cheek track “Dear Dotti” featured on their Pretty Ugly LP. Weird Al’s tabloid love song “Midnight Star” on his Grammy-winning LP “Weird Al” Yankovic In 3D is directly influenced by Weekly World News. Bat Boy’s endearing legacy has transcended into off-Broadway rock theatre, with the 1997 debut of Bat Boy: The Musical making its inaugural debut in Los Angeles before traveling to New York City, St. Louis, and overseas to London’s West End theatre.
The influence of Weekly World News is far and wide. D’Alessandro promises that the new era of Weekly World News will be the best the publication has ever had!
“It would be comforting to see Bat Boy screaming at us from the bottom rung of the supermarket rack again.” – (New York Times)
“There are three different types of WWN readers: Those who believe, those who don’t believe, and those who want to believe but aren’t sure.” – (The Atlantic)
“Unashamedly for the bizarre, unbelievable, and the tasteless.” – (LA Times)
“The only gossip I’m interested in is in the Weekly World News. ” – (Johnny Depp)
“One of the few media outlets left that talks in the plainspoken, outraged, but also sentimental voice of America’s Heartland.” – (Entertainment Tonight)
“Funnier than “Saturday Night Live,” deeper than Leno or Letterman, smarter than Mad, more outrageous than the Onion, Weekly World News just might be America’s best purveyor of social satire and the most creative newspaper in American history. The fact that it’s disguised as a sleazy tabloid just makes it that much more delicious.” – (Washington Post)
“Weekly World News headlines were just fake enough to not be considered fraud but just true enough to grab your attention.” – (Vice)
“I read the Ten Commandments to my people, then I read them the Weekly World News!” – (Moses)
“The best damn investigative reporting on the planet!” – (Agent K of Men In Black)Weekly World News Online