The Godfather of Tabloid: Generoso Pope Jr. and the National Enquirer

Colorful tabloid newspapers are common sights at American grocery stores and newsstands, but their origin traces to one man: Generoso Pope Jr., an eccentric, domineering chain-smoker who died of a heart attack at age sixty-one. In The Godfather of Tabloid, Jack Vitek explores Pope's life and career, and the founding of the National Enquirer. After graduating from MIT and working briefly for the CIA, Pope purchased the New York Enquirer with financial help from mob boss Frank Costello. He transformed the modest weekly newspaper by changing its name, format, and content, assembling a team of American journalists (including some Pulitzer Prize winners) and British reporters from Fleet Street willing to pursue any story. At its peak, the National Enquirer reached a circulation of more than five million, matching the Hearst newspaper empire. Pope gauged success by reader mail volume—so substantial that the post office assigned the Enquirer offices their own zip code. He deliberately limited celebrity coverage, believing it wouldn't sustain reader interest, and avoided political stories or stances, aiming instead to reflect middlebrow American tastes and reach the widest possible audience. Pope was contradictory: he would fire employees for disagreeing with him in meetings, yet spent over a million dollars annually on a world-record Christmas tree for the Enquirer offices.