Michael Raffaele

Tabloid from Hell: the Rise & Fall of a Beloved Newspaper Michael Raffaele

"Love us. Hate us. Read us."That was the slogan of The Trentonian, the scrappy underdog tabloid newspaper from Trenton, N. J. The newspaper combined a mix of hard-hitting news, steamy sex stories and solid sports to produce massive sales in competitive market. The paper represented the heart and soul of the city. It was truly "No. 1 in the hearts of the people."In 1998, The Trentonian took a tragic turn -- a turn in which the paper likely will never recover. It ditched its core readers. It turned its back on Trenton. Tabloid From Hell chronicles the rise and fall of a beloved newspaper. It details how a once relevant newspaper turned irrelevant. How a newspaper everybody talked about transformed into a dull, lifeless and awkward product on the decline. The Trentonian lost its voice. So did its readers.