The reason why the Media paid so much attention to John was because he was marketable and likeable by the general public. He had that charisma about him that is portrayed in movies such as Goodfellas, which is popular for a reason. Simply put, he made a Mob boss cool to follow. He had good looks, dressed really well and just had that IT factor. Guys like the Chin were ugly as fuck and not marketable. Lets be honest, most mob bosses do not look like Hollywood movie stars but John did. That is why he was who he was.