LOS ANGELES TIMES

morning daily newspaper published in Los Angeles that in the 1960s began to develop from a regional daily into one of the world's great newspapers. It was established in 1881, and in 1884 Harrison Gray Otis purchased and incorporated the Times under a public corporation, The Times-Mirror Company (the hyphen was later dropped from the name). The paper prospered, soon becoming an important power in conservative politics in California and a major voice in the southern part of the state. Although its news coverage reflected its political bias, the Times won widespread respect for its contributions to the development of southern California and for its technological and other innovations. The Times launched the United States' first newspaper-owned radio station in 1922. In 1928 it began to use airplanes to deliver newspapers to other cities. The Los Angeles Times was long dominated by the Chandler family, beginning when Harry Chandler succeeded his father-in-law, Otis, as publisher in 1917. Norman Chandler took over from his father in 1944, and in 1948 he introduced an afternoon tabloid, the Los Angeles Mirror, which was discontinued in 1962. Norman resigned as publisher in 1960 to devote full attention to the corporation, his son Otis Chandler taking over the Times. When Otis Chandler became publisher, the paper's writing, editing, and editorial policy underwent a striking metamorphosis, noticeably under editor Nick Williams (195871). From its traditional ultraconservative stance, the Times developed into a model of balanced, fair, and comprehensive journalism. This was accomplished in large part by upgrading and enlarging its staff, opening new Times bureaus in the United States and abroad, and developing thorough coverage of important events. In 1964 The Times Mirror Company became listed on the New York Stock Exchange, the first general-interest newspaper corporation to do so. The parent company of the Times also publishes other newspapers, books, and magazines and owns broadcasting and multimedia concerns.