The Chandlers and the LA Times: Journalism and Money

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Five years ago, the Chandler family sold off the Los Angeles Times, KTLA-TV and the rest of Times-Mirror to become the second largest shareholder in the Tribune Company of Chicago. They got $8 billion. Now, they've rolled a grenade into the board room by demanding better performance or the breakup of what the Chicago Tribune calls "one of America's most storied newspaper publishers." Is it a failure of newspaper and TV "synergy" or a greedy demand for more money? What does journalism have to do with it? If there's another sale, which local billionaires might want in on the action? We hear from former Times City Editor Bill Boyarsky, Rem Rieder of the American Journalism Review and Cal State Fullerton Professor Jeffrey Brody.
Five years ago, the Chandler family sold off the Los Angeles Times, KTLA-TV and the rest of Times-Mirror to become the second largest shareholder in the Tribune Company of Chicago. They got $8 billion. Now, they've rolled a grenade into the board room by demanding better performance or the breakup of what the Chicago Tribune calls "one of America's most storied newspaper publishers." Is it a failure of newspaper and TV "synergy" or a greedy demand for more money? What does journalism have to do with it? If there's another sale, which local billionaires might want in on the action? We hear from former Times City Editor Bill Boyarsky, Rem Rieder of the American Journalism Review and Cal State Fullerton Professor Jeffrey Brody.

Tribune statement in response to SEC filing by the Chandler Trusts

Editor and Publisher on Chandlers' demand for break-up of Tribune Company

Knight Ridder Company

McClatchy Company

Brody's (LA Observed) article on Times' shortsighted investigative series

Credits

Host:

Warren Olney

Producer:

Frances Anderton