Los Angeles Times

The Los Angeles Times is the largest newspaper in the western United States, and sixth largest overall. It has won 51 Pulitzer Prizes including six gold medal awards for public service.

The Los Angeles Daily Times, as it was originally known, was founded on December 4, 1881 by Nathan Cole Jr. and Thomas Gardiner, but is well-known as the media empire controlled for more than a century by the Otis and Chandler families. Current owner Patrick Soon-Shiong bought the Times from Tribune Company in 2018.  

The Los Angeles Times is the largest newspaper in the western United States, and sixth largest overall. It has won 51 Pulitzer Prizes, including six gold medal awards for public service. 

In 1882, financial difficulties led to its acquisition by the Mirror Printing Office and Book Bindery. 

In 1884, the editor Harrison Gray Otis and his partner acquired both the Times and Mirror properties, establishing the Times-Mirror Company. In 1886, the newspaper underwent a name change, officially becoming the Los Angeles Times. Ownership shifted in 2000, when the Tribune Company merged with Times Mirror, making the Times a Tribune Publishing newspaper. This merger created a media conglomerate and the Times became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tribune Co.

In 1911, the Times suffered a dynamite attack on its headquarters building resulting in 21 employee deaths and the complete destruction of the structure. This event was orchestrated by union members affiliated with the International Association of Bridge and Structural Iron Workers (IW). Financial challenges plagued the newspaper in 2014, leading to employee buyouts and job cuts. The Tribune Company eventually spun off its assets, and the Los Angeles Times became a subsidiary of the newly formed company, Tronc. In 2018, Tronc sold the Los Angeles Times and the San Diego Union-Tribune to local billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong for $500 million.

Historically, the Times published six days a week until February 14, 1887, when it transitioned into a true daily newspaper, publishing all seven days of the week. The newspaper extended to the establishment of KHF, the first commercial radio station in Los Angeles County from 1922 to 1927. In 1928, the Times used airplanes to deliver newspapers to other cities to reach a broader audience. Additionally, the newspaper briefly owned the KTTV Times Television station from 1948 to 1963.

The Times has expanded its influence through various affiliates, including LA Times Studios, The Envelope, Times Community News, De Los, Los Angeles Times en Español, and Hot Property. The newspaper covers a wide range of sections, including Climate, Entertainment, Housing, Food, Image, Lifestyle, Obituaries, Opinion, Politics, Science, Sports, Travel, and World and nation. The Los Angeles Times achieved the title of the highest-circulating newspaper in Los Angeles in November 1947. In 1965, it made history by being the first newspaper to publish over 4 million classified advertisements in a single year, totaling 101,414,589 lines. The Times also published five regional editions, catering to Orange County, San Fernando Valley, Inland Empire, and Ventura counties. As of 2022, the newspaper's annual revenue peaked at $780 million, with a workforce of 2,052 employees. The website has more than 40 million monthly visitors, and the combined print and online editions reach a weekly audience of 4.4 million.

The newspaper experienced a period of turbulence between journalists and management in 2017, leading to a succession of editors-in-chief. In January 2018, the paper's staff voted to unionize.