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Privileged Son: Otis Chandler And The Rise And Fall Of The L.a. Times Dynasty Paperback – June 6, 2002

by Dennis Mcdougal (Author)

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The Boston Globe hailed Privileged Son as "a well-researched, tough-minded, superbly composed story" by an author "adept at mixing scandal and gossip with art and business." It's the riveting tale of how a second-rate newspaper rose to greatness only to become a casualty of war—a civil war within the family that owned it. The story, never before told in such hard-edged style, spans the American Century, from 1884, when the Chandler family gained control of the just-born daily, through April 2000, when they sold it to the Tribune Company. With a capriciousness that is seldom seen even in the most dysfunctional media dynasties, the Chandlers, who helped make the national careers of Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and other major political figures, controlled Los Angeles and the Times Mirror Corporation—and Privileged Son captures it all.

Privileged Son: Otis Chandler And The Rise And Fall Of The L.a. Times Dynasty

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Product Details

Paperback: 528 pages
Publisher: Da Capo Press; Revised ed. edition (June 6, 2002)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0306811618
ISBN-13: 978-0306811616
Product Dimensions: 5.9 x 1.3 x 8.8 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #865,661 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #186 in Books > Reference > Writing, Research & Publishing Guides > Publishing & Books > Book Industry
- #497 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Regional U.S. > West
- #849 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Social Sciences > Library & Information Science > General

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Customer Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars

5 star		87%
4 star		7%
3 star		6%
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A Great Journalist 's Latest and Best

By jack olsen on June 14, 2001

Format: Hardcover

It's always a pleasure to see a vastly underrated reporter burst forth with a work so comprehensive, so brilliantly written, so thoroughly researched that attention must be paid -- and is (see excellent full-page notice in New York Times Book Review). Dennis McDougal has always been in the top echelons of American reporters, but he has never been a household name. Let's hope that "Privileged Son" rights this wrong. What a pleasure to read a major work of American history that doesn't read like a legal brief or a Ph.D dissertation. Dennis McDougal proves that definitive works don't have to be dull. The Chandlers and their successors simply jump off these pages.

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Great examination of the growth of LA & its great paper

By R. Spell VINE VOICE on August 12, 2001

Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase

I really liked this book. As a fan of LA where I travel often for business and pleasure, this book fills in the history of how LA was built and the role played by the driving family of the LA Times. But as interesting as this history is, there are so many subplots to follow that are also fun. For example, as the family is accepted in the Pasadena "blue-blooded" culture, it's interesting how most become so snobbish about accepting anyone in their culture. My favorite stories on this subject are his second wife's training to develop social graces to travel in the Chandler's circles that was somewhat required. Also, when he divorces at 50, his Mom starts investigating which of her friends have unmarried daughters that would be acceptable marriage bait for this 50 year old bachelor. Like he can't take care of himself.
But enough of the small stuff, this book is about the Times and LA and starts with the Otis family and its purchase of the Times. The General and his Son-in-law ran this paper as a Republican tour guide of LA. And it worked. Maybe too good as LA is way too crowded. Along the way is great history of the need for water and the shady ways it was obtained as well as real estate development stories including a foray in Mexico.
Harry Chandler's son Norman ran it much the same way but his son Otis Chandler who took over around 1960 was much more liberal and open to debate and other opinions which did not endear him with his pompous family. This break seemed to eventually lead to his ouster in 1985 even though he had grown the earnings strength of the paper. I believe the book did not adequately explain the buildup to his ouster. His Chairman comes in and it's over. Clearly, Otis was partially to blame as his hobbies of hunting, cars and lifting weights took away his attention.Read more ›

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West Coast Brahmins

By Robert Morris HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWERVINE VOICE on July 17, 2001

Format: Hardcover

In several of our major metropolitan areas (e.g. Boston, New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles), a daily newspaper played a major role during the 20th century. From my perspective, the area and the paper had a symbiotic relationship which must be understood in all its complexity if we are to understand either the area's culture or the unique role the newspaper has played within that culture. In this book, McDougal functions as a journalist and an historian, of course, but also as an anthropologist. As the book's subtitle indicates, his primary purpose is to examine Otis Chandler during "the rise and fall of the L.A. dynasty." (It is worth noting that the Boston Globe is now owned by the parent company of the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times is now owned by the parent company of the Chicago Tribune. Perhaps McDougal or someone else will examine those recent developments in a book yet to be written. And perhaps examine, also, recent mergers which have created media conglomerates such as AOL Time Warner.) For much of this book, the Times's various publishers dominate the narrative. Specifically, first Harrison Otis, then Harry Chandler, then Harry's son Norman, and finally Norman's son Otis. Of equal interest to me were the roles played by various women, notably Norman's wife Buff and Otis' two wives, Missy and then Bettina. In California throughout the latter half of the twentieth century, the Chandlers established and solidified a "dynasty" but also what McDougal more correctly describes as an "oligarchy."
These are among the important questions addressed in this book:
1. How and why did the Los Angles Times become so influential?
2. How and why did it later lose so much of that influence?
3. Precisely what role did Otis Chandler play throughout that process?Read more ›

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That Rarest of Things-- a really readable business biography

By frumiousb VINE VOICE on June 14, 2002

Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase

_Priveleged Son_ manages to hit that sweet spot that so many biographies of business figures fail to capture-- it manages to be a very good look at a business and industry and at the same time be readable and enjoyable on the level of a novel.
While ostensibly a biography of Otis Chandler, it gives a fascinating look at the rise of a newspaper as local empire and the same newspaper's (largely unsuccessful) efforts to translate that into a truly national business.
Without any industry focus, the story of the Chandlers and their relationship to LA is the stuff of novels (pulp fiction and true romance)-- LA grows up with its paper in this book.
I was particularly fascinated to read what happened at the paper under the direction of Mark "Cereal Killer" Willes. His ill-starred management is a cautionary tale for would-be media moguls who fail to understand the core values that make up the news industry.
A great read for people interested in the media industry. A just-as-great read for people who like a good story.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

Five Stars

Very interesting, especially in light of the current water crisis.

Published 13 months ago by Darlene

Don't hang back with the apes

Dennis McDougal, the author of PRIVILEGED SON, OTIS CHANDLER AND THE RISE AND FALL OF THE L.A. TIMES DYNASTY, says it best when he writes about how some publishers consider Otis et... Read more

Published on August 31, 2013 by Boyd Hone

The Real Roots of Los Angeles

Excellent history of los Angeles and the founding of the Los Angeles Times. It shows how the newspaper originally was very conservative but morphed into a liberal paper.

Published on August 17, 2011 by James Lauter

Privileged Son: Otis Chandler and the Rise and Fall of the L.A. Times...

Excellent history not only of The Times but of early Los Angeles and the not-so-angelic characters involved in the development of the City of Angels. Read more

Published on December 12, 2009 by Lynn

Adonis with issues

The first few pages are written in a glitzy, sophomoric style that is grating. Fortunately the book straightens out into a well-researched and well-written history of LA, the LAT... Read more

Published on October 19, 2009 by Calochortus

An exceptional look at Los Angeles history...

When I originally sat down to read Privileged Son, I expected what the subtitle promised - a biography and a business book. What I found was that and much more. Read more

Published on April 21, 2009 by nto62

Great history of the company and of Los Angeles

As a history buff, this book was fascinating as both a history of LA and Times Mirror. As an employee of the LA Times I found it even more interesting and intriguing.

Published on February 10, 2002 by Dan Royal

A caveat: the Devil is in the Details, as usual.

This is a wonderfully entertaining and informative book -- I have a waiting list of friends waiting to borrow it based on my recommendation.
The book has a problem, however. Read more

Published on July 19, 2001 by Frederick William Griffin

A wonderful writer!

Dennis McDougal is an incredible writer and researcher and the detail and honesty that characterizes his work is right here, on these pages. A story that needed to be told. Read more

Published on June 19, 2001

Lively, witty and enjoyably purple prose

Against a backdrop of greed and corruption, this book tells both the story of Los Angeles and of the Los Angeles Times. Read more

Published on June 16, 2001

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