Los Angeles Times Magazine
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| Los Angeles Times Magazine | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name | Los Angeles Times Magazine |
| Type | Magazine supplement |
| Owner | Los Angeles Times |
| Founder | Otis Chandler |
| Founded | 1960s |
| Language | English |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles |
| Country | United States |
Los Angeles Times Magazine was a glossy weekly and later monthly supplement affiliated with the Los Angeles Times newspaper that explored Hollywood culture, California life, national politics, international affairs, fashion, and long-form journalism. Over decades the publication intersected with major figures and institutions including Marilyn Monroe, Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, Ansel Adams, and Oprah Winfrey, shaping regional and national narrative through feature reporting, profiles, and photography. Its evolution reflected broader media shifts involving entities such as Time Inc., Condé Nast, Gannett, and the rise of digital platforms like The Huffington Post and BuzzFeed.
History
The magazine emerged during editorial expansions led by publishers like Otis Chandler and editors who sought to compete with supplements from The New York Times Magazine and Newsweek. Early issues ran alongside newsroom projects involving reporters connected to stories about Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon, Pat Brown, and the cultural scenes of Beverly Hills and Venice Beach. In the 1970s and 1980s it covered events tied to Watergate, the Iran hostage crisis, and the Los Angeles riots, with reportage intersecting with reporting done by figures from The Washington Post and Los Angeles Herald Examiner alumni. Corporate shifts at parent companies such as Tribune Company and ownership talks involving M. Knight Shyamalan-era personalities influenced its periodic redesigns. The magazine changed frequency and format responding to marketplace moves by competitors like Rolling Stone, Esquire, and Vanity Fair.
Editorial Content and Features
Content blended profiles of celebrities like Tom Cruise, Madonna, Denzel Washington, Angelina Jolie, Sylvester Stallone, and Jack Nicholson with investigations into public policy and arts coverage featuring institutions such as UCLA, USC, Getty Center, and Walt Disney Company. Regular departments included culinary pieces referencing chefs tied to Spago, architecture critiques involving firms linked to Frank Gehry, music coverage spotlighting acts associated with Grateful Dead, The Doors, and Kendrick Lamar, and political interviews referencing governors such as Jerry Brown and mayors like Tom Bradley. The magazine serialized long-form essays in the tradition of writers published by The Atlantic and Harper's Magazine and ran columns modeled after voices found in New York Magazine and The New Yorker.
Design and Photography
Design directors drew inspiration from art directors at Wired and Vogue, commissioning photography from practitioners in the lineage of Ansel Adams, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and Annie Leibovitz. Photo essays featured landscapes of Joshua Tree National Park and urban studies of neighborhoods such as Skid Row and Compton, and fashion spreads evoked runways in Paris, Milan, and New York City. The magazine collaborated with photo agencies like Magnum Photos and galleries including LACMA and The Getty. Typography and layout shifts mirrored trends from studios associated with Pentagram (design firm) and designers who worked with Esquire and National Geographic.
Notable Contributors and Editors
Contributors included journalists and cultural critics who later worked for The New Yorker, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Review of Books, and Variety. Notable editors and writers had ties to figures and outlets such as Ralph J. Gleason, Hunter S. Thompson, Dorothy Parker, Joan Didion, and contemporary reporters who moved between NPR, CBS News, and ABC News. Photographers and illustrators who contributed had connections to Life (magazine), Time (magazine), and independent studios collaborating with Sony Pictures and Universal Pictures. Guest essays occasionally involved public intellectuals associated with UCLA School of Law, USC School of Cinematic Arts, and foundations like the Kresge Foundation.
Circulation and Distribution
Distribution strategies mirrored those used by supplements circulated with major dailies like The Boston Globe Magazine and regional counterparts of Chicago Tribune. Circulation peaks coincided with high-profile cover stories about celebrities such as Michael Jackson, Britney Spears, Kobe Bryant, and events like the Academy Awards and Grammy Awards. The supplement's audience metrics were tracked alongside analytics firms and polling entities similar to Nielsen, while advertising partnerships included luxury brands tied to Cartier, Gucci, and automakers like Tesla, Inc., BMW, and Mercedes-Benz. Shifts to monthly publication and eventual integrations with digital editions reflected industry moves paralleling The Atlantic's multimedia transition and strategies employed by The New York Times Company.
Awards and Impact
Stories and photography from the magazine garnered recognition in awards circuits alongside prizes given by Pulitzer Prize juries, National Magazine Awards, and honors from institutions such as The American Society of Magazine Editors and The Society of Professional Journalists. Its investigative pieces influenced public conversations about urban policy in locales like South Central Los Angeles and statewide debates involving figures like Jerry Brown. Alumni went on to win accolades at Emmy Awards, Peabody Awards, and fellowships from foundations including MacArthur Fellows Program and John S. Knight Journalism Fellowships at Stanford. The magazine's archive remains a resource for scholars at repositories such as UCLA Library and the Library of Congress.
Category:Publications of Los Angeles