Media is power, and in no case is that more true than that of the Chandlers and their stranglehold over Los Angeles and the L.A. Times.

Inventing L.A.: The Chandlers and Their Times is a new documentary airing on PBS this fall that probes into the history of this great family, how they built up the city through their media and connections, and their ultimate downfall through four generations.

The film hails from award-winning filmmaker Peter Jones and is narrated by Liev Schreiber, and features passages read by Hal Holbrook. From the few screenings the documentary has had, it's already caused a few rifts in the family, which is still very much alive across America.

“When you see your family on television, when you’re not in some reality show that you didn’t ask for, [well] I’m told they weren’t happy,” says Harry Brant Chandler, son of Otis Chandler, the controversial publisher who transformed the Times from a conservative publication to a Pulitzer Prize-winning one.

“Clearly Otis Chandler was no saint,” says Tom Johnson, another former publisher. “I worked for Otis for 17 years, and to his core he believed in journalistic excellence. But he was not afraid to acknowledge his mistakes and you’ll see that in this documentary. There’s no doubt California is a better place today because of the Chandlers.”

Inventing L.A.: The Chandlers and their Times airs Monday, Oct. 5, 9 p.m. ET, PBS.


Amber is currently reporting live from the TV Critics Press Tour in L.A. Check out complete coverage here. amber@tvguide.ca

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