Manuscripts

Complaint letters

Description: Approx. 95 items - complaint letters and responses on a wide range of subjects. Notable names and subjects: cigarette advertising ; X-rated motion picture advertising ; the Middle East conflict ; gun advertisments ; ads dealing with sexual health ; complaints that LAT seems to endorse marijuana use in an ad ; contraceptives ; The Joy of Sex ads ; more.
Type: Manuscripts(Opens in new tab)
Date: 1971 - 1986
Call number: mssLAT
Creator: Los Angeles Times (Firm)(Opens in new tab)
Provenance: The Los Angeles Times,
Restrictions: Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.
Rights

Letters

Manuscripts

Approx. 50 items: the folder contains a collection of complaint letters and replies that were considered good examples of how to respond to criticisms. The issues include x-rated movie ads, price increases, lost-and-found ads, gun / ammunition ads, disagreement about arts reviews and more. The replies were written by staffers from several departments including Editorial and Advertising. Among the staffers writing replies: Charles Champlin (Editorial) ; Glen W. Peters (Advertising) ; Nick B. Williams (Editorial) ; Leonard Pomerantz (Advertising) ; Robert D. Nelson (LAT Gen. Mgr.) ; Phil Magwood (Advertising). NIck Williams created more than one diplomatic reply "prototype." These letters were used dozens or even hundreds of times. One that is included here begins - "Every subscriber of The Times means something to its editors..."

mssLAT

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Complaint Letter and Response

Manuscripts

A complaint letter to the Los Angeles Times and a response letter from Tom Johnson. Both written in elementary school English to emphasize the point of the letters.

mssLAT

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Chandler, Otis

Manuscripts

1 item: 55-pp. transcript of Otis Chandler interview by Marshall Berges, around 12/1980. Subjects include: more memories of Bobby Kennedy ; the Los Angeles Times - Washington Post News Service ; Katherine Graham and Philip Graham of the Washington Post ; wild story about Phil Graham's mental deterioration ; memories of Ben Bradlee ; rejection of porno ads and x-rated movie ads ; door-to-door circulation sales - "boy crews" ; Circulation Department ; Advertising Department ; more.

mssLAT

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Advertising policy - Complaints

Manuscripts

Approx. 25 items: a wide array of complaint letters written to LAT, plus a number of the replies, in the time period 1968 - 1980.

mssLAT

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Clark, Don Files

Manuscripts

Don Clark was Director of Advertising in the 1970s-1990s. These five folders including correspondence and reports, to and from Clark, regarding marketing, locating executives for hire, and responses to reader complaints about specific ads. Date range is 1983-1991.

mssLAT

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Perfumed advertisements - Complaints & comments

Manuscripts

Approx. 35 items: letters and postcards from readers complaining (some very pointedly) about the scented ads that were then being placed in LAT. Also included are a selection of LAT responses. Notable items: exchange of letters between author James M. Cain (author - The Postman Always Rings Twice), and W.G. Pfaffenberger, LAT Advertising Manager.

mssLAT

Complaint letters

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