Willes expected to be hands-on publisher at L.A. Times.

For most of its history, the Los Angeles Times has been led by hands-on publishers named Chandler who felt it was the paper's birthright to steer the politics of the town - and to crash all enemies, including competitors.

The new publisher of the Times isn't named Chandler, but he harkens back to their reigns in at least one significant way: no one will doubt who is in command.

Mark H. Willes, the chairman and chief executive of Times Mirror Co., will also take on the title of L.A. Times publisher Oct. I. The former vice chairman of General Mills Inc., Willes is credited with boosting Times Minor's lagging stock prices through staff cutbacks and other changes at the companies' newspapers.

Willes succeeds Richard T. Schlosberg III, 53, who said he wanted to retire early. Some observers discounted that explanation, however, saying Willes has been impatient with the pace of change at the paper and wanted to get in the driver's seat.

"While his predecessor did a good job, I think Willes is looking to push faster and harder," said analyst Arthur Rockwell at Yaeger Capital Markets in Los Angeles.

"Lead, follow or get out of the way - that's sort of his dictum," Rockwell said.

Willes will clearly seek to bring in more readers and more advertising dollars, and some staffers at the paper believe he will also take a larger role in civic affairs - just like Times publishers did in the old days.

In an interview, Willes said his goals can be summed up in the phrase "onward and upward" and said his relative lack of experience in the newspaper industry would not be a handicap.

"I'm not stepping into a vacuum here," Willes said last week. "Dick and I have been involved very closely. We're fully in sync in the direction we're going. The challenge literally is how do we continue this remarkable legacy."

Schlosberg echoed that view.

"There is no mystery here," Schlosberg said of his retirement. "Mark and I have worked very closely. We've been in lock step with this paper as well as all our other papers. In fact, Mark's taking over as publisher is a way of ensuring the continuity of the paper."

The L.A. Times is the country's fourth-Largest daily with a circulation of more than 1 million - "a tremendous asset with very good growth potential," said William Bird, an analyst at Smith Barney in New York. "This gives (Willes) an opportunity to play a bigger role in setting the strategy for the paper."

He isn't wasting any time either, according to staff members at the Times. Soon after the announcement, Willes was in meetings with a number of editorial employees.

Some reporters described Schlosberg as aloof - a term they would not use for Willes.

"He came to our in-house awards dinner. He clearly wants to be part of the editorial process," said one Times reporter.

The Times has long been known for the relative freedom it granted reporters and editors to pursue stories, including ones with little if any connection to Los Angeles. Some Times staffers are concerned that Willes may put a damper on such stories, and will try to bring editorial and business operations closer together.

Others, however, are optimistic that Willes will put more energy into making the paper relevant.

"He's been saying the right things," said one reporter. "He wants the paper to be a real force in the community. He wants more clout than there has been in the past ...(and) more of a presence in places like San Diego."

Insiders say Willes' primary targets for circulation growth are women and Latinos. He has discussed with editors a refocusing of the newspaper's Life & Style section, to make it more appealing to women.

Willes has also "talked about more aggressive types of stories that impact people and more hard-hitting coverage," according to one Times insider.

Though Times staffers said they're not expecting editorial layoffs, Willes has "made it clear that he's not going to tolerate dead wood," said one. "I think he's going to be a much more aggressive publisher in terms of editorial."

Earlier this month, the paper launched a new weekly Health section, revamped its Sunday magazine and added new Business section features on marketing and small business.

Schlosberg is credited with spearheading a lot of the recent changes and, according to Willes, has been instrumental in pushing for a redesigned front page.

Schlosberg would not reveal what the revamped front page will look like, but said it will debut in the next three months.

It will be, said Schlosberg, "abrupt enough to attract new readers but not alienate current readers."

A former official with the Federal Reserve System, Willes spent 16 years at General Mills before joining Times Mirror in 1995. Soon after his arrival, he made severe cuts. More than 1,750 jobs were slashed companywide and the New York edition of Newsday and the Baltimore Evening Sun were shuttered.

During his tenure, the newsstand price for the Times was halved to 25 cents. He also launched a $7 million ad campaign in mid-1996. The moves are credited with boosting the paper's circulation by 4.7 percent for the six-month period ending March 31.

Under the changes announced last week, Donald F. Wright, 63, will take on the new position of president and chief executive officer. He is currently senior vice president for Times Mirror's Eastern newspapers.

Wright has been given day-to-day responsibilities for the paper - under the watchful eye of the new publisher.