8-K

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                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

                            ------------------------



                                    FORM 8-K



                                 CURRENT REPORT
                       PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF
                       THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934


       DATE OF REPORT (DATE OF EARLIEST EVENT REPORTED): DECEMBER 21, 1998





                            THE TIMES MIRROR COMPANY
               (Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)


          Delaware                    1-13492                   95-4481525
(State or Other Jurisdiction   (Commission File Number)       (I.R.S. Employer
     of Incorporation)                                       Identification No.)

               Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, California 90053
               (Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)



       Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (213) 237-3700


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ITEM 5.    OTHER EVENTS


                  In a press release dated December 21, 1998, The Times Mirror
Company ("Times Mirror") announced share purchases during the fourth quarter of
1998 that were expected to have the effect of reducing of the number of Series A
common shares outstanding by approximately 8 million shares.

                  Attached as Exhibit 99 and incorporated herein by reference to
this Form 8-K is a copy of the press release dated December 21, 1998 of Times
Mirror.


ITEM 7.   EXHIBITS

          (c)   Exhibit

                   99       Press release issued by The Times Mirror Company on 
                            December 21, 1998.





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                                   SIGNATURES

         Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
the Company has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

Date: December 23, 1998

                                           THE TIMES MIRROR COMPANY



                                           By: /s/ Thomas Unterman
                                               ---------------------------------
                                           Name:    Thomas Unterman
                                           Title:   Executive Vice President and
                                                    Chief Financial Officer





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EX-99

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[TIMES MIRROR LETTERHEAD]

                                                  NEWS
                                                  ------------------------------

                                                           TIMES MIRROR
                                                           Times Mirror Square
                                                           Los Angeles, CA 90053
For Immediate Release



                          Times Mirror Share Purchases


         LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, December 21, 1998 -- Times Mirror confirmed
today that the combination of fourth-quarter open-market share purchases, two
structured purchases and share purchases planned for the remainder of the fourth
quarter are expected to have the effect of reducing the number of Series A
common shares outstanding by approximately 8 million shares.

         "We have substantial resources available to invest in building our
businesses and continuing the purchase of Times Mirror stock," said Tom
Unterman, Times Mirror executive vice president and chief financial officer. "We
were active in the market in the first two months of the quarter, and earlier
this month we indicated that over the coming 12-month period we expect to reduce
shares outstanding between 6 and 7 million shares, net of new shares issued for
options. The recently completed transactions constitute a large portion of what
we expected to purchase during this period. Also, we will continue to have an
active share purchase program throughout next year."

         At September 30, 1998, on a consolidated basis for financial reporting
purposes, the actual shares of common stock outstanding totaled 81.1 million.



                                     (more)


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         Times Mirror (TMC -- New York and Pacific Stock exchanges), a Los
Angeles-based news and information company, publishes the Los Angeles Times,
Newsday, The Baltimore Sun, The Hartford Courant, The Morning Call, The
(Stamford) Advocate and Greenwich Time; a wide array of Professional information
for the aviation, training and health improvement markets, and consumer
magazines. Times Mirror newspapers have won a total of 58 Pulitzer Prizes, among
the highest of any news and information company in the country. More information
about Times Mirror is available on the company's Web site, www.tm.com.

                                       ###

Press Information                                          Investor Information
Vicki Cho Estrada                                          Jean M. Jarvis
(213) 237-6409                                             (213) 237-3955




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