From the Publisher

By Elizabeth P. Valk

Back in the late 1970s, while pursuing a degree in journalism at Syracuse University, Rhonda Hargrove planned to become a news reporter. That dream faded quickly after she was assigned to interview a newly widowed woman about how she felt concerning the murder of her husband. "I knew it wasn't for me," sighs Rhonda. Retraining her sights on a career in business, she earned an M.B.A. from St. John's University in Jamaica, N.Y., then entered the marketing field. Eleven months ago, Rhonda joined Time Distribution Services.

So she landed back where she always knew she belonged -- in the world of journalism -- only her vantage point is from the business side of the equation. As the account executive in charge of TIME newsstand sales in the U.S., Hargrove oversees the distribution of the copies of the magazine that wend their way each week to 175,000 retail outlets around the country.

Hargrove's job includes the development of ways to serve the magazine's buyer better. For instance, we now deliver TIME to some airport newsstands on Sunday, hours after the new issue rolls off the press. Not only is that a day earlier than usual, but it also provides readers with a head start on the week. Boasts Hargrove: "Business travelers can get a copy of TIME by 7 p.m. on Sunday at Los Angeles airport."

Timely delivery of the magazine to newsstands is naturally a boon to sales. Consumer marketing director David Gitow reports that each outlet displaying TIME for that extra day typically sells 20% more copies weekly. In 1991 swift delivery, coupled with a voracious public appetite for news, meant a 13% rise in newsstand sales over the prior year. During the winter months, when the gulf war was in full swing, sales skyrocketed 67% higher than the comparable period in 1990. That surge contributed to our strong overall circulation of 4.16 million in 1991.

These days Rhonda is paying particular attention to how the magazine is displayed. "If I see a magazine other than TIME in a TIME rack, I think, 'How dare they!' " she says with an infectious smile. Does she quietly rearrange things so TIME is in its right place? She won't say, and you'll have to get up early to find out.