From the Publisher

By Elizabeth P. Valk

It's our mission to bring the events and issues of the day to you readers. An essential part of that mission is simply ensuring that the magazine reaches subscribers every week -- and that it reaches lots of them. That's where Ken Godshall comes in. As consumer marketing director, he's the readers' champion in my office, the person who is concerned that they get their magazine every week, that occasional problems with billing are corrected quickly, and that readers are reminded -- just often enough -- when their subscriptions are running out. It's also his job to keep circulation robust by bringing new people to our subscriber list. As he describes his role, "My job is to introduce prospective customers to TIME. After that the editors do the work."

Marshall Loeb, managing editor of our sister publication Fortune, where Godshall once handled the circulation job, thinks the word circulation is particularly suitable to describe the size of a magazine's readership. "Circulation is the lifeblood of a magazine and as good an indicator as you'll get of its vitality. It's also an indication of the intelligence of the circulator." His opinion of circulator Godshall: "absolutely terrific."

Ken believes that the practice of offering gifts to new subscribers makes the most sense when the bonus embodies the qualities that readers find valuable in a magazine. This is why, in this election year, he conceived the idea for a 44-minute video prepared with the help of our editors, correspondents and writers that is being sent to new subscribers. The story line is simple, says Godshall. "It's an assessment of the issues that voters will face this year, considered by some of the best journalists in the world."

Colleagues attest that Godshall possesses another quality that useful in a communications company like this one: an ability to communicate. "He can explain complicated dynamics in clear words," says Susan Caughman, vice president of consumer marketing for Time Inc. Publications. "Virtually everything in his business involves thousands of numbers. Ken can translate those clearly into words."

But if Godshall is the kind of person who takes excellence seriously, he also takes it not too seriously. We were reminded of that at a recent company outing with an Olympic theme at a skating rink in New York City's Central Park. To open the festivities, he jogged determinedly around the perimeter of the rink bearing an Olympic torch. It seemed an appropriate touch. We depend on people like him to keep us the front runner among news magazines.