Stengel to take Time

by Jeffrey Blyth in New York

Time magazine has a new editor – and it's not Tina Brown. Nor any of the other hotly tipped candidates.

The
new editor is a Time magazine veteran, Richard Stengel, who has worked
on-and-off for the news magazine for more than 20 years. For the past
two years he has been head of a museum-style "think tank" called the
National Constitution Centre in Philadelphia.

His return to
Time ends weeks of speculation over who would replace the present
editor Jim Kelly who has been promoted to the corporate post of
managing editor of Time Inc. Stengel, 51, is the 16th editor of Time
since it was founded by Henry Luce in 1923. During his years with Time
magazine Stengel has served in several capacities – as national and
cultural editor as well as for a time running the magazine's website.

Stengel
is considered a popular choice, He got a standing ovation on his first
appearance at Time's weekly editorial conference at which his
appointment was announced.

He covered the 1996 and
1998 presidential campaigns, as well as working briefly as a speech
writer to Presidential candidate Bill Bradley. He has been frequently
on American television as a commentator and in 1998 taught a course
called Politics and The Press at Princeton University, from which he
graduated in 1977.

He also studied as a Rhodes Scholar at
Christ Church, Oxford. In addition to his work in journalism and
politics he has written several books including "January Sun: One Day,
Three Lives, A South African Town:" He collaborated with Nelson Mandela
on Mandela's autobiography "Long Walk to Freedom: and was co-producer
of the Oscar nominated documentary Mandela. Stengel's wife is
originally from South Africa. In a statement announcing his appointment
– which takes effect in June – Time Inc described Stengel as a "true,
multi-media editor." He takes over a magazine, which like many others
news weeklies has been struggling to maintain its circulation in recent
years. It still however sells over 4,000,000 and claims 29 million
readers around the world, plus a website that draws more than 3 million
visitors a month.