Turner Broadcasting System Inc. research guru Bob Sieber last week said he plans to retire at year-end.
The 23-year TBS Inc. veteran has spent the past eight months as senior vice president of audience and marketing research for CNN News Group.
Sieber, who supervised research and audience development for all of the Turner news and entertainment networks over the course of his career with the company, will now spend more time with his family and pursue consulting opportunities.
Under Sieber, Turner initiated cable-television audience measurement, sales and programming research, starting with the development of the first Nielsen Media Research national metered rating reports for TBS Superstation in 1981.
Sieber also worked closely with Nielsen to design its cable research methodology and reporting systems and helped develop basic cable's first overnight ratings. He also provided credible and detailed cable- and broadcast-network ratings to journalists.
Sieber joined TBS Inc. in 1978 as director of marketing for WTCG, which eventually became TBS Superstation. He served as vice president of research for TBS Inc. from 1981 to 1992; vice president of audience development for Turner Entertainment Networks from 1992 to 1995; and vice president of audience development for TBS Inc. from 1995 to 2001.
