Television academy chairman Bryce Zabel, whose tenure included an Emmy Awards postponed by terrorism and war and a boost in network fees for the ceremony, won't seek re-election.
"My duty has been done and I'm going to move on," Zabel said Wednesday. "I'm gratified and satisfied that I accomplished what I started out to do."
Zabel, who became head of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in the fall of 2001, will remain in office until Oct. 1.
The academy twice scrambled to modify and postpone the Emmy Awards after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and U.S. bombing of Afghanistan. The show, traditionally held in September, finally went ahead in November.
Another milestone for Zabel and academy President Todd Leavitt was renegotiating the license fee paid to the academy by the networks that air the Emmy broadcast.
ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC, which share the ceremony on a rotating basis, had been paying about $3 million annually. The new agreement called for payment of a total of $52 million over eight years.
Zabel, a writer, said his decision was a personal one intended to allow more time for work and family. He is developing a series for HBO, "Hearts and Minds," that is set in Iraq and focuses on military intelligence.
Dick Askin, president of Tribune Entertainment and first vice chair of the TV academy, has said he intends to seek the chairman's job.
Petitions to run in the organization's August elections are due in July. Announcing his decision now, Zabel said, could prompt others to consider running.