David poltrack biography children

David F. Poltrack, Television executive.

No one thought viewers would flock to a Western period drama with wholesome themes. And we owned it. It was on ION. It was on in over countries. He has spent decades proving the viability of hundreds of TV series pilots and warding off dire predictions about the effectiveness of TV advertising in a world that is increasingly reliant on digital technology.

But he is getting ready to let others take up the fight for the next generation. Poltrack will retire from CBS at the end of June, having served 50 years at the company, most recently as its chief research officer. The move has been planned for years, he told Variety. Four years ago, he expressed a desire to work until he completed his 50th year with the company, and CBS agreed so long as he set up a transition to a successor.

He will be 74 when he steps down next year. He will be responsible for overseeing all research operations, including audience measurement, analytics, market research, program testing and advertising research for the company. Poltrack will spend the next few months doing research about media consumption; brand equity of broadcast networks in new media, and the long-term outlook for broadcast networks.

David F. Poltrack, broadcast executive, marketing educator.

Those projects will cap off a career of delving into viewership habits; patterns in ad spending; and demographic studies. One could argue Poltrack is stepping down at a time when broadcast networks need his support the most. Viewers are moving to TV programs they can binge-watch with the help of a subscription video-streaming service. Some broadcast-TV executives might admit defeat.