Alan Wurtzel, the longtime NBCUniversal senior research executive and a 40-year industry veteran, is exiting his post after 17 years with NBC. MediaPost reports that Wurtzel is stepping down as president of research and media development for NBCUniversal and will become a senior adviser to the company.

“Wurtzel’s entertainment research staff will report to Jeff Bader, president of program planning, strategy and research at NBC Entertainment, MediaPost reports, noting that it was previously announced that Wurtzel’s program and ad standards group would be reporting to Mark Lazarus, chairman of NBC Broadcasting & Sports.

“An Internet memo from Bader credits Wurtzel with many innovations, including developing the Total Audience Measurement Index or TAMi — a first-of-its-kind method designed to measure the total exposure to any one program across multiple media platforms — especially when it came to major TV events,” MediaPost notes.