Ziff Communications Chairman Plans to Retire

William B. Ziff Jr., chairman of Ziff Communications and one of the most innovative publishers of his generation, announced Tuesday that he is retiring after nearly 40 years at the helm of the family-owned company.

Eric Hippeau, 42, will take over as chairman and chief executive of the firm, which, with revenue of about $1 billion, is the leading publisher of computer magazines. Hippeau has held the top jobs at Ziff-Davis Publishing, the operating subsidiary of Ziff Communications, since 1991.

Ziff, 63, has been contemplating retirement for some time, and he said the final decision came at a family meeting about 10 days ago. Two of his sons, Dirk and Robert, recently began working full time at the New York-based company, and two nephews also hold important management posts.

On Tuesday, Ziff stressed his complete faith in Hippeau. Though Ziff will remain in an advisory role as chairman emeritus, he said he will not exercise any real authority.

“The danger is people meddling (after retirement), and I’m sure I’ll be an exception to that rule,” he said. “What I’m not certain of is how I’ll handle this phase of life, when duty doesn’t impose itself so rigorously.”

Ziff said he plans to spend time traveling and pursuing longstanding interests that include art, literature, philosophy and football.

He inherited Ziff-Davis following the death of his father in 1953 and proceeded to build the small magazine company into a powerhouse, even as many traditional magazines were ravaged by the arrival of television. With titles such as Car & Driver, Popular Aviation and Modern Bride, Ziff was a pioneer in special-interest publishing.

Ziff’s retirement will have little immediate impact on operations, in part because Hippeau and other younger executives have already begun to assume greater roles.

Ziff’s sons and nephews are the owners of both Ziff Communications and a separate company, Ziff Bros. Investments.