• by Joe Mandese , January 11, 2010

Michael Skarzynski has resigned as president-CEO of media audience measurement firm Arbitron, and will also resign his seat on the company's board of directors. William Kerr, a member of the Arbitron board, will become its new president-CEO.

Kerr, who is currently chairman of Meredith Corp., has been a member of the Arbitron board since May 2007.

"Bill's experience as a chief executive officer and chairman of a large public media company coupled with his board memberships make him uniquely qualified to lead Arbitron. Additionally, Bill's service as a member of Arbitron's Board of Directors should provide a fast and effective transition into his new role," Philip Guarascio, current chairman of the Arbitron board, said in a statement.

Skarzynski and the Abitron board together determined that he had violated a company policy in a matter entirely unrelated to the financial performance of Arbitron, and that he submitted his resignation as a result of that.

Arbitron has scheduled a conference call for noon (ET) Tuesday to brief shareholders and the press on the moves.

Skarzynski is leaving Arbitron as tumultuously as he came in . Last year, Arbitron surprised the industry by announcing that the industry outsider was coming into replace long-time Arbitron chief Stephen Morris, who stepped down.

Skarzynski had been CEO of Iptivia, a privately held performance management software company based in New York City, where he was responsible for the restructuring and global expansion of the business.