Capital Cities / ABC Chief Daniel B. Burke to Retire

Daniel B. Burke, who helped turn the small broadcaster Capital Cities Communications into the media colossus Capital Cities/ABC Inc., said Thursday that he would retire next year as chief executive.

The announcement--in keeping with Capital Cites/ABC’s standard retirement age of 65--was made at the company’s annual meeting in Dallas.

Burke, along with Chairman Thomas S. Murphy, is credited with building Cap Cities into one of the most admired media companies in the world.

But his resignation leaves open the question of his successor. While Murphy had groomed Burke to take up the reins in 1990, no clear candidate has emerged under Burke. Observers speculate that one leading prospect might be Robert A. Iger, a fast riser within the organization. Earlier this year, he was named president of the ABC TV Network Group.