Andy Rooney to Return to ’60 Minutes’ ‘Soon’

Executive producer Don Hewitt posted a notice on the bulletin board in the “60 Minutes” offices Tuesday attributing the magazine’s unexpected drop in the ratings this week in part to the absence of commentator Andy Rooney and saying that Rooney “will soon be coming back” to the CBS News program.

The repeat of the special that launched “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” ABC’s surprise new hit of the TV season, beat the perennially top-rated “60 Minutes” in the ratings on Sunday night, attracting 31% of the audience compared to CBS’ 27%. It was only the second time in 12 years that the long-running newsmagazine had been beaten in its regular time slot by an entertainment program other than sports.

Rooney was suspended Feb. 8 for three months without pay for remarks about blacks and gays attributed to him in The Advocate, a Los Angeles-based gay newspaper. He acknowledged the comments about gays but denied making some of the statements about blacks.

In his memo Tuesday, Hewitt noted “60 Minutes’ ” surprising loss in the ratings and said, “What part the Andy Rooney affair played is anybody’s guess. My guess is that it played a pretty big part. Be that as it may, Andy will soon be coming back.”

“I have every reason to believe that a date has been set” for Rooney’s return, Hewitt said later in an interview. “I don’t know when that date is, but I believe that there is some sort of agreement for Andy to return gracefully that may have been worked out over the phone” between Rooney and CBS News President David Burke.

Burke could not be reached for comment, and CBS News was making no official comment on talks about Rooney’s return. But CBS News sources said that the 70-year-old commentator could be back on the air as early as Sunday.

Burke and Rooney met last week to discuss Rooney’s suspension. Rooney had hoped that he might be able to return to “60 Minutes” as early as last Sunday, according to sources, and had prepared a commentary in case he did.