NATION : CBS Reinstates Andy Rooney; He’s Back on TV Sunday Night

CBS reinstated humorist Andy Rooney to its “60 Minutes” TV program today. He said he’ll be on Sunday’s show with a commentary on the issues involved in his Feb. 8 suspension.

“I’m very pleased,” said Rooney, whom CBS News President David Burke had suspended without pay after a gay magazine quoted him as saying blacks had “watered down their genes,” a comment Rooney denies making. Originally, the suspension was to be for three months, but the lifting of the suspension had been widely expected in recent days.

Rooney said “I think it was a very difficult thing” for Burke to decide to reinstate him early, and he praised the news division president. Burke never specifically said why he suspended the 71-year-old commentator, and he did not say today why the suspension was lifted.

Late last year, Rooney drew fire from gay and lesbian groups for saying in a Dec. 28 CBS special that “homosexual unions” are among things that cause “self-induced” deaths.

Since Rooney’s suspension began, CBS has gotten more than 5,000 calls from viewers, virtually all supporting him.

During his three weeks away from “60 Minutes,” the program, while still top-rated, has slipped in the ratings, dropping to 18th last Sunday when it was beaten by a one-time rerun of ABC’s hit “America’s Funniest Home Videos.”