60 MINUTES‘ AUDIENCE GROWING YOUNGER

CBS’s 60 Minutes, which after 44 years, continues to land in the top ranks of TV ratings, appears to be overcoming the perception that its audience is mostly composed of doddering oldtimers — a perception that has kept its ad rates low despite the high ratings. The New York Times reported on Sunday that in the current season, the number of viewers in the 25-54 age group has risen 6 percent while the number of total viewers has remain the same. In an interview with the newspaper, Jeff Fager, the show’s executive producer, Jeff Fager, who is also chairman of CBS News, said, “It’s hard in television to grow from year to year. … [For us] to do it this season with younger viewers, for a news broadcast, is particularly gratifying.” Fager, the Times observed, has been bringing in younger contributors such as Anderson Cooper, 44, and Dr. Sanjay Gupta, 42, and has upped Lara Logan, 41, to full-time correspondent beginning next season.