Cooper To Contribute To '60 Minutes'

(CBS)  Anderson Cooper, anchor of CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360˚," will contribute as many as five reports a year to CBS News' 60 Minutes, television's No. 1 news program, it was announced Monday by Sean McManus, President, CBS News and Sports, and Jon Klein, President, CNN/U.S.

The appointment is effective at the start of the 2006-07 television season.

The arrangement also allows for a one-time rebroadcast of Cooper's reports on his CNN program. He remains a full-time employee of CNN.

Cooper contributed two reports to 60 Minutes II, during the 2004-05 television season, the second of which broke the story of a doctor who prescribed steroids and human growth hormone to several players on the NFL's Carolina Panthers. The doctor was subsequently indicted on multiple counts of distributing the drugs and recently pleaded guilty to some of the charges. Congress held hearings and the NFL strengthened some of its drug policies.

"I'm delighted to be able to bring Anderson Cooper's varied talents to 60 Minutes," said McManus. "He has the curiosity and the desire and will be a great fit. I'm looking forward to having him contribute to the broadcast."

"I'm very excited by the opportunity to work at 60 Minutes," said Cooper. "I grew up watching the broadcast and, like many Americans, still try to make sure I'm home Sunday nights at 7 so I can see it. I'm truly honored to be part of 60 Minutes and look forward to working with Jeff Fager and all the other remarkable talents at CBS News. I can't wait to get started."

"Anderson's work for 60 Minutes continues a unique collaboration we've had with CBS News and 60 Minutes for several years — and it's a strong, mutually beneficial one," said Klein. "CBS News gets strong journalism from one of our most respected and talented journalists, and Anderson gets much deserved exposure for his distinctive reports. We are also pleased that we have arranged, for the first time, for CNN to air Anderson's 60 Minutes reports."

"Anderson is among the very finest reporters of his generation, and he's got what it takes to be a perfect fit here at 60 Minutes," said Jeff Fager, executive producer of 60 Minutes. "He's a superb storyteller with a thirst for adventure and a lot of energy for chasing stories. I hope and expect he'll be reporting for us for many years to come."

Since joining CNN in December 2001, Cooper has anchored major breaking news stories, most recently the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina along the Gulf Coast. He traveled to Sri Lanka to cover the tsunami and was in Baghdad for the Iraqi elections. Cooper also anchored much of CNN's live coverage of the funeral of Pope John Paul II in Vatican City as well as the Terri Schiavo story in Florida.

Before that, Cooper was a correspondent for ABC News, contributing to "World News Tonight," "20/20," "20/20 Downtown" and the weekend editions of "World News Tonight."

Cooper has won several journalism awards, including an Emmy for his contribution to ABC News' coverage of the funeral of Princess Diana. His reporting on the tsunami in South Asia was the centerpiece of CNN's duPont Award-winning coverage of the disaster, while his work during Hurricane Katrina helped CNN win a Peabody Award.

He was born in New York. Cooper graduated from Yale University in 1989 with a bachelor of arts degree in political science. He studied Vietnamese at the University of Hanoi.