'60 Minutes II' gets new exec producer

Josh Howard has been named as the new executive producer of the CBS current affairs series, 60 Minutes II.

Howard, who most recently served as executive editor of the similarly-titled 60 Minutes, will take up the post in June 2004 when the series' current executive producer, Jeff Fager moves to 60 Minutes - in turn, replacing Don Hewitt, who takes up the post of Executive Producer, CBS News.

CBS News president Andrew Heyward said:

"We're very fortunate to have a person with Josh's breadth of experience and depth of talent to fill this critical role. As one of Don's top lieutenants for the past seven years, he has learned from the master, but Josh also brings his own distinctive outlook and powerful portfolio of skills to the job. I know he will uphold the high standards set by Don and Jeff while leading 60 Minutes II to continued growth and success."