NEW : ' Rooney says he spoke up ` ` for citizens put up with everything '' In his final interview , Rooney says , ` ` I wish I could do this forever , but I ' n't '' ' `` But I 'm not retiring . Rooney has been with CBS since 1949 and with ` ` 60 Minutes '' since 1978 . He delivered 1,097 original essays during his tenure on the TV news prorgram .
NEW : ' Rooney says he spoke up ` ` for citizens put up with everything '' In his final interview , Rooney says , ` ` I wish I could do this forever , but I ' n't '' ' Rooney has been with CBS since 1949 and with ` ` 60 Minutes '' since 1978 . He delivered 1,097 original essays during his tenure on the TV news prorgram .