January 23, 2024 – Charles Osgood

Veteran broadcaster Charles Osgood died today at the age of 91. He was born Charles Osgood Wood III in 1933, and is best known for hosting CBS News Sunday Morning for over 22 years, as well as a series of daily radio commentaries, The Osgood File, which he hosted from 1971 to 2017.
Osgood graduated from Fordham University in 1954 with a degree in economics. But while he was there, he worked for the campus radio station, WFUV. After graduating from Fordham, he was hired as an announcer for WGMS, the classical music station in Washington, D.C. Shortly after though, he enlisted in the military to be the announcer for the United States Army Band. He acted as master of ceremonies and also performed as a pianist with the band, and sang with the United States Army Chorus.  While stationed at Fort Myer during his service, he continued working as an announcer on Washington D.C.-area radio stations.
In September 1955, President Dwight D. Eisenhower suffered a serious heart attack while vacationing in Denver, and was confined to a hospital room there until November. During this time, Osgood hosted a closed-circuit program of classical music delivered exclusively to the President’s hospital room to encourage his relaxation and recuperation.
When he was hired at ABC, he started using the name “Charles Osgood” because the station already had an announcer named Charles Woods. Osgood moved over to CBS in 1967. His career there spanned early 50 years, and he worked on almost every broadcast within CBS News. He took over hosting CBS News Sunday Morning for original host Charles Kuralt in 1994. During his time at the show, it had its highest ratings in 3 decades and earned 3 Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Morning Program.
Osgood was a gifted musician, playing piano, organ, banjo, and violin. He was also an accomplished composer and lyricist and performed with professional orchestras like the New York Pops, the Boston Pops, and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. He made his theatrical debut in 2008 as the narrator for the animated film Horton Hears a Who. Learn more here.