Journalist and news anchor Charles Osgood died this Tuesday at the age of 91, after suffering from long-term dementia. The radio host and television presenter, known for ending his shows with the phrase "I'll see you on the radio," died at his home in Saddle River, New Jersey, according to his family.
Our beloved former ‘Sunday Morning” host, colleague and friend, award-winning journalist Charles Osgood, has passed away at age 91. During a career that spanned nearly 50 years, Osgood worked on virtually every broadcast within CBS News. Here’s a look back at his storied career. pic.twitter.com/KwgsYaMxK1
— CBS Sunday Morning 🌞 (@CBSSunday) January 23, 2024
The announcer, who worked at CBS for 45 years, was the face of "CBS Sunday Morning" from 1994 to 2016 as well as the host of the radio show "The Osgood File" between 1971 and 2017, the year in which he decided to retire due to his illness.
The journalistic career of Charles Osgood
Charles Osgood Wood III was born on January 8, 1933 in New York. The son of a textile salesman, Osgood began his journalism career just after graduating with a bachelor's degree in economics from Fordham University. Thus, in 1954 he began working as a radio host at a classical music station located in Washington, WGMS.
A year later, after realizing that he could be drafted into the Army, Charles Osgood applied for a position as announcer for the US Army Band at Fort Myer, Arlington, Virginia. He succeeded and worked there from 1955 to 1958. Upon completion he returned to WGMS where he became the program director.
His first big job on North American television, The New York Times recalls, was at ABC, where he was hired in 1963. However, the network in which he achieved the most notoriety was CBS, where he landed in 1967. He worked for more than 45 years for this network and, in 1994, he signed on as a presenter for "CBS Sunday Morning," being one of the few hosts allowed to perform advertising segments.
His work on "CBS Sunday Morning" was one of the things that Osgood's family wanted to highlight. In the statement in which they announced the death of the journalist and reported by CBS, his relatives highlighted the appreciation that the presenter had for the program:
Charlie absolutely loved being part of the 'Sunday Morning' community. We'll miss him terribly, but there is comfort in knowing his life was charmed, in large part thanks to you. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for welcoming him into your homes on Sundays to share stories, and to highlight the better parts of humanity. He'll see you on the radio.
President Joe Biden was one of the first personalities to mourn Osgood's death. He did so by publishing a post on X in which he highlighted how he "warmed the homes of millions of Americans over his nearly 50-year career":
Jill and I were saddened to hear of the passing of Charles Osgood, an award-winning journalist whose presence warmed the homes of millions of Americans over his nearly 50-year career.
Our thoughts are with Jean, his wife of 50 years; his five children; and his CBS News family.
— President Biden (@POTUS) January 24, 2024
