Charles Osgood

(CBS News)  Charles Osgood, often referred to as CBS News' poet-in-residence, has been anchor of "CBS News Sunday Morning" since 1994. He also anchors and writes "The Osgood File," his daily news commentary broadcast on the CBS Radio Network.

Osgood's commentaries draw one of the largest audiences of any network radio feature. He was called "one of the last great broadcast writers" by his "Sunday Morning" predecessor, Charles Kuralt.

Osgood was recognized with the 2008 National Association of Broadcasters Distinguished Service Award. He was the recipient of the 2005 Paul White Award, presented by the Radio-Television News Directors Association, for lifetime contribution to electronic journalism. In 2005, Osgood received the Walter Cronkite Excellence in Journalism Award from Arizona State University. He was inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame in 2000 and joined the ranks of the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 1990. Osgood has received some of the highest accolades in broadcast journalism, including a 1999 International Radio and Television Society Foundation (IRTS) Award for significant achievement.

Osgood received a 1997 George Foster Peabody Award for "Sunday Morning" and two additional Peabody Awards in 1985 and 1986 for "Newsmark," a weekly CBS Radio public affairs broadcast. He received his fourth Emmy Award in 2005, for his story on "Playing for Peace," a basketball group created by Americans to bring strife-torn children of different religions and races together.

"The Osgood File" has earned its author five coveted Washington Journalism Review Best in the Business Awards. Osgood received a 1999 Radio Mercury Award, a 1996 President's Award from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers for outstanding coverage and support of music creators and a 1993 Marconi Radio Award.

He has been an anchor and reporter for many CBS News broadcasts, including the "CBS Morning News," the "CBS Evening News with Dan Rather" and the "CBS Sunday Night News." Before joining CBS News in September 1971, Osgood was an anchor/reporter for WCBS News Radio 88 in New York (1967-71). Prior to that, he worked for ABC News, was the general manager of WHCT-TV Hartford, Conn., and the program director and manager of WGMS Radio Washington, D.C.

Osgood recently made his big screen debut as the narrator of Dr. Seuss' "Horton Hears a Who," the animated feature film adaptation of the beloved children's book, voiced by Carol Burnett, Steve Carell and Jim Carry. He also wrote "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the White House" (Hyperion, 2008), a compendium of anecdotes from the last 70 years of presidential campaigns. Osgood, who edited "Funny Letters From Famous People" (Broadway Books, 2003) and "Kilroy Was Here" (Hyperion, 2001), is the author of six books. They are: "Nothing Could Be Finer Than a Crisis That Is Minor in the Morning" (Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1979); "There's Nothing I Wouldn't Do if You Would Be My POSSLQ" (Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1981); "Osgood on Speaking: How to Think on Your Feet without Falling on Your Face" (William Morrow and Company, 1988); "The Osgood Files" (G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1991); "See You on the Radio" (G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1999) and his most recent, "Defending Baltimore Against Enemy Attack" (Hyperion, 2004).

Osgood was born in New York. He was graduated from Fordham University in 1954 with a B.S. degree in economics and holds honorary doctorates from 11 institutions of higher learning. He has served as a trustee for Fordham University and St. Bonaventure, is an overseer at Colby College and is a trustee at the School of Strings in Manhattan. Osgood has performed with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and played the piano and banjo with the New York Pops and Boston Pops Orchestras.

He lives in New York City with his wife, Jean. They have five children and three grandchildren.

[MonodbBart]

I remain concerned that Mr. Osgood promotes products using his newsmedia identification. I don't think E. Murrow would have done that. I think he has deteriorated his reputation by doing that.

[79gator88]

I have always enjoy Sunday Morning with Charles Osgood until this Sunday, Jan.22, 2012.
What a bunch of Political Crap and a FREE Democratic - Obama - advertisement was aired. Not to mention the continued color problems in the United States that seem to never be forgotten from women of color.
I am not a Democrat or Republican minded person. I am for the man that will do our country good and get us out of the hole from this and previous administrations. No one man can cure our problem and you can never get the two parties to agree on anything, regardless of what it is. They always sound like two kids fighting over one lolly-pop.
So I suppose next Sunday you will afford the Republican Party the same FREE Advertising Campaign Right?
That would only be fair. Right?

[Content-Canadian]

Honouring the creation of the sport of basketball was timely. Unfortunately your coverage neglected to mention that the inventor was Canadian. Dr. James Naismith was the Canadian physical education instructor who invented basketball in 1891. James Naismith was born in Almonte, Ontario and educated at McGill University and Presbyterian College in Montreal. He was the physical education teacher at McGill University (1887 to 1890) and at Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts (1890 to 1895).

Great show and I am a Canadian "Sunday Morning" fan.

[nightcrawler13]

Thank you, Charles Osgood, for the many years my wife and I have "known" you through radio and tv. We are faithful Sunday morning watchers and appreciate the mix of stories you report. Just make the Moment of Nature a bit longer please. Otherwise, just keep on what you're doing - we love it.

[bwdavis1952]

Mr. Osgood,
This is a letter of thanks. Our family, my wife and two daughters watch Sunday Morning every week, even if we have to DVR it. My daughters are a junior and senior in high school and never fail to join us in the den on Sunday to take part in this family tradition. I call it a tradition as we have been doing this since they were old enough to appreciate the story on your show. They have grown up with an understanding and appreciation of the content of your show. I call it your show since it is not the same without your calming influence regardless of the nature of the story. We even have a game in which during your preview of Face the Nation, we guess what the moment in nature is going to be. There have been times we were so wrong we would laugh about it for quite sometime. My oldest daughter will be attending Christopher Newport University next year and was accepted into their Leadership a Honors programs. My youngest is a recruited Field Hockey Goalie with a 4.0+ GPA. I attribute part of their successes to the time we have spent together, all learning from and sharing our thoughts as a family. For this I will always be grateful. 2011 was a tough year for our family from business loses and illness for my wife and my self. In spite of all we still never fail to find our way to be together on Sunday morning to share something that will always remain special in our collective memories.
Thank you!

[antnan]

For the most part I can agree with this comment. Kathy Griffin is often NOT family-friendly with her language, so I agree that particular segment would've been better left out. But while I'm VERY disappointed in the decision to air it, I'm not totally willing to write off the whole program. I don't get to see it very often, and most of the segments are enjoyable. And while the show DID make a little dent in my respect for Mr. Osgood, it did not erase it entirely. I hope the show does better in the future.

[Maxedwell1]

I HAD (past tense) a lot of respect for Mr. Osgood and CBS Sunday Morning until Jan. 1 when they aired the piece on the disgusting Kathy Griffin. When they warned, "This next part may be offensive..." I wondered, "if you know this in advance, whey show it?" Sure enough, it was VERY offensive. The cowardly and raunchy Ms. Griffin said, "Suck it Jesus." What? Why would you risk offending so many Christian listeners? What if she had said the same thing but as a slur against the Muslim's god? I doubt she would have the courage (Muslims fight back, Christians forgive)to say it and I would hope CBS wouldn't air such an inflammatory uttering! Why did you allow this Charles? Do you not have any say in the content or do you not have much respect for Christian beliefs? I'm not sure I'll continue to watch this show...such a shame.

Concerning Ms. Griffin: The late, great Red Skelton once said that profanity was a short-cut to humor. It shocks the listener into nervous laughter. This applies to KG. No talent so she (like Madonna and others)uses crudeness and offensive talk to elicit a laught from the audience. I wouldn't walk across the street to hear her if it was free.

[MonodbBart]

I fear that Mr. Osgood has diminished his stature by commercializing. I don't think E.R. Murrow would have done that in the same circumstances.

[TeenGirlfromMars]

Charles Osgood: We leave you this morning in Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico; the home of cave dwelling bats. Of course, there's no light in the cave and the bats are now asleep.... so... um... guys, did, um, did you just not have anything ready this week so you went with a black screen? Oh well. -Jason Goldtrap, Davenport, FL

[WestCoastJorge]

Mr. Osgood- Normally I view your stories as fairly unbiased but your story on the Keystone Pipeline sounded like you are heavily influenced by the Big-Oil folks. Why give Republican Boehner's Pro-pipeline phony spin (jobs, avoiding purchase of Mideast Oil, etc.) as the only commentary? Have an environmentalist or even let Robert Redford give the other side (the 99% side). BTW, we would have many more jobs and less pollution with the Federal government more supportive of solar energy, wind, tidal energy, geothermal, etc. If the pipeline is so wonderful why don't our neighbors to the north bring that pipeline eastward to their own refineries (build them and they will come)? BBC News seems to do a nice job with unbiased reporting.