Ted Koppel’s poem for Charles Osgood

Ted Koppel's tribute to Charles Osgood

Ted Koppel and Charles Osgood began at ABC Radio on the same day, in June of 1963. They sat directly next to one another, doing daily radio shows called “Flair Reports,” and tried to convince ABC TV to put on a daily morning show -- long before “Good Morning America” -- on which the two would do the newscasts. ABC missed out on the opportunity. The rest is history …

Charles Osgood and Ted Koppell at ABC Radio in the early 1960s. ABC

I’ve known Charlie for more than 53 years now, and I have to reveal to you that my friend has not been entirely honest with you. It’s the thing about his legal name; it’s not really Charlie Osgood. 

He should have told you himself; but he hasn’t, he didn’t, so it falls to me to do it for him. 

And I’m going to try and do it in the fashion that he could have (or should have) done it himself -- in verse. 

     
I admit that it’s slightly uncouth
To remind an old man of his youth.
But in our case, it’s fair;
‘Cause you know I was there
And we’re both getting on -- that’s the truth.

You might think that a person could claim
To be able to use his own name.
Charlie thought that he could
Use his name, which was Wood,
But he couldn’t.  Please let me explain.

For those who appear on the air,
A name is a thing you can’t share.
Back in June, sixy-three,
(This was on ABC)
Charles Woods had it first, fair and square.

So our Charlie thought he’d exhume
Grandpa’s name as his nom de plume.
All the glory and fame
Now reflect on THAT name.

More than half of a century’s passed.
Who’d have thought that the new name would last?
But it has, and I’m sure
That the name will endure.
Since the old one has long been outclassed.

So it’s Charlie, who got there too late
For his own name to still resonate,
Whose incomparable style,
The beloved Osgood File
Has evolved into our Charles the Great.

He’ll be missed.  It is surely a blow
To lose someone we’ve gotten to know
Year by year, on and on;
But he’ll never be gone.
We’ll see him on the old radio.

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