Broadcast journalist Charles Osgood passed away last Tuesday. (Courtesy of Instagram)

Charles Osgood Wood III, Fordham’s “patron saint of WFUV” and CBS broadcast host, died Jan. 23 of dementia-related complications in his Saddle River, N.J., home. He’d celebrated his 91st birthday on Jan. 8, 15 days earlier.

Before leading an accomplished 63-year journalism career, decades of which he was famously the treasured host of CBS News’ awarded “The Osgood File” and “Sunday Morning” programs, Osgood — who professionally went by his middle moniker since his ABC days to differentiate from an identically-named coworker — was born in the Bronx in 1933. Joined by baby sister Mary Ann several months later, they attended elementary school together at the Our Lady of Refuge School, just three blocks west of Rose Hill.

After moving in 1946 to Englewood, N.J., for high school and graduating in 1950, Osgood found his way back to the Bronx, where he began his Fordham studies at Rose Hill, majoring in economics. His passions led him to volunteer at WFUV (est. 1947), where he’d play records on-the-air and piano in-between. Osgood earned the role of WFUV’s chief announcer, and hosted his first-ever show, “No Soap Opera,” collaborating with future fellow stars including performer Alan Alda, FCRH ’56, and director Jack Haley, Jr, FCRH ’54. “They were infectious; we had lots of fun,” he told The New York Times in 1994. For Fordham’s 150th anniversary, Osgood returned to WFUV, recording a “Fordham Minutes” series he’d written honoring notable Rams and historical moments, later becoming the station’s Lifetime Achievement Award namesake.

“I spent more time [at WFUV] than in classrooms or doing homework,” Osgood recalled when being interviewed in Studio 3 for his final “Sunday Morning” episode. “When I wasn’t on duty I’d just stay around because I enjoyed it so much.” Upon completing his studies at Fordham 70 years ago, he was hired by Washington D.C. classical music station WGMS, and later drafted by the U.S. Army Band. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, recovering from cardiac arrest in 1955, had Osgood as his personal DJ for a day, playing the Commander-in-Chief’s favorite records over a private channel. Osgood toured with the band through 1958 as their multitasking announcer, pianist and moonlighting Army Chorus vocalist. He returned to WGMS until 1962, and was briefly hired by WHCT-TV as general manager in Hartford, Conn., and by a fellow Fordham alum at ABC. In 1967, Osgood landed at CBS News, beginning as a radio reporter, and in 1971, established his long-running series “The Osgood File,” while simultaneously moving to TV. Despite backlash at the surprise announcement — on April Fool’s Day in 1994 — that he’d replace widely-adored “Sunday Morning” host Charles Kuralt, Osgood quickly won the respectfully loyal trust of his staff, interview subjects and viewers, becoming renowned for his comfortingly charming disposition. 

Fordham journalism Professor Dana Roberson worked alongside Osgood as a “Sunday Morning” associate producer. She recalled, “Osgood brought his own sense of style and writing and was a great fit for Sunday Morning,” describing him as “always gracious, friendly, ready to get to work, which he clearly enjoyed.” Though Roberson didn’t know Osgood as the show’s writers and producers did, she said, “He always made us feel we were all a team and made an effort to know everyone and say hello. I admired the ease with which he could write scripts, always finding the right turn of phrase.” She also added, “His lyrical touches were classic,” referencing the iconically comical shows in which the resident poet rhymed monologues in prose. “He was funny. If you weren’t listening closely you’d miss it, but when you caught it, there were laugh-out-loud moments.” Roberson remembered Osgood’s signature propensity for bowties, “elegant and natural appeal” and “easy laugh,” noting how host-with-the-most Osgood would invite the entire “Sunday Morning” staff to his home during holidays for his catered food and serenades, graciously handing his piano keys to correspondent and jazz great Billy Taylor.

Osgood’s adorations for broadcast and music always went hand-in-hand. In hundreds of “Sunday Morning” episodes, he entertained viewers with renditions of songs, including “The Man in the Looking Glass”, “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” and “We’ll Meet Again” , some of many he’d practice on his office keyboard. On banjo, he played “You Are My Sunshine,” and penned original music for the Army Band/Chorus. Interview subjects included Chuck Berry in 1972, and for “Sunday Morning,” he cooked with chef Julia Child in 2000 and sat for an oil portrait painted by crooner Tony Bennett in 2003. Going full-circle, Osgood played “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” on the Yankee Stadium organ. He authored 11 books, owned three Steinway pianos and enjoyed good food, fine wine and swimming at his estate in the south of France.

Jerry Cipriano, Fordham Communications class of ’75, met Osgood as a Fordham sophomore. Admiring Osgood on WCBS, Cipriano wrote to him requesting advice for an “aspiring broadcast journalist.” To Cipriano’s excitement, Osgood invited him for a tour of CBS News’ Manhattan headquarters, and over breakfast in the cafeteria,kindly shared food and suggestions about WFUV. When Cipriano joined “Sunday Night News” in 1984, he delighted in co-writing his idol’s newscast kickers, both daring each other to invent the best punchline. “I did once write a humorous ‘Sunday Morning’ Halloween piece [about crows] for him,” Cipriano shared. “Charlie would want to be remembered as the man who brought Sunday sunshine into so many lives and helped get their days and weeks off to a brighter start,” he said. “I’ll always remember his great sense of humor, extraordinary talent at the keyboard, whether writing a story or playing a song, and the kindness he showed me and so many others.”

“From ‘The Osgood Files’ to ‘Sunday Morning,’ I think he’d want to be remembered as someone who touched others with his stories,” Roberson reflected. “He brought humor, wit, and a steady, genuine empathy when warranted. He wasn’t someone else off-camera; what you saw was what you got. He’d want to be remembered for being exactly who he was.” On Osgood’s final Sep. 25, 2016 “Sunday Morning” and Dec. 29, 2017 “Osgood File” broadcasts, he respectively bid his audiences farewell by parodying “So Long, It’s Been Good to Know You” and “Auld Lang Syne,” signing off with his trademark “I’ll see you on the radio.” His accolades include the 2018 News Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award, 2004 Walter Cronkite Excellence in Journalism Award, 2005 Radio Television Digital News Association’s Paul White Award, four other Emmys, three Peabodys and induction into the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 1990.