Charles Osgood

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For the psychologist see, see Charles E. Osgood.

Charles Osgood (born Charles Osgood Wood, III on January 8, 1933) is a radio and television commentator in the United States. His daily program, The Osgood File, has been broadcast on the CBS Radio Network since 1971.

Osgood was born in New York City. He graduated from Fordham University with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1954 with a major in economics. While at Fordham, Osgood worked at the university's FM radio station WFUV. He was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1990.

Osgood also writes a bi-weekly syndicated newspaper column, and has written four books. On television, Osgood hosts CBS Sunday Morning. He has also anchored the CBS Sunday Night News and the CBS Morning News.

In August 1967, he anchored the first morning drive shift for WCBS-AM after its conversion to an all-news format. The twist was that the first day of all-news programming actually aired on WCBS-FM after an airplane crashed into the AM station's transmitter on New York's High Island.

Among his personal trademarks are his bow tie and his propensity for delivering his commentaries in whimsical verse. Example: When the Census Bureau invented a designation for cohabitant(s) as "Person(s) of Opposite Sex Sharing Living Quarters", or "POSSLQ", Osgood turned it into a pronounceable three-syllable word, and composed a prospective love poem, which included these lines which became the title of one of his books:

There's nothing that I wouldn't do

If you would be my POSSLQ

Charles Osgood is an accomplished pianist.

[edit] Family

Married to Jean Crafton in 1973. Five children: Kathleen, Kenneth, Anne, Emily and James. Osgood's nephew, Emmy Award winning composer Christopher Mangum, composes film scores including themes for National Geographic Specials, and The Discovery Channel.