Early career Charles Osgood

1 career

1.1 wfuv radio in bronx, new york
1.2 united states army band

1.2.1 john cacavas , 1966 single gallant men
1.2.2 other announcing work in washington, d.c.
1.2.3 private radio show president eisenhower during hospitalization


1.3 wgms radio in washington, d.c.

1.3.1 narrator on compilation album fdr speaks


1.4 whct television in hartford, connecticut
1.5 abc

1.5.1 becoming charles osgood

early career

for first dozen years of career, except noted below osgood used legal name professionally either “charles wood” or “charles o. wood.”

wfuv radio in bronx, new york

while attending fordham, osgood volunteered @ university s fm campus radio station, wfuv. played piano between records on shows , collaborated other students including future actor alan alda , future producer , director jack haley, jr.

united states army band

immediately after graduating fordham, osgood hired announcer wgms (am) , wgms-fm, classical music stations in washington, d.c. (today wspz , wtop-fm respectively). shortly afterward, however, enlisted in military announcer united states army band. in 1991, explained turn of events in interview los angeles times.

[after college graduation] went right work classical musical [sic] station in washington called wgms. announcer. learned lot doing that.


i drafted in army, 1954, , ran guy while having dinner friend of mine , dressed in white uniform, fancy uniform side of ritz hotel. turned out announcer united states army band. asked him when getting out , said within next few weeks, next morning parked out @ commanding officer s office. impressed fact pronounce rimsky-korsakov. s how got job. spent 3 years united states army band. great experience.

besides acting band s master of ceremonies, performed pianist band , sang united states army chorus.

john cacavas , 1966 single gallant men

his roommate john cacavas composed arrangements band. collaborate on many songs, relationship continue through 1960s. in 1967, along u.s. senator everett dirksen (r-illinois) won grammy award best spoken word performance single gallant men. dirksen read patriotic poem written h. paul jeffers dignity of duty in armed forces, framed cacavas , osgood’s martial music , stirring choral refrains. in 1967 peaked @ number 16 on billboard 200 record chart.

other announcing work in washington, d.c.

stationed adjacent arlington national cemetery @ fort myer during service u.s. army band, using pseudonyms osgood worked announcer radio stations in washington area supplement income , experience. hosted morning show on weam (wzhf today) charlie woods. @ wgms, called himself “carl walden.” @ wpgc (am) (wjfk (am) today), rock station, referred himself “chuck forest.”

private radio show president eisenhower during hospitalization

in september 1955, president dwight d. eisenhower suffered serious heart attack during vacation in denver, colorado , confined hospital room there until november. during time, under auspices of wgms osgood hosted closed-circuit program of classical music delivered exclusively president s room encourage relaxation , convalescence.

wgms radio in washington, d.c.

when tour u.s. army band completed, in october 1957 osgood returned wgms full-time announcer charles wood , special assistant general manager. before end of 1958, wgms promoted him program director.

narrator on compilation album fdr speaks

in 1960, credited name , wgms announcer, provided introductions , commentary on six-record album of collection of thirty-three speeches president franklin delano roosevelt titled fdr speaks. edited historian henry steele commager, included welcome president s widow, former first lady eleanor roosevelt. son franklin delano roosevelt, jr. recited 1 of father’s speeches. billboard magazine reported fdr speaks 1 of listened-to-attractions @ 1960 democratic national convention nominated senators john f. kennedy , lyndon b. johnson candidates president , vice president of united states.

whct television in hartford, connecticut

in april 1962, parent company of wgms, rko general, transferred osgood hartford, connecticut , promoted him first job in television: general manager of channel 18, whct (wuvn today).

whct first tv station in united states licensed use phonevision, system developed zenith scrambled station’s picture , sound. limited viewing paid subscribers issued decoders attached television sets , telephone lines. station offered subscribers premium programming such first-run movies, live sporting events, , cultural programs ballets , symphonies, no commercials. although rko expected operate whct @ loss 3 years before federal communications commission due renew station s license, 1963 financial realities became difficult bear unabated. in 1985 interview broadcasting magazine, osgood explained:

[the station] lost money @ alarming rate... [rko] left me off hook gently. said, you’re fired.

abc

unemployed @ age 30, osgood turned 1 of fordham classmates, frank mcguire, directed program development @ abc in new york. in 1963 mcguire hired osgood 1 of writers , hosts of flair reports related human interest stories on abc radio network.

went being world s youngest station manager being world s oldest cub reporter, quipped in 1981 interview people magazine.

another new mcguire hire flair reports whom osgood befriended @ abc ted koppel.

becoming charles osgood

he began using name charles osgood @ abc because network had announcer named charles woods. in 2005 interview inside radio, osgood related story:

they didn t want have charles woods , charles wood. when told me pick name, used middle name last name. it’s worked out , little more distinctive , professional.

osgood moved on cbs radio in 1967 when became clear, in words, wasn t going anywhere @ abc.