Ted Koppel’s poem for 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 …
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.