Posted on 01/21/2004 7:54:09 AM PST by presidio9
Here are three words anchor Charles Osgood dreads: This just in. "I'm the only anchor on CBS who drives to work hoping there isn't any breaking news," the face of "CBS Sunday Morning" told the Daily News.
His reluctance is understandable.
The hallmark of "Sunday Morning" has been longer-than-usual, well-thought-out pieces on a variety of topics producers think appropriate for those watching in their bathrobes.
With the capture of Saddam Hussein, or any news of the same magnitude, producers are forced to cut, or even completely scrap, such pieces.
"I hope we can put on the broadcast we've prepared," Osgood said. "But I understand, news goes with the territory."
Osgood, 71, has presided over the leisurely-paced broadcast for the last decade, having taken over for the late Charles Kuralt, who made the program a signature newsmagazine for CBS.
"I think it's different, it has what it takes to make a broadcast last. People want to keep coming back week after week," said Osgood, now in contract talks to stay with the program.
"We can do pieces a little longer, a little more reflective, for people actually sitting down in a room," he added.
"CBS Sunday Morning" launched Jan. 28, 1979. The show currently airs from 9 to 11:30 a.m., leaving Osgood and his CBS colleagues plenty of time to spread their wings and talk about topics such as the arts, media, music, current events and, perhaps more important, real people.
"We tell stories as stories, and tell stories as positives," Osgood said. "They make you admire somebody, or respect something."
That also means a decided lack of airtime for the peccadillos of Michael Jackson, for example, which might get a brief mention during a news segment.
We're not going to shock-value pieces," he said.
Osgood said there hasn't been much of a pull internally to change the focus of the program toward more salacious, sometimes ratings-rich fare.
Sunday mornings are also refreshing for Osgood in that he can "sleep in" - until 4:30 a.m. On weekdays, when he does his regular radio bits for "The Osgood File," he wakes at a jaw-dropping 2:30 a.m.
Better yet, Sundays provide a haven away from the press conferences and politics that can change news in an instant.
"The broadcast has evolved ever since it went on the air," Osgood said. "But the principle is the same and the attitude toward the audience is the same."
And that includes the program's signature end piece, a few minutes of nature footage with ambient sound.
"I think it's always been true in television, where less is more in chin music," Osgood said. "You shouldn't fight the picture by trying to provide a word picture of your own."
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.