Charles Osgood

As host of The Osgood File on CBS Radio for 19 years, and successor to Charles Kuralt on CBS News Sunday Morning, Charles Osgood has become the bow-tied, folksy sage of American broadcasting. This month, as Osgood publishes his book See You on the Radio, he pauses here to share his thoughts on Walter Mitty, Walter Cronkite, and his 1939 Steinway grand

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Drinks on the deck at sunset.

What is your greatest fear?

Being found out.

Which historical figure do you most identify with?

Antonio Salieri.

Which living person do you most admire?

Mel Karmazin.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourseH?

My humility.

What is the trait you most deplore in others?

Their frankness and honesty.

What is your greatest extravagance?

Shirts from Ascot Chang.

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?

Humility.

What do you dislike most about your appearance?

Girth.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

"See you on the radio."

What is your greatest regret?

Not buying Microsoft stock in 1995.

What or who is the greatest love of your life?

Jean Crafton Wood.

When and where were you happiest?

Here and now.

What is your current state of mind?

Bemused.

If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be?

A baby.

If you could choose what to come back as, what would it be?

A billionaire.

What is your most treasured possession?

A 1939 Steinway Concert Grand.

What is your favorite occupation?

Goofing off.

What is your most marked characteristic?

Procrastination.

Who is your favorite hero of fiction?

Walter Mitty.

Who are your heroes in real life?

Murrow, Cronkite, Kuralt.

What are your favorite names?

Tom, Dick, Harry.

How would you like to die?

Old age.