Charles Osgood, 83, to bid adieu to "Sunday Morning," CBS

Associated Press

NEW YORK

Consider this a tribute to a weekend TV institution:

“This ‘Sunday Morn’ left us forlorn.

Charlie Osgood’s retiring as host.

For 22 years, he’s had no peers.

Viewers love him from coast to coast.”

As a poem, this doesn’t hold a candle to the light verse Osgood has penned for his audience (He is regarded as the poet laureate of CBS News). But perhaps it sums up the way many members of his “CBS News Sunday Morning” flock received his announcement that he will bid them farewell next month.

Osgood announced his scheduled exit on Sunday’s broadcast. The Sept. 25 edition will be a tribute to his legacy on and off “Sunday Morning.” But after that, he won’t be absent from the program, he assured viewers, explaining he will be on hand for occasional appearances.

“For years now, people — even friends and family — have been asking me why I continue doing this, considering my age,” the 83-year-old Osgood said in his brief concluding remarks. “It’s just that it’s been such a joy doing it! ... It’s been a great run, but after nearly 50 years at CBS ... the time has come.”

And then he sang a few wistful bars from a favorite folk song: “So long, it’s been good to know you. I’ve got to be driftin’ along.”