Charles Austin (1944–2018) was an American journalist who worked forWBZ-TV from 1968 to 2000. He was one of the first African-Americans to appear on local news in Boston.
Austin was born inWorcester, Massachusetts on November 22, 1944.[1][2] He was the youngest of four children born to Marion Austin.[2] His father Charles Bray Austin of Montgomery, Alabama, came home from WWII with injuries which left him with severe brain trauma; he subsequently died in 1969 in a Veterans Hospital in Bedford, Massachusetts without ever meeting his son. Charles graduated fromAyer High School in 1962 and attended theNew England Conservatory of Music before dropping out to sing full-time. He opened for Bill Cosby atThe Bitter End and sang on the same card asNina Simone. In 1965, while performing inSt. Thomas he met his future wife, Linda, aUpstate New York native who was on vacation.[1] The two married in 1967.[2] Austin was drafted into theUnited States Army during theVietnam War and was stationed inNorth Carolina.[1]
In 1968, Austin was discharged and returned toBoston. He was hired by WBZ as a film processor. He moved to an on-camera position as a sports anchor, becoming one of the first African-Americans to appear on local news in Boston.[3] He left the sports desk to become a general assignment reporter.[4] Austin covered theCharles Stuart andJohn Salvi cases, the abduction and murder of Sarah Pryor, the liver transplant of infant Jamie Fiske, and the 1980s famine inSudan.[1][2][4] He retired from WBZ on November 22, 2000.[3]
Charles and Linda Austin were one of Boston's most public interracial couples. They had three daughters.[1] Their youngest hasDown syndrome and Austin was inducted into the MassachusettsSpecial Olympics Hall of Fame for his work with that organization.[1][2]
On June 9, 1994, Austin suffered a mild stroke that slurred his speech and partially paralyzed him and a brain aneurysm that required surgery. He returned to work after therapy. On May 2, 1995, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He reported on his health issues on-air to raise awareness of the diseases.[1]
The Austins resided inLexington, Massachusetts and spent their later years inSouth Dartmouth, Massachusetts.[1][2] Austin died on April 10, 2018 from kidney failure.[2]