NEW YORK (AP) – A former Newsweek editor widely credited with making the magazine competitive with archrival Time magazine has died in New York City. Newsweek says Osborn Elliott was 83.

Elliott was editor of the weekly news magazine from 1961 to 1976. He was known as Oz.

Details of his death haven’t been released.

Newsweek Editor Jon Meacham calls Elliott “the architect of the modern Newsweek.” He says Elliott’s vision and passion “made the magazine into a global force.”

Meacham says every election day Elliott would leave a telephone message saying, “My soul craves exit polls.”