Briefly, Charlie Rose

Name: Charles Peete Rose.

That Middle Name Once Again: Peete.

Occupation: Host and executive producer of PBS's Charlie Rose, popular N.Y.C.-based highbrow chat show, which goes national this month.

Appearance: Chiseled, lean, fit. Favors conservative suits, with a loopy tie for that suggestion of danger.

Family: Divorced; no children.

Provenance: b. Henderson, North Carolina, 1942.

C.V.: Duke University (undergrad and law). Worked for Bill Moyers at PBS, 1974-76; spent next 15 years honing Moyers-esque persona as host of local talk shows.

The Lowdown: Affable, garrulous, hardworking, complex.

Common Misapprehension: "That because we're not hostile or meanspirited we're not tough.''

Worst Trait as Interv—: As interviewer? He interrupts.

Self-Analysis: "I'm an incurable romantic and workaholic."

Favored Symptom of the Preceding: Amanda Burden.

Secret Weapon: Taping live at 1 1 P.M. Guests roll in from dinner, feeling bonhomous and expansive. Also provides Rose with plausible exit line at social functions.

Guest Wish List: J. D. Salinger, Mrs. Onassis, the Pope.

Risk of Going National: Will Peter Duchin play in Peoria?

How He's Better than Larry King, Barbara Walters, and Dick Cavett: Doesn't wear suspenders; doesn't weep with guests; has never begun an anecdote with "Groucho once said to me..."

G.K.