Oregon Media Insiders

Wow. Talk about rearranging the deck chairs.

KOIN management should realize several things:

- CBS affiliates struggle in the morning. It's just the way it is. Sending your most-liked on-air talent to live in obscurity there is not going to help. (Are there any CBS affils in the country that win from 5-7a?)

- Jeff & Kelley may be the worst possible anchor pairing in the history of television. His overinflated ego oozes through the television and creeps people out. She can't stop smiling, even when talking about 32 dead people at Virginia Tech. Totally unacceptable.

- Covering the news still matters in Portland. You've saved a bundle by switching to Ignite, and after a year of pain, you've got 80% of the kinks worked out. Now take some of those savings and cover the news. Hire a few reporters with experience, or at the very least, hire some talent that actually has talent. Sussman's a good get, but he can't make up for the fact that Iwanaga is the only decent reporter on staff.

- My recommendation: Fire Jeff & Kelley. Use the money you save to hire decent reporters. Bring back Reed Coleman to anchor alongside Mike Donahue for the main shows. She's solid and won't cost you a bundle. Save some more cash by saying goodbye to Big Ed Whelan. I realize the guy had a stroke and all, but that's no excuse for being as unfunny as unwatchable as he is. Use that money to hire more photographers to go with the extra reporters.

- With all that in place, you'd have a shot at challenging KGW at 11pm, which is the first place a CBS station should look for a comeback. If you manage to turn things around at 11, then you can look at the mornings or early evenings.