Oregon Media Insiders

I do not work at KOIN; I never have. But I've watched their newscasts closely for more than a decade and I've known many who have worked there over the years.

1) Jeff Alan was not a very good News Director. While there were several variables & players involved, KOIN's news ratings took a nosedive during Alan's tenure. After some time, it became obvious that Alan didn't have the knowledge, judgment, initiative or motivational ability to turn the ratings around in such a resource-starved environment. If New Vision, upon their takeover of KOIN from SJL/Montecito, had a goal to improve the newscast ratings, then they made the right decision to bring in a new News Director. It was necessary... and mostly welcome, from what I hear.

2) Ed Whelan became irrelevant many years ago. Two reasons -- one, local sportscasts, especially in this market, have become irrelevant and almost unnecessary. And two, Whelan was phoning it in. The man's writing was creative through his last day, but his effort in producing quality local sports stories diminished long ago. And contrary to what many reading this blog might believe, Ed Whelan was not particularly popular with viewers. More people disliked his sportscasts than liked them. So... when it came time for KOIN management to decide his future at the station, it no longer made sense to employ someone (and pay them a substantial salary) who wasn't particularly liked and who had such an unimportant role at the station. While somewhat sad & inhumane, showing Ed Whelan the door was a good business decision.

3) Kacey Montoya's past modeling is irrelevant to viewers in this market. Most viewers don't even know the reporters' names... especially a new reporter's name (like Kacey). It sounds as if Kacey was hired based on her broadcast news experience in previous markets. Yeah, her good-looks probably helped too -- but that's life in show business (and like it or not, TV news IS show business). Is she doing a good job now reporting for KOIN? And is she keeping herself out of "trouble" in Portland? It sounds like the answer to both questions is yes. That's really all that matters.