Oregon Media Insiders

Promoted from the comments and edited/linked for fair use--L

Over at the Columbian, "Change is in the air" according to a Saturday column from editor Lou Brancaccio:

Surviving today means quickly figuring out what’s at play and moving to … change.

The Columbian is no exception.

We are in an absolutely miserable economy, the likes of which I cannot remember. ...

Faced with this challenge, The Columbian will be changing. Here are some of the changes:

– There will be fewer staffers. The Palm Beach Post in Florida (a larger newspaper than The Columbian) just announced it was trimming 300 jobs, 130 of them in the newsroom.

— Our daily two pages of Opinion will go down to one.

— The newspaper, in general, will have fewer pages.

— The Tuesday Food section will become part of the Life section.

— The Wednesday Neighbors section will become part of the Life section.

— The Thursday Inspirations section (Homes & Gardens) will become part of the Life section.

No question these changes are being done to better put our expenses in line with our revenues.

We’re like every other person out there: trying to not spend more than we’re bringing in.

WWeek is reporting that KATU sports gal Katy Brown is in talks with Rose City Radio to do a sports show on 95.5. We've heard rumors of Jammin' flipping to sports for a while now. If these new rumors are true, Brown would be paired with former KFXX guy and Columbian sportswriter Ken Vance:

Neither would confirm they’re doing the new show, but neither denied it. “KATU is the only place I’m employed right now,” Brown says. Vance, now a reporter at The Reflector in Battle Ground, Wash., referred Murmurs to McNamara, who didn’t return a call.

Geez, KATU, last person out, turn out the lights or something...

Today's TV Spy also points to yesterday's Columbian, which features an interview with KPTV/KXL traffic reporter Tony Martinez. How long has Tony been doing traffic? This long:

In the early '80s I went out in a car with a roll of quarters and looked at the roads. Then I'd go find a pay phone. Remember pay phones? I'd call in my report, and 10 minutes later, you'd hear the report on the air. It was less than efficient.

I'm not sure what the occasion is, but there you go.