Stop cramming Katie Couric into a half-hour long program. She needs at least an hour, just so she can breathe. I've said it before, and I'm going to repeat myself because the anti-Courics are at it again. Here's TV critic Gail Shister:

CBS executives deny it, but there's a growing feeling within the network that Katie Couric is an expensive, unfixable mistake.

Shister claims to have interviewed numerous anonymous CBS folks who say Couric is too weak for hard news. Of course, when Couric interviewed John and Elizabeth Edwards she was criticized for being too harsh. You can't please the haters.

But Shister's critics do have one thing right:

For starters, the 6:30 p.m. news and Today call for totally different skill sets. And those sets are not easily transferrable. Couric's effervescent personality and expertise with live interviews and ad-libs were perfect for morning TV, particularly over a leisurely two hours. On a 30-minute evening newscast, however, what's required is the ability to read the TelePrompTer and not display too much emotion.

"I guess the evening news isn't ready for the morning news," quips Robert Lichter, president of Washington's Center for Media and Public Affairs.

I agree. You can't play Shaquille O'Neal as point guard and expect him to be a superstar. That's just dumb. If CBS has the guts to move Katie to center, then it will blow out competitors. The big problem with all of the evening news shows is they appeal to people who watch that kind of thing. Those people are, franky, old and dying. Instead, appeal to the gigantic potential audience who don't watch.

The first step is going the full hour with the Evening News. Then you'll have time to import some of the "Today" show format with newsmaker interviews, discussions, and maybe even a little "Free Speech." Don't buy a sports car for driving to the market.

She isn't Dan Rather. She isn't Walter Cronkite. She's Katie Couric, and she's expensive. So, CBS, grow some courage and start getting what you paid for.