THE DIEHL’S OFF

Teddy bearish Digby Diehl--sweet grin, bow tie and all--hasn’t exactly been Pauline Kael as KCBS’ film critic. But what can we expect now that the station’s replaced Diehl, beginning July 6, with pretty-boy reporter Steve Kmetko?

Diehl holds a master’s in film and theater arts from UCLA, with stints writing about film and TV for the N.Y. Times and as editor of Show magazine (he’s also an aspiring screenwriter, he conceded). And Diehl’s been a book editor here and at the Her-Ex and book critic at “CBS Morning News.” Kmetko readily acknowledges than his film background is practically nil.

“I’m primarily a movie fan who’s been working in entertainment reporting since last December,” the youthful Kmetko told us.

But isn’t he a bit uncomfortable suddenly judging cinema for hundreds of thousands of viewers? “Not in the least. I think the moviegoing public will relate to me as a fan. After all, it’s really just someone’s opinion. Don’t we all turn to someone and ask them, ‘What did you think of (such-and-such) a movie?’

“KCBS relies on me for my work and education as a journalist. We hope to expand my role to more reporting on the industry. You won’t be seeing a movie review every night.”

Diehl--who claims management told him it wanted “a younger look” (KCBS denies it)--feels he was just polishing his TV act when he got the ax: “I thought I was getting good at it the last few months, finally honing my skills as a conveyor of information.”

About the 30-second “bites” and ingratiating happy talk that made up his work: “You get to do very little criticism as a TV critic. You have to deliver your opinion in a few succinct sentences. But what I can do (that print critics can’t) is show viewers two minutes of the movie, a real taste of the film. That’s the real power of the TV reviewer.”