415 Media Extra: While 49ers Nation/KNBR Exults, Giants and Larry Baer Fuming Over Lack of Air Time; Meeting of the Minds; Egos Bruised; Talk of Inner Turmoil; 415 Media Exclusive

GIANTS BROADCAST BRASS FUMES OVER LACK OF KNBR BUZZ 

Historically, the Giants, most notably, Larry Baer, still its front man (although quietly) rely on their broadcast (radio) partner, KNBR to be a part of their PR blitz during the hot stove league, you know when it's winter time and baseball news is in the backdrop of football season.

No more.

In fact, KNBR has been all-out 49ers and that makes sense, right? After all, the SF 49ers are two wins away from the Super Bowl and the Niners are the talk of the local sports scene --national too. That may sit well with the 415, 510, 408 and 925 but it has the Giants' hierarchy FUMING! Like really and royally TICKED OFF!

I've learned the Giants' brass--again, namely Larry Baer, is quietly telling KNBR and Cumulus market honchos here their utter displeasure over their flagship station barely sniffing out the name, "G-i-a-n-t-s," let alone even benign mentions. This is not the booster club, mind you, but the team's front office and its main money men including its main front men and investors. And while it's been relatively contained, at least internally, the effect of KNBR cutting off the PR machine of its chief sports partner, has resulted in turmoil and friction over air time and PR nirvana drying up. The Giants really could care less about the 49ers' fortunes --in Larry Baer world, they never heard of the SF 49ers--it's 24/7 Giants and even a blip of anything else is off the radar.

The 49ers success wasn't considered in the 2019 blueprint by KNBR brass. The idea that the football team would hog the airwaves wasn't even a figure point in the sales office. In fact, just now the marketing people are scurrying to sell advertising should the Niners make it to Miami and Super Bowl Sunday. It's a financial goldmine if it occurs but that doesn't move the needle for the bosses at Willie Mays plaza. In the meantime, several egos have to be massaged. 

The Giants still have their annual "Fan Fest " scheduled for the Saturday after the Super Bowl and KNBR will still probably go all out to place its various talk hosts en mass at the ballpark for whatever that's worth--mind you it hasn't been a very popular off-season for the baseball team and not just on the field, but off too. 

Baer might be in a position of no-leverage, because, frankly, the Giants haven't competed in recent years  and the 49ers are looking to take over the Bay Area in a region that is a BIG NFL market anyway. 

That said, KNBR is in a pickle not of its own making nevertheless responsible for appeasing the ego of its historical cash cow, the SF Giants. As usual, meetings of utmost importance will commence at Knibber's will and ultimately, both sides will kiss and play nice. They have to. They both sort of need each other and have to get along. That's the rational thinking, right? Wrong.

The Giants big suits will remind the KNBR/Cumulus gang it is they that have the control and pay the bills and even a George Kittle TD run will never change that --unless there's a victory parade down Market Street and Kyle Shanahan and Jed York are kissing babies in the crowd come early February. Then what happens?

Oh, Nellie.

#415 Media Exclusive

#415 Media Extra

Un-Baer-Able; 415 Media Exclusive; How SF Media Failed on Larry Baer Story; Video Highlights Dark Side; Tuesday In-Depth

POOR Larry Baer.

Not really.

Those of you that read me regularly know that I've been on the Larry Baer watch quite some time and not just about his Giants' influence.

Oh, there's so much.

Which is fine, I guess. Power is elusive and special and those that hold it usually abuse it.

So when the infamous Baer video showing him physically rip a cell phone out of his wife's hand and causing her to fall, became public, I wasn't shocked at all. I'm not suggesting that Baer is a domestic violence perp; whatever happened here is between he and his wife. But the video did one thing: it showed a side of this man that has existed quite some time but virtually ignored by the Bay Area media, sporting and news press too.

Baer has a dark side. Trust me, I know.

And again, I'm not alluding to his altercation with Pam. Sure, we all saw Baer in a light he's unaccustomed to: not the usual happy, chirpy, confident man who loves to mingle with the elite and rich and famous down near the Giants' dugout and at cocktail parties in the city. Truly, Baer was out of his element this time and there was no massaging from the lame SF media.

Baer loves Baer. Baer loves power. Baer is an advocate for Baer. He's also one of the most cunning, egotistical, outrageous jerks in the Bay Area if not the universe. The happy-face persona is a ruse. Baer is mean-spirited and petty too; how petty and mean-spirited? Just ask Dusty Baker, the onetime Giants' manager whose tax issues with the IRS were leaked by Larry Baer. It's known in the industry, especially locally yet Baer was given a pass.

Dusty never forgot.

Baer has every right to enjoy his social and political clout in this city but when he goes overboard he should also be called out. The incident involving his wife should have provided an opening to the local press to gauge deep into the Baer history but the pansies looked the other way. Am I surprised? Hell no.

Phil Matier, barely a word.

Ann Killion tried her best but swung and missed. Probably on purpose as Killion likes to pick and choose her fights but wasn't about to rock the boat especially when the editor-in-chief of her Chronicle newspaper is a dedicated Giants' fan.

Scott Ostler, who should know better and chews out villains on Sunday, had the perfect opportunity to nail Baer but even Scotty fouled out.

Hank Schulman? Are you kidding; gimme a break.

This is a new era in this city because in the old days even below-average reporters would have taken the time and do some honest research and examine Baer and his grip on San Francisco political and social circles. There's a lot to chew on, believe me. Baer owns this city. At one point years ago he considered running for mayor and he'd have probably won because his fingerprints are on pretty much every known particle, human and otherwise. And that extends from the ballyard to City Hall to the Hall of Justice.

Fear.

I suppose Baer is feared by the local media because they enjoy their Giants' privileges . The team has been sucking lately but doing business at the park remains on the to-do list and Baer, when he eventually comes back to China Basin (and he probably will sooner or later) still keeps tabs on those who continue to goose him and those who don't. Loyalty is a Trumpian virtue with Mr. Baer, who knew?

I do.

Coming soon: The Jeff Adachi story disgrace.

**415 Media relies on reader donations and contributions to maintain its daily presence covering Bay Area media and providing commentary. To donate, go to the "Pay Pal" icon on the right side of the blog and click on the "Donate" button --it's fast and easy to contribute and you don't have to have a Pay Pal account to donate.

Baer Fumes Over Excess 'On -Assignment' Giants' Broadcasters; Closed-Door Meeting; Cincy Event Was Boiling Point; 415 Media Exclu

Larry Baer

THERE IS NO JOY IN GIANTSVILLE ON THE FIELD; Now, according to a source I spoke to, there is no joy either when it comes to the team's broadcast set-up and the big boss has had enough of the shenanigans …

415 Media has learned Giants' President and CEO, Larry Baer, recently had a closed-door meeting with team officials over the many, lengthy, broadcasters non-Giants activity, commonly referred to as "on-assignment" duty.

The meeting last week saw Baer fuming and angry to the point of him (Baer) having to call off the sit-down and retreat back to a conference room to personally vent. The meeting consisted of at least two, high-up, team employees who were not named but heard the brunt of Baer's frustration.

Keep in mind, it was Baer himself that signed off to the schedule before the season knowing the arrangement but apparently was still angry over the current trend of repeated off time for the bulk of the season, especially late in the '18 campaign.

Baer's temper hit the boiling point in mid August; immediately after the LA Dodgers' series, the Giants took to the road in Cincinnati where three of the regular broadcasters; Jon Miller, Dave Flemming, and Mike Krukow were absent both on TV and radio. Adding insult, Miller not only missed the entire Reds series but the first game in NY too (against the Mets) --Furthermore, Miller was already in NY the prior Thursday and had dinner that night (with his wife) with a friend, Herb Cohen.

Left to Right: Dave Flemming, Jon Miller, Mike Krukow and Duane Kuiper

Flemming took a sabbatical to broadcast Little League World Series for ESPN; Krukow doesn't cover any games east of Colorado (due to an ongoing medical issue) but the broadcasts on TV still looked and sounded rather empty. At least Baer seemed to think so.

The Cincy broadcasts were left to Kuiper, ex-Miami Marlins broadcaster, Rich Waltz, and Javier Lopez.  Not helping matters, the Giants were swept by the last-place Reds and the entire series amounted to a perfect metaphor for the 2018 season. Whatever the case, Baer was unhappy.

And still is today.

All current broadcasters are under contract for the 2019 season.

Baer's anger might be muted when the season comes to an end but don't be shocked if someone off the current roster were to retire or take a permanent break.

Larry Baer Is The Most Powerful Sports Media Person In The Bay Area; Secret $10M Bonus Looming; Controls All Avenues Of SF Sports Media

 If there were any doubt as to who's the single-most powerful figure in the Bay Area sports circle, it's all gone now.

Larry Baer, the Giants President and CEO, has quietly built up a superstar network of local business, political and social leaders with the focus being centered on the franchise's financial heath and overall well being.

It's impressive to say the least and with the Giants headed to their third World Series in five years that vast cachet of clout that Baer has established within his own inner circle only gets more pronounced.

Speaking of such, how's this for starters: Baer stands to receive a whopping $10M "service" bonus from the Giant's partners if the team wins another title and they're the odds-on favorite against the Kansas City Royals.

That's a 10 MILLION! bonus. That doesn't take into account Baer's multi-million dollar salary but the Giants are making mountains of money, more money than you can imagine with a waiting list of corporate sponsors, a sold-out season ticket base, and a nearly paid-for waterfront ballpark palace that is the envy of all Major League Baseball partners.

Baer's influence extends from the Giant's TV partnership; its cable affiliate, (and limited owner, Comcast), all the way to KNBR, with an extraordinary say on virtually all commercial broadcasts and beyond. Baer oversees all of that and then some and before anything gets hitched, Baer must see it and OK it. You'd be surprised to know just how much cachet and clout Baer carries, it's gargantuan and it's only going to get bigger and bigger.

Have you seen those frequent crowd shots of Baer schmoozing with some celebrities from the music, entertainment or political world? Baer works the room very well; the Giants are flush with cash and sitting on millions in profits and Baer is the captain of the ship. The next time you plunk down a hundred bucks for a few polish dogs and panda hats, a beer or two, Larry Baer says thank you.

He should.

*Follow me on Twitter

49ers Rule The Bay Area; Domestic Violence Talk Trumps Sports On KNBR; Ted Robinson and Larry Baer; KRON ND Pero Screaming And Yelling, (Again); Radnich Says Another Stupid Thing; Tolbert Wants 500 Grand; More Haener, Less Gasia; Daffy Duck Gets KCBS Traffic Gig; Friday Notes First Take

FRIDAY NOTES AND THOUGHTS

*All the talk about domestic violence in the NFL trumped the normal sports-talk minutiae --moreover, it virtually wiped the Giants, A's and Warriors off the sports domain --indirectly, KNBR, its second biggest client, the Giants, were virtually ignored on the radio for the entire week.

The conversation centered around Ray Rice, domestic violence, the 49ers and Ray McDonald.

It only reinforces what's been known a long time but rarely discussed: in spite of off-field issues and the Giants winning a couple World Series, the 49ERS are the #-1 team in the Bay Area. It's not even close.

The Giants are a solid second and while they hold all the clout at 55 Hawthorne, it's the 49ers who have virtually all the cachet in town even if the Giants seem to get the bulk of favoritism including priority on 680 AM time slots versus albatross 1050 AM. Enter KGO-AM into the frame.

*Not particularly losing sleep over Ted Robinson's suspension: Giants Prez: Larry Baer. Relationship history: Fire and Ice.

*At KRON: the yelling and screaming news director, Aaron Pero, is doing a lot of yelling and screaming, AGAIN, from one of my KRONvicts who points out this behavior is nothing new coming from Pero who's angry at the world, KRON workers in particular except a certain female buddy in the morning who conveniently has been left alone from the ranting and raving, what a coincidence.

*Raj Mathai and Jessica Aguirre --Dan Ashley and Ama Daeta: a 1 and 1A battle between KGO-TV and KNTV, slight advantage to Ashley and Daetz but Mathai and Aguirre are coming down the stretch fast and furious.

*Hard worker in the morning: Laura Garcia-Cannon at KNTV--get her that contract renewed.

*Julie Haener and Gasia Mikaelian: chick wars at KTVU. Personally, I don't see why Gasia is such a big deal at 2 Jack London Square--what, the blond anchor quotient not operational? Haener can come off as impersonal and robotic but she's a solid co-anchor with Frank Somerville and they both have a bit more chemistry.

*KTVU graphics update: "Wei-Still- Suk."

*KPIX: the geniuses in upper suit department, taking advantage of NFL Thursday Night Football, decided to simulcast the horrid "Night Beat" on both PIX and KBCW. Great. The show still sucks.

"GAME OFFFFFF!"

*Veronica De La Cruz: from the penthouse to the outhouse. And the hair has little to do with it.

*Someone who looks like something but mysteriously isn't: Katie Marzullo.

*Tom Tolbert is quite happy at KNBR where he rules the afternoon in spite of the 467,000 commercials per hour that Knibber runs, just be advised when Tolbert's contract is up, he's apparently looking for a $500Ka-year payday which would make him the highest-paid yapper at the Bleeder. You can buy a lot of pop tarts with that dough.

*Speaking of yelling and screaming: Sarah and Vinnie at CBS' FM outpost. He, (Vinnie), still can't fathom she's the #1 yenta and he might as well be the line cook at the Emeryville Denny's.

*Yeah, I hear: Daffy Duck is doing traffic reports at KCBS. Traffic: KCBS' version of radio porn.

*A KGO Radio 30-something staffer on Kevin Metheney, (Pig Virus)--"He's actually kind of a nice guy." Yeah, until a year down the road when he's gone and screwing up another radio station in another town. Pig Vomit is what's known as a radio retread which is a Cumulus virtue when it comes to the Opps MGR at KGO---WNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNBC or not.

*PIX managers and middle managers alike: you didn't lay any of them off? Editors get no respect.

*Vern Glenn: Enough of the histrionics Vern, just give us the damn sports and cut the little guy doofus shtick, it's unbecoming and quite annoying, please.

*Alan Martin: For god's sake take a deep breath and laugh a little--you're beginning to enter into the Milt Kahn territory.

*Classy Radnich the other day on Knibber: "You know, my first wife--'we were married for 23 years and she never worked." He continued: "And the 23 years since our divorce she's still not working." Proving once again Gary Radnich is pretty much an asshole.

*Follow me on Twitter