415 Media Breaking News Exclusive: Greg Papa Gets Multi-Year Contract Extension with SF 49ers

Greg Papa will be your 49ers play-by-play radio broadcaster for at least another five years, I've been told by broadcast sources close to the 49ers and Papa.

Both Papa and the 49ers have agreed to a new, multi-year contract estension--the extension news will be formally announced later today (Tuesday) by the team and its broadcast partners, (including flagship, KNBR).

Papa joined the 49ers in 2019 after spending over 20 years as the play-by-play broadcaster for the Oakland Raiders.

He left the Raiders in 2018 due to a business conflict with owner, Mark Davis. He subsequently joined the Niners and has built up a winning broadcast formula--both with fans and the 49ers' broadcast hierarchy-- and color analyst, Tim Ryan --(who was also signed to an extension last year.)

Papa will continue to co-host his KNBR show (10-2 PM) and will also maintain his assorted hosting duties on the 49ers various in-house shows via their website and social media platforms.

*EXCLUSIVE

Super Duper

TALK OF THE TOWN

*49ers-Saints thriller rocks local newsrooms and taverns

*"Why wasn't game on Sunday night? NBC Sports execs at 30 Rock fuming (NFL rule on SNF availables)

*Where was Aikman and Buck? (on assignment)

*One of highest-rated games (other than Super Bowl) in local/KTVU history

*Rematch in NFC Championship?

*But first, figure out the Seahawks

*National buzz begins in earnest

*Will 'Santa Clara locale' still piss off longtime "SF" -Candlestick fans?

*Takes "brown-skin" comments by Tim Ryan off the domain

Why Greg Papa's 49ers' Touchdown Call Really, Truly, Sucks

Greg Papa (left) with Tim Ryan

YOU WANT BLATANT INSINCERITY? Try Greg Papa's touchdown call on 49ers' broadcasts. It's a wholly inappropriate, out-of-moment call that lacks realness and identity. Papa is lucky the 49ers are great this year (not withstanding Sunday's blip on the radar) because truly his call is, well, ridiculous at best.

I've always liked Papa on the substance meter and thought he was always terrific on the mechanics. He knows his pro football and his knowledge of players and teams is not questioned here. There's no argument on his fundamentally sound broadcasts but there's a lot to chew on his style and that's where he's a ZERO. Let me explain why.

LISTEN TO HIS CALL.

Papa doesn't know the meeting of the moment. That was week one in Tampa --his first 49ers' broadcast. Repeat: first. You come from twenty years of broadcasting Raiders' games so you have NO credit built up with the 49ers' Faithfull. You're a rookie in a new uniform. Therefore, what the hell with the truly out-of-place, "SAN-FRAN-CISCO!" It sounds phony. It has no rhyme or reason. It's also clear Papa doesn't know anything about his past identity which makes his call all the more disingenuous. I speak for those out of the booster club and fat white guys who wear Ronnie Lott's jersey.

Papa's call doesn't register any emotion other than severe ridicule. He hasn't built up any good will with 49ers' fans, the listening audience on KNBR, or those few objective fans who actually listen to the broadcast and that's not Papa's fault; he's in essence, a guest invited to the VIP party trying to establish himself in the Scarlet and Gold fraternity. Therefore he has to establish good will. After twenty years of Raiders broadcasts that takes time. So really, his touchdown call reeks baseless. It's like I said, out of place. If I were a 49ers fan, I'd be repulsed. Papa's lucky the team is winning because that saves more ridicule.

I want to repeat: I have no issues with Papa's technique. It's always crisp and clear. I'm sure, I know in fact, he prepares and studies his games like no one else. There's no debate about any of that but his call needs a massive amount of identity and structure --oh, and time too.

415 Media Exclusive: How the Papa/49ers Deal Went Down; Inside Story; When Papa Became Available, 49ers' Sargent Began Pursuit; Tells 415 Media 'Historic Move'; Decision Needed York and Guido OK

Ted Robinson (l) and Greg Papa -NBCSBA photo

49ERS MOVED ON 'FREE AGENT PAPA'; NO REPUDIATION OF ROBINSON; ACCELURATED MOVE ON EX-RAIDERS PBP --415 MEDIA EXCLUSIVE INSIDE STORY ON 'SHOCKING MOVE'

*ABOUT SIX MONTHS AGO when Raiders veteran PBP broadcaster Greg Papa was summarily dumped by the Silver and Black (namely, Mark Davis) 49ers broadcasting boss, Bob Sargent, who knew Papa well and regarded him as a play-by-play, sporting icon, immediately went into high gear and on a mission: to seize the opportunity to pounce on Papa and bring him into the 49ers' broadcast booth with Tim Ryan.

Mission accomplished.

On Wednesday, it was announced that Papa would replace Robinson and become the new 49ers' radio broadcaster. Or, as one sports radio observer commented to me, "a shocking move, bold and audacious too."

Sargent, in a lengthy phone conversation with me, insisted that the move to replace Robinson was by no means a repudiation of 'Teddy Ballgame' as he is known charmingly around Bay Area broadcast circles.

"When 'Greg {Papa} became available I immediately began discussions with him because I regard him as one of the best {if not thee best] in the business. NFL people place him in the top three category} Nothing against Ted more really I just wanted to bring Greg to the 49ers," said Sargent.

How bold a move? Enough to require a boatload of hurdles to overcome in addition to the move of acquiring Papa to be OKed by not just the Niners' broadcast hierarchy but all the way up the food channel including team president, Al Guido and owner, Jed York, who has always been a loyal Robinson advocate.

Industry people I talked to concurred. They repeatedly told me that it wasn't so much a blow to Ted Robinson (although it probably is) more a determined effort on Sargent's part to get Papa and Ryan together to form one of the best NFL Radio play-by-play tandems in the business.

I'll say this about the move: while I have my issues with Papa on a personal level, I've never doubted his professional credentials as a seasoned pro-football broadcaster. His Raiders' work by and large was as close to the real deal, late Bill King demonstrated in his multi-decade work with the Raiders.

The new questions on the table: Will Papa have to leave his 95.7 FM 'The Game' radio talk show? Probably. I don't envision KNBR (which is the 49ers' flagship station) allowing Papa to stay on its rival Bay Area station, but that's just a guess. Sargent told me he doesn't care one way or the other because as far as he's concerned, he got his prized pupil and long-term broadcast duo for the future.

And that's the genesis of this story laid out to me. Sargent regards Papa as the gold standard. His (Sargent) close relationship with Robinson on both a personal and professional level is a lengthy bond and might be compromised. Sargent told me in spite of that, "I wanted to make this move."

And so he did.

Lame Duck Raiders Bad Business for Entercom; 'The Game' (95.7 FM Sports); Gruden Doesn't Do Weekly Show with Damon Bruce Who Is Pretty Pissed Off; With A's Leaving, The Game Has Little Game; Wednesday Sports 415 Media Schmooze

 SPORTS RADIO is quite lucrative to the station because sports in general is huge; big business jock radio dominates the media landscape even if you're not inclined to follow sports; that said, the revenue streams that are generated make gargantuan globs of money for local and national outlets.

The Giants are healthy money makers for KNBR and Cumulus even if the team stinks; they drive the car and butter the bread; so to, the 49ers. Relationships are vital to the cog that brings in the big dough; the GM; the star players and non-star players do frequent interviews on their respective flagship station. KNBR relies on its weekly chat with Kyle Shanahan, 49ers coach; John Lynch; its GM also does the talk circuit. Teams around the league and their home stations have similar relationships. It's called business and it benefits both.

Except for the Raiders and Entercom and its stations; KCBS (all news and carrier of Raiders' football games on Sunday) and 95.7 FM (The Game)

Jon Gruden, that coach racking up the big money (at $10M a year for 10 years) doesn't do a Monday call-in show with PM drive host, Damon Bruce even though he's contractually obligated; by extension, so too the Raiders. It's to the point now that Bruce routinely rips Gruden and the Raiders about this situation --I don't know if that's good business to air your dirty laundry but I applaud Bruce for being honest because the Raiders, even in good times, are absolutely the WORST sports franchise in the world to conduct business with; Entercom and its minions are experiencing this for the first time and are both embarrassed and royally ticked off.

Beyond the obvious discomfort is the fact that the Raiders horrific act on and off the field is bad business for their broadcast partner; try to sell Raiders' football now when the team is one foot out the door in Oakland and headed to Las Vegas probably next year (playing in a college stadium when the new one will be ready, maybe, in 2020).

Damon Bruce

Gruden doesn't do any shows. The worst part is the Raiders organization doesn't care and almost flaunts its giddiness --some things will never change.

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE...

"The Game:" has a lame duck Raiders and a soon-departed Oakland A's who will leave its flagship come 2019. As Susan Slusser of the Chronicle reported the A's will be on a more franchise-friendly station --maybe KFRC if they can buy the current religious station; or snatch up some AM or FM outlet that will actually talk about the team. 95.7 FM hosts rarely talk A's baseball even when the team shined like it did this year.

Yes, frankly in good times, the A's don't generate the same traction as do the Giants but given the fact that KNBR is so embedded with the Giants that's never been surprising.

To its credit, KNBR builds its entire talk structure around the team. The A's haven't been able to garner that treatment with The Game. It's unpleasant if you're an Athletics fan but it's fact.

Then again, with the Raiders about to become extinct on their Entercom client and the A's on a different station for 2019, that leaves the Warriors as the only sports team (and a golden one) left.

Good sports-talk radio is mostly host-oriented but having teams on the domain not only brings in more money and revenue streams, but prestige too. That counts both ways. Just ask KNBR and Cumulus during the Giants' run of championships in 2010, '12, and '14.

Greg Papa's New 49ers' Gig at NBC Sports Bay Area Spells Probable Doom for Dave Feldman; 'Feels Blindsided' by Pop Power Play

Greg Papa

CALL IT A COLD AND CALCULATED POWER PLAY 

News that Greg Papa will be the pre and post-game host for 49ers broadcasts on NBC Sports Bay Area will have a ripple effect on the sports cable outlet.

It more than likely spells doom for now, ex Niners' host, Dave Feldman, who my spies tell me is fuming over the Papa announcement.

These two big shots have a history and it's not very warm and fuzzy.

In fact, I've learned Feldman feels blindsided by the move and that he was undermined by Papa's behind-the-scenes negotiations to land the 49ers' gig.

Feldman, who is doing some Giants' pre and post game work is more than likely going to pursue other interests, maybe back east where he has worked for several outlets.

Dave Feldman

A couple of things to note: Papa is coming off 20-plus years as Raiders radio play-by-play broadcaster. His new gig as a 49ers cable host should be seamless but how will the Faithfull receive a multi-decade Silver and Black announcer? NBC obviously thinks the transition will be just fine.

Don't forget Papa's daily radio show on 'The Game' (95.7 FM) --which happens to air Raiders' games and is primed for Raiders talk. Again, which potentially creates a most awkward situation given Papa's new Niners' affiliation.

Maybe Feldman might have to call his buddy, Jim Harbaugh, for some guidance.

We'll wait and see.

Does Anyone Care that Raiders Are Moving to KCBS for '19 Season?

 

DO YOU CARE...that Raiders games are moving to KCBS? I don't but, hey it's news.

102 year-old Brent Musburger is just thrilled.

How Mark Davis Screwed Over Greg Papa with $500K Raiders' Broadcast Gig; Papa 'Lifer' Position with Al Davis Ultimately 86ed; Musburger Hire Ultimate Middle Finger to Eastbay Fans; 415 Media Broadcast Inside Analysis

Mark Davis

NOW EX-RAIDERS BROADCASTER, Greg Papa --replaced by the young and ebullient  79 year-old Brent Musburger-- was aced out of his gig by Mark Davis, the imbecile managing partner who's been battling Papa for over a decade.

As I reported here, Papa was beloved by the late Al Davis; Mark's father had a quasi "Raider lifer" arrangement with Papa that was essentially broken by the petulant younger son.

Papa was so close to Al that at one point senior Davis had considered giving him a non-broadcast, football-oriented job to Papa because he thought highly of Pop's football intellect. It never materialized because Papa was clearly not qualified.

The broadcast booth was another story. Papa thought all along that once the team was headed to Vegas he would have the green light to join them even though he'd been battling several personal issues of late including a divorce, a case of severe vertigo and his ongoing argument with Mark Davis. Papa didn't really want Vegas; sure, like Bill King, the late, great Eastbay broadcaster, took the LA gig because, like Vegas, it's only an hour plane ride from the Bay Area, and he could still handle his A's duties and be near the Raiders. Of course Al Davis was alive back then and like Papa, loved Bill King and wanted him to remain with the organization.

Greg Papa

Mark Davis and Greg Papa were another story. Mark had no love for Papa; hated him. Papa didn't have any respect and detested the younger Davis. In fact, Papa used to tell Raiders' officials behind the scenes that Mark was an unintelligent fool. I'm paraphrasing but it was, and is, the truth.

And now with the hiring of Musburger Davis has effectively won the power play over Papa. And now Papa is out; how big a gig? Papa was paid nearly $500,000 a year to broadcast Raiders' games. For a guy like Papa with a lot of overhead that's a lot of money to suddenly kiss goodbye.

Brent Musburger

So now Davis has once again given a middle finger to Oakland fans with the hiring of the antiseptic and old Musburger and the heave-ho of one of the team's most legendary broadcasters. The Black Hole and Eastbay broadcast scene is mourning and Greg Papa is no longer a "Raider lifer." Mark Davis ultimately sacked the last remnant of authentic, Oakland Raider radio.

The Trump-Eagles WH DisInvite Bruhaha is Red Meat Topic for Sports/News Talk Radio Everywhere Except in Bay Area

AS RADIO TALK-SHOW FODDER GOES, it's red meat for the ages, I'm talking of course about what everyone else is talking about ...on the Internet of course, here, here, here, ...oh and here too.

The Trump disinvite to the NFL champion Philadelphia Eagles and its consequences; politics; patriotism; race relations; all of it represents the issues that might describe our deepening division in this country. It's certainly being talked about at the proverbial office cooler and not even in hushed tones yet here in our Bay Area, you can barely get a sniff of the story on our supposed talk stations, news or sports. Other markets and hosts have jumped in on it including this one.

KGO Radio doesn't believe in investing in hosts who talk about the news (and this is news even on their vanity level); KGO's suits regard actual news-talk as something of a phenomena not meant for people that have even modest intelligence so I can understand its byzantine approach.

KNBR, which occasionally delves into social issues about as much as a snowstorm in Palm Springs, should be talking about this but it too has apparently figured better to concentrate on the relatively sublime booster club clientele business. Yes, I know it's a sports station but issues like this supersedes sports. Did you see what Steph and Lebron had to say? You would think this alone would generate phone calls but the Bleeder caters to the beer and boobs crowd which, by the way, is also talking about this and all associated with it. Common sense is a commodity, I guess, at the Bleeder.

This is not about whether you believe the president is pimping the flag to cater to his 30 percent base; his industrial rust belt brethren or if you believe the Eagles (and most NFL players) don't understand the constitution and its limits. It's a topic that's worth debating and both sides have strong opinions and arguments of course they do.

It's about what's driving the topic of the day and week and it's really frankly pathetic that it has been virtually ignored by the talk radio deficient Bay Area whose terrestrial listeners have once again been victimized by the abysmally inadequate Cumulus wrecking machine.

Yes, KPIX is Flaunting its Super Bowl 50 Coverage But You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet

 FEW PEOPLE would begrudge KPIX's incessant pre-Super Bowl blitz of ads, news, promos and presentation--after all, it is the Super Bowl, the biggest game in America and whose audience traditionally tops well over 100 Million people.

We get it, the unofficial national holiday on the first Sunday in February and this year, the special 50th Super Game.

OK, fine.

But then KPIX has gone over the top, no surprise here. Mildly, but just enough to cause mass irritation. Look, a Beyoncé addition to the halftime show is legitimate news, no problem there. But countdown clocks, repeated "stories" that are really no more than splashy advertisements gets to be a drag particularly when such news is driven down the throat on a daily basis.

Even Joe and Jennifer Montana, as big as they are, are not worthy of repeated plugs and notices.

Again, we acknowledge that PIX is lucky enough that the 50th Super Bowl happened to fall on CBS' time to air the game and yes, of course the game is in Santa Clara.  I can only imagine what KTVU would be bringing us had it been FOX's turn on the rotation. Thank God for that.

I'm going out on a limb that as the game gets closer you're going to see a helluva lot more stories about Santa Clara, parking lots, VIP booths and hospitality suites. That's about 20 minutes right there.

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Oakland Raiders' Great Marv Hubbard Passes; 'Old Mother Hubbard'; John Madden Comments

 Marv Hubbard defined the Raiders of the 70's. He was mean, tenacious, rugged and fierce. Funny too. A real character. He didn't have the perfect football body but just gritty and big enough to play running back.


They called him "Old Mother Hubbard." Hubbard had the definitive spike, the closest thing to the real deal when diving into the end zone.


Hubbard died on Monday just a few days short of his 69th birthday.


John Madden talks about Marv Hubbard. (From KCBS)


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Wednesday PM Sports-Talk Media In The 510 and 415: Raiders Hire Jack Del Rio; 49ers Hire Jim Tomsula; Talk-Shows Lines Filled

 DEL RIO: Hired. Raiders.

TOMSULA: Hired. 49ers.

*Who wins? Why.

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Yeah, I Agree, The 'Niners Are Fucking Stupid'; Monday First Take

 Every known sports and non-sports pundit/reporter will give their opinion on Monday. The radio talk-show experts will tell you exactly why the 49ers; notably the brain trust; owner/front man, Jed York; GM Trent Baalke, and Team President, Paraag Marathe finally sent superstar coach, Jim Harbaugh, packing.

Poor Harbaugh.

I'm no Insider --I'm just a sad-sack blogger with endless broken hearts and think in terms of basic human mindset; you may be the most talented fucker in the world, but you're no good to your company if you can't get along with the people you work with/for; that's not me ripping into Harbaugh; quite the contrary, I think the 49ers hierarchy is plain nuts for not trying to play nice with their now, ex, superstar coach. As Deadspin points out, and I agree, The Niners are Fucking Stupid. Or, to put it more precisely:

There is no sane football-related reason for the Niners to let Harbaugh leave. Apparently, they're letting Harbaugh go simply because he was so insufferable to deal with, which … fine. I get why you might wear out after having Captain Jawclench as the head man for four years. But this man is a football coach, and football coaches are, by their very nature, insufferable. They work endless hours. They are humorless and often distant and aloof. They are endlessly demanding. Only a batshit crazy person would thrive in that job, and so Jim Harbaugh fits into the mold nicely. I don't know what other temperament you would like out of a head coach. What, you want him to be less intense? Fine; watch him get run over.

{H/t Deadspin}


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Done

 So they say.

Talk of the town.

We'll know soon enough.
UPDATE: The 49ers and Jim Harbaugh have mutually agreed to "part ways."
Shocking.

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The Ray McDonald 49ers' Story Has Nothing To Do With Sports; That's Why They Still Call it the Toy Department; Thursday First Take

 Sports-Talk Radio Hosts should stay away from the Ray McDonald story.

This is NOT a sports story--it's a legal issue that involves an athlete who plays professional football for the 49ers.

Well, until now.

Too many times, sports pundits; the entire sports medium; has no business discussing legal issues because they have no idea what the hell they're talking about--worse yet, they interject sports into the legal arena and it sounds both out of place and foolish.

That's why they still say, in journalism, sports is the toy department.

Just yesterday on KNBR I heard a guy--can't remember who--say that McDonald seemed to be "playing better since his prior legal case wasn't brought forward since the DA had no evidence"--it sounded ridiculous because the host, clearly out of place and out of mind, tried to make a non-sports point. It was both inappropriate and stupid; furthermore, it trivialized what was, and is, very serious potential criminal charges against the player, but it has nothing to do with sports. Nothing.

Too many times, we see this play out on a daily basis --the only real element of the Ray McDonald story that makes sense from a sporting standpoint is how the 49ers dealt with it before and after--Lowell Cohn of the Press-Democrat breaks that down in a very good piece about the idea of "due process." Cohn spells out some legitimate questions--it's pretty much devoid of sports as it should be and is well written.

This issue is an across-the-board indictment--it's not just the sports-talk radio hosts; it involves the TV and radio guys too. I like what ESPN does; (and me complimenting ESPN is rare)--they hired Roger Cossack, a legal analyst who does a great job breaking down cases for the laymen public. It's not only informative and interesting--more importantly it provides the proper illustration without the use of sports dialogue. ESPN, to their credit, seems to get it. Others, unfortunately, are out of the loop.

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Lots of Live Shots in Front of 49ers' Ray McDonald's House

 Sports Talk shows, Live Shots Galore, Bay Area water cooler event--even trumped latest Storm Watch reports.

The 49ers are probably not thrilled with this.

Just a guess ...

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Lowell Cohn: 'Jed York is a Coward'; 49ers Owner Tweet Draws Ire of Press-Democrat Writer

 Lowell Cohn throws a hardball at Jed York. Whether you agree or disagree is besides the point. It's the content, stupid.

I watched the 49ers game last night after the meal and couldn't believe my eyes. Were these really the 49ers; granted, they were playing the World Champions, but the Seahawks made the 49ers look silly.

And then after the game, Jed and his tweet.

I heard a lot and sensed there might be a hardy reaction from the local press. Nothing was quite as extraordinary was Cohn's scathing review of owner York. That's what I like about Lowell, always willing and able to swing for the fences. Lowell is spectacular here, just my opinion.