415 Media Exclusive: Anger at KRON: Why Was Pero Allowed to Intimidate for Years?; Relationship with Darya (Folsom) Was Well-Known By Mgt.; Rank and File Think Cover-Up

Aaron Pero has left the building; well, KRON/Nextstar told him to take a hike, finally, after 20 (15 as ND) years at the Bay Area independent TV News station. Only now, a new story: THE STORY within the story emerges: KRON's various owner/management iterations were well aware of Pero's transgressions and his relationship with Darya Folsom, and DID NOTHING! Nada.

Heck, even I knew. Years and years of asking myself: "How can all these incidents of reporters, producers, various underlings who've had confrontations with Pero? How does he get away with it? And how does he deal fairly with staff when he's living with the morning news anchor (Darya Folsom)?"

SOURCES tell me there's already a MAJOR PUSHBACK at KRON. Nobody really believes that the whole Darya/Pero CONFLICT wasn't known. It was. It was essentially, say station sources to me, not only known but COVERED UP! News Bosses, assistant NDs were well aware of the conflict yet FAILED to do anything. "They knew, they just didn't want to do anything because that would have required leadership and they had none."

So the end result is that despite Pero's firing, conflict remains. Folsom, who is, according to my KRON spies, being decidedly QUIET botn on and off the news desk. "She's trying to be mum," said a spy. For goode reason. Folsom has been at KRON for over 20 years, one of few other senior-most individual tenured at the station. Her future seems up in the air now. We'll watch over that.

Meanwhile, the fallout continues at 900 FRONT; some of the folks that received the brunt of Pero's anger and intimidating are still angry and royally PISSED OFF. Some don't even work at KRON anymore. Many do. KRON/Nextstar new VP/GM Jim Rose, who officially canned Pero, is planning on meeting with staff to, presumably, clear the air and try to unite a newsroom saddled with deep resentment and DIVISION. Pero's 86 is a temporary dynamic and for now, a band-aid. The fact Pero was allowed to conduct his reign of terror won't go away soon. I'd imagine someone might call a lawyer and KRON has to be mightily worried about that. But it's more than just Pero's embattled way with staffers. More than just the usual folks crying and maligned after a run-in with him in his office.

Stories of reporters and anchor run-ins; reports of mass intimidation. Threats and suggestions about various workers permeate KRON from 900 FRONT to the old building on 1001 Van Ness. Pero was smart enough not to mess with some of the senior, STAR anchors but he also had vendettas against others too. That may come back to haunt him.

Pero's relationship and eventual living-in-home status with Folsom remains at the center of KRON's decision to oust him. Staffers were fraught with FEAR over dealings with Darya because of her liason with Pero. "it was like a 'NATO agreement--if you piss her off, are you gonna hear from Aaron?", a source told me. This was not a uniunique charge. It was prevalent around Van Ness and 900 Front. That it was never dealt with and apparently allowed to maintain and nurture is something that could be problematic for KRON/Nextstar down the road.