The San Francisco Giants’ Pride Night fallout reached KNBR Thursday. CEO Larry Baer replaced President of Baseball Operations Buster Posey on the station’s weekly Executive Show in which reports state the two hosts of the program were restricted in their line of questioning.
What We Know: On June 12, four Giants pitchers ignited controversy after writing Bible verses on Pride Night caps. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred later criticized the team’s communication as “inadequate and not clear.” Posey subsequently faced reporters but declined all questions, responding only to “baseball questions.” Then, rather than follow through on a scheduled KNBR appearance, Posey canceled and Baer stepped in as his replacement on the weekly segment with hosts John Dickinson and Dieter Kurtenbach. However, according to reporting by the California Post, the two hosts were restricted from any follow ups to Baer’s opening statement on the matter. KNBR host Adam Copeland confirmed the reporting via social media.
What They Said: San Francisco Giants CEO Larry Baer (via KNBR): “I know we’ve heard from many fans. I know there are deep feelings about the events of Pride Night this year. We know it, we’ve heard, we’re listening,” Baer said. “Yes, we’ve learned a lot in the last 11 days. Yes, we could have handled things better this year, for sure. We’re absolutely committed to continuing conversations with the LGBTQ+ community going forward. That’s where we are as an organization. … I just wanted to deliver that message to the fans and move on. Let’s talk about some other things.”
KNBR Host Dieter Kurtenbach following the interview with CEO Larry Baer: “I thought that that statement was woefully lacking. It has nothing to do with me or anything else. It wasn’t prepared. How can you come in with a prepared statement that doesn’t sound prepared at all. Maybe he’s just the greatest extemporaneous speaker I’ve ever heard, but that didn’t sound prepared at all. He said he wanted to speak from the heart. That sounds like you didn’t prepare anything.
I don’t think that the Giants have quite understood that they have stepped in it now twice. They stepped in it with Buster on Tuesday, and I think Larry Bear just stepped in it again. On an issue that frankly, I’m not that passionate about. But we certainly know there are many people passionate about. I think that he just made the flames go a little bit higher in that regard.”
What Remains Unclear: No official explanation was offered for Posey’s last-minute withdrawal. However, Baer did state during the interview that Posey would return to his weekly appearance next week. According to the reporting by the Post, team officials told KNBR hosts Dickinson and Kurtenbach via a Zoom call the night before that Baer would be pinch-hitting and no follow-up questions on the topic would be permitted. That has not been confirmed by KNBR management, the San Francisco Giants, Dickinson or Kurtenbach themselves. However, Copeland’s confirmation via social media does seemingly confirm that reporting.
What It Means: KNBR is the San Francisco Giants radio flagship. This program in which Baer appeared on was indeed a weekly program dedicated to only San Francisco Giants programming. In respect to KNBR, it’s not rare for partners to work with the organizations they partner with. However, given the magnitude of impact this issue has been for the audience of the San Francisco bay area, there should have been some wiggle room from the Giants perspective for some follow up questions in regards to the issue. That’s why Buster Posey’s absence from the program makes sense, and why the team provided the CEO to speak on the issue in the first place. However, the Giants’ handling of this controversy has raised serious concerns about organizational transparency.
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John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.
