Krueger "More Than Pleased" With KNBR Settlement

In the wake of Sports Leader KNBR's knee-jerk firing of show host Larry Krueger, producer Tony Rhein and program director Bob Agnew last August comes news today that the station has settled a lawsuit filed by Krueger, according to the Associated Press.

"I'm more than pleased with the way it was settled," said Krueger, who landed on his feet by scoring a weekday gig at top-rated KGO/810 in San Francisco plus weekend work at Sacramento sports powerhouse KHTK/1140.

"I'm very happy about it. It's officially in the rear view," Krueger added in a phone interview with AP.

Using the royal "we," KNBR general manager Tony Salvadore, whose station recently changed hands from Susquehanna to Cumulus (the new owners are merely waiting for the right moment to pick up the keys), told AP, "We don't comment on that."

Krueger, who made comments last August 3 that were blown entirely out of logical proportion when he referred to the malaise that the San Francisco Giants were in, was in turn made a sacrificial lamb — along with Rhein and Agnew — by Salvadore, who may have been concerned about costing KNBR's owners money in the potential sale of the Susquehanna station group. Compounding things was KNBR's minority ownership stake in the Giants.

Krueger had also alleged that Giants executive vice president and chief operating officer Larry Baer — also a part-owner of the club — was responsible for bringing Krueger's comments to the attention of team manager Felipe Alou, which ignited the situation into a full-fledged conflagration. Krueger's allegation was never proved and becomes mute with the settlement, which included a confidentiality agreement that keeps him from disclosing its terms.

Parallel with Krueger's lawsuit, a separate suit filed by Rhein charged Susquehanna Radio, KNBR and Salvadore with — among other things — wrongful termination and defamation. Rhein's suit is still pending, according to the AP.