Previously: Anchorman Frank Somerville's Future at KTVU In Doubt As Rumors Swirl About High Drama In the Newsroom. 53-127 m (174-417 ft) (avg. Somerville takes these charges very seriously. When I saw Will Smith stand up for his wife, it reminded me of what I didnt do 30 years ago, he says in the video. 69 m or 226 ft) 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km 2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. In interviews this week, Somerville declined to say anything more about his departure from KTVU, his arrest or his plans. Frank Somerville was "suspended indefinitely," according to the Mercury News, after a behind-the-scenes disagreement about his coverage of 22-year-old Petito's disappearance. Frank Somerville has spoken out for the first time since his Dec. 30 arrest for a suspected DUI. On September 26, it was reported thatSomerville was pulled off the air over his coverage of Gabby's casejust days after Joy Reid's "missing white women" comments. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Wheres Frank Somerville? Reynolds said Somerville may have been well-intentioned, and that he certainly seems passionate about fairness in coverage. 1. Staff writer Harry Harris contributed to this report. Somerville has said in the past that he wants to work two or three more years and would like to finish his career at KTVU. Somerville was off the air for much of the summer following his now-infamous May 30 newscast, when he repeatedly slurred and stumbled over his words and appeared to have trouble reading off the teleprompter. FRANK Somerville has reportedly been pulled off the air at KTVU over his coverage of the Gabby Petito case. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. Mr. I just dont notice the things you see, he added. Now, the tagline controversy has put Somerville in a position that journalists usually find uncomfortable: instead of reporting on the story, he is the story. PUBLISHED: June 1, 2021 at 12:54 p.m. | UPDATED: November 9, 2021 at 3:19 p.m. KTVU news anchor Frank Somerville was off the air again Tuesday following his abrupt exit from a Sunday night . Somerville, 63, won the awards at KTVU, which included an accolade for best on-camera news anchor. On Wednesday night's 6 o'clock broadcast, Heather Holmes anchored the show with Andre Senior, saying at the top of the hour, "Frank and Julie are off tonight.". In a statement Thursday afternoon, Somervilles attorney Shannan Dugan acknowledged the charges. 2. Theyre the backbone of Channel 2. While Somerville was attending San Francisco State University in 1981, he interned at KTVU. George Galvis, executive director of Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice, which helped organize the Oct. 12 rally, said KTVUs silence is a response.. She graduated from Northwestern University with a BA degree in German studies and from Mills College with a MFA degree in creative writing and English. Frank Somerville has spoken out for the first time since his Dec. 30 arrest for a suspected DUI. The California native first started at KTVU as an intern in 1981 while attending San Francisco State University. Crime and Public Safety | Holland and Galvis insist the ultimate focus of their rallies was not Somerville, nor were they saying the media shouldnt cover Petitos killing. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! He believes that his automotive collision that happened the month before did not play a role, instead, he believes management had already decided to cut him loose months earlier. In an interview with the Bay Area News Group published Friday, the celebrated former KTVU anchor confirmed that his former employer will not re-sign him and allegedly not because of his arrest. He was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, booked into Santa Rita Jail on that charge and later released with a citation to appear. As Somerville has pointed out on social media, he is the father of an adopted Black daughter. "No one at the station Fox/KTVU has contacted me. This property is currently available for sale and was listed by MLS PIN on Mar . 3,096 sqft. Somerville has a Black daughter and wanted to add a note at the end of any news story on Petito about the rates of domestic violence for Black women in America. NEW - 21 HRS AGO. MSNBC host Joy Reiddiscussed the Gabby Petito case on her showon September 20. Petito, 22, had been reported missing earlier this month while on a cross-country camping trip. Somerville was not involved in that flub. [citation needed] He attended Berkeley High School, graduating in 1976. Earlier this year, Somerville disappeared from the air without explanation after a fairly strange Memorial Day Weekend broadcast in which he was slurring words and seemed unable to read the teleprompter. Now, though, Somerville appears to be putting it out there that he's looking for a job. By the end of the broadcast, co-anchor Julie Haener had taken over solo, and did the signoff for the show. Following Somervilles suspension, two rallies were held outside the KTVU studios in Jack London Square in October, both sparked by his reported desire to address disparities in media coverage of White crime victims like Petito versus women of color. The longtime news anchor faced a rocky 2021. Hes one of the highest paid anchors in the Bay Area, but his contract is up in March. More than a month after Frank Somerville was suspended from KTVU, the popular anchor remains off the air with no word from either him or the station about if or when he might return. Frank Somerville is an American journalist and three-time Emmy Award winner. KTVU suspended veteran anchor Frank Somerville after the station news director nixed his proposal to add commentary about racial justice to coverage of the Gabrielle "Gabby" Petito homicide . According to two KTVU newsroom sources, who declined to give their names because they were not authorized to speak on the record, Somerville wanted to add a 46-second tag to an update on the Petito case, which aired Sept. 21. His first newspaper job was as a Washington Post paperboy. Visitation will be held on Monday, March 6th 2023 from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM at the Cusick Funeral Home (80 Mountain Ave, Somerville, NJ 08876). Somerville did reply to local media commentator Rich Lieberman on Monday saying he'd be back on the air that night and that the incident was simply a mistake regarding his prescription medication. George Kelly is a breaking news reporter for the Bay Area News Group's East Bay Times and Mercury News. I would give anything to work there. The multiple Emmy winner lives in Oakland, grew up in Berkeley and graduated from Berkeley High and San Francisco State University. You can see video of the Sunday 10 o'clock broadcast below, in which Somerville has difficulty reading from his teleprompter. He grew up in the Los Angeles area, went to UC Berkeley and has previously worked as a news reporter at USA Today and SFGATE and as a music writer at NPR. The Berkeley native had been an intern at KTVU many years before. Somerville, who has an adopted black daughter, reportedly pushed back after the tagline was refused. Neither Fox nor KTVU has made any official statement on the matter. 4ba. Email us at exclusive@the-sun.com or call 212 416 4552. He noted that his contract is up in January, so it seems like the management is just waiting that out. Since his departure from KTVU, he has steadily posted videos on Instagram featuring an assortment of commentary. Leslie Shawn Rayburn posted this. [8] He returned to the anchor chair on August 4 without addressing the incident that saw his brief departure. His next scheduled court appearance will be 9 a.m. May 6 at Oaklands Wiley Manuel courthouse, a district attorney spokesperson said. The case of Gabby has sparked a national outcry as her fianc Brian Laundrie continues to evade authorities. But even with such declarations, community activists say they have yet to hear from the station managers or Fox about their concerns. That night he pushed to add a brief commentary on racial inequity to the end of a news update about the disappearance of Petito, a young White woman and social media influencer whose case had attracted a firestorm of media coverage. In November, Somerville told this news organization that management had not contacted him since September, when he was suspended from his anchoring duties for an off-air dispute about coverage of the Gabby Petito case. Since his suspension, Somerville has shared videos and posts on Instagram his social media platform of choice since leaving KTVU. ", Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. I work out every day.. According to Windham's statement, Somerville showed symptoms of being under the influence of alcohol when officers reached him. He's still in mourning over the cancellation of "Freaks and Geeks. Early Life and Education. FRANK Somerville has reportedly been pulled off the air at KTVU over his coverage of the Gabby Petito case. His parents raised him in Berkeley, California. The disagreement, said sources, occurred earlier in the week after the body of Petito was discovered in Wyoming. He was named after his father's childhood friend, Frank Patty, and his paternal grandfather, William Somerville. Thats just a guess. Twitter just announced the launch of its Twitter Blue product, a new subscription service with extra perks for avid users that is rolling out today in Australia and Canada ahead of a wider launch. Born Frank William Somerville on 19th March 1958 in San Luis Obispo, California, Frank Somerville is a journalist. As of now, he is already 64 years old and his zodiac sign is Pisces. But as community groups voice frustration, questions also remain over Somervilles suspension. All rights reserved, with driving under the influence following an arrest in late December in Oakland. After the collision, the Audis driver managed to get out of their car, according to the statement, but Somerville kept driving east on West Grand, pushing the Audi across the intersectionuntil it hit a pole on the southwest corner. Venerated KTVU anchor Frank Somerville, days after an odd Sunday broadcast in which he can be seen on-air slurring his speech while reading a teleprompter, will be on indefinite leave starting . The ABC News report also said that onlyabout one-fifth of missing person cases involving minorities are covered by the news, according to a 2016 analysis published in the Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology. Joshua Bote is the tech editor at SFGATE. Somerville was off the air for more than nine weeks before returning in August to Channel 2s The Ten OClock News without addressing his unusual absence. As per his date of birth, his birth sign is Pisces. He also was off the air for much of last summer following a now-infamous May 30, 2021 newscast, when he repeatedly slurred and stumbled over his words and appeared to have trouble reading off the teleprompter. Somervilles last newscast for KTVU was on Sept. 21. On Tuesday, the district attorneys office charged Somerville with driving under the influence of alcohol, as well as driving with a blood-alcohol level over .08, with an added clause for having a level over .15. [5] He then attended San Francisco State University. [citation needed] He attended Berkeley High School, graduating in 1976. Write by: . Get the latest posts delivered right to your inbox. This latest incident, coming just six weeks after Somervilles return to the anchor desk, will undoubtedly trigger speculation about his future with the station. Reid said. But he wouldn't be back on the air until August, and then within weeks, this controversy erupted behind the scenes about the Petito case. But I have no reason to think otherwise.". Additionally, he spent his childhood in Berkeley and was raised there. "The Petito family certainly deserves answers and justice. Martha Ross is a Bay Area News Group features writer for The Mercury News and East Bay Times who covers everything and anything related to popular culture, society, health, womens issues and families. The driver of the Audi stepped out before Somerville pushed the vehicle across the intersection with his car before ramming it into a light pole, according to documents provided to SFGATE by the district attorneys office. Meanwhile, the media coverage issue Somerville had hoped to raise has garnered plenty of attention in recent days as debate rages over how much is too much. Somerville, 63, took over as anchor of the six o'clock and ten o'clock news broadcasts at KTVU in 2008, following the retirement of Dennis Richmond. I also helped make the noon and 5 p.m. newscasts No. Somerville is the adoptive father of a Black teen daughter. KTVU anchor Frank Somerville, one of the most recognizable of the Bay Area's news personalities having been on the air at KTVU since 1991, was pulled from a Sunday broadcast and has not returned . There was no word on how heated the discussion got. He returned in August, but a month after, was suspended permanently following turmoil over the coverage of Gabby Petito, the missing van-lifer who was killed by her fiance Brian Laundrie in September. Longtime KTVU anchor Frank Somerville is facing two DUI charges following a car accident on Dec. 30, 2021. ", KTVU again removes Frank Somerville from the air, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Los Gatos: Hundreds still without power as Black Road repair project finishes early. KTVU anchor Frank Somerville, one of the most recognizable of the Bay Area's news personalities having been on the air at KTVU since 1991, was pulled from a Sunday broadcast and has not returned since after slurring his speech on air. The public silence from Channel 2 and Fox, its parent network, has fueled community frustration over the ostensible reason he was suspended a reported dispute over his push to add a brief commentary on racial inequity to the end of a straight-news story about the disappearance of social media influencer Gabby Petito, whose case had attracted a firestorm of media coverage. He became co-anchor of the stations highly rated Mornings on 2 in 1992. He is a graduate of Bowie State University in Maryland with a BS degree in communications. [9] In September 2021, he was suspended for disobedience after seeking to keep a "tag" concerning domestic violence and "missing white woman syndrome" in a story on the Gabby Petito case. Related Articles So I am done at Channel 2, Somerville said in a brief phone interview this week with the Bay Area News Group. Frank Celeste, Gibson Sotheby's International Realty. The collision occurred eastbound on West Grand Avenue, Windham wrote. I appreciate and admire what they do every day.. The months-long saga surrounding longtime KTVU anchor Frank Somerville may have finally reached its conclusion. Somerville wanted the tag to address domestic violence and the medias tendency to overlook reports about missing and slain women of color, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, which obtained a copy of Somervilles original tag. [6] Email: joshua.bote@sfgate.com and Signal: 707-742-3756, Frank Somerville speaks out for the first time since arrest for suspected DUI, Horoscope for Friday, 3/03/23 by Christopher Renstrom, Wife of Jeffrey Vandergrift issues somber update, No seriously, dont drive up to Tahoe this weekend, The best fried chicken is at a San Francisco strip club, Scream publicity stunt floods Bay Area dispatch with 911 calls, Snowboarder dies at Tahoe ski resort following historic blizzard, Arrest in killing of woman seen running through Tahoe campground, Rain reenters Bay Area forecast: Have an umbrella near you, The Warriors broke Russell Westbrook, just like old times, Mochi muffin bakery closes SF cafe after just 4 months, Two more Shake Shack restaurants head to the Bay Area, Amazon to shutter all Amazon Go stores in San Francisco, Officials warn Bay Area travelers to avoid Tahoe this weekend, expect delays, Snowboarder dies at Tahoe's Heavenly ski resort following recent blizzard, Salesforce continues to slash office space with six-floor tower sublease, Third Culture Bakery closes San Francisco cafe after just 4 months, Hackers claim Oakland ransomware attack, leak 'confidential' data, Why every Californian needs an air quality monitor, In search of vegan food, I found a world-class Mendocino inn, 6 Cabo hotels for your spring break vacation, Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). Mini Bio (1) Frank Somerville co-anchors the weekday editions of "KTVU Channel 2 News at 5," "KTVU Channel 2 News at 6" and "The Ten O'Clock News on KTVU Channel 2." Somerville joined San Francisco's KTVU Channel 2's Mornings on 2 and The Noon News in January 1992. ), He disputed one comment that said he looked sick on a video he posted talking about an incident in which his daughter was allegedly racially profiled. Sources at the station said news director Amber Eikel and editors didnt think Somervilles proposed tag, a brief closing the story, was an appropriate way to cover the issue and would blur the lines between an anchor delivering a straight news story and offering editorial commentary. DSW is closing on Powell Street, Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen says the metaverse scares her, and SF Mayor London Breed has come out vocally in support of the recall of three school board members. At the time, Somerville said he had not yet lined up offers to work at other stations but wanted to keep working and was disappointed about how his time at KTVU had ended. ", He adds, "It makes me really sad, because Ive given 31 years to the station. OAKLAND The Alameda County District Attorneys Office has filed two misdemeanor charges against former KTVU news anchor Frank Somerville in connection with his arrest late last year on suspicion of driving under the influence, authorities said. It should have been much more about stepping into the journalism and giving respect and honor to the issue and people youre purporting to be in service of.. I would love to work at one of the other stations in the market. Silence irks activists, stirs questions about suspension. He was named after his father's childhood friend, Frank Patty, and his paternal grandfather, William Somerville. Following the suspension and subsequent social media attention, two rallies were held in support of Somerville outside KTVU headquarters in Oakland. He is extremely sorry to the person he hit and has provided all information to his insurance company to cover the other drivers losses. And the photo has since gone. He took an indefinite leave of absence in June following a broadcast of the TheTenO'ClockNewsonKTVU in which he slurred lines and left mid-broadcast, resulting in speculation over his health and well-being. So, I'm assuming I've done my last newscast," Somerville said. He has been taking many steps to address the circumstances that led to this case, including attending meetings and working on himself so that nothing like this ever happens again, Dugan said. This was Somervilles second suspension in a tumultuous year. Somervilles arrest came after he crashed his Porsche into another car in a downtown intersection in an accident caught on video. She'd now be 8 years old, and her case got little national attention at the time and she remains unaccounted for. As first reported by the Mercury News on Thursday, the venerated KTVU broadcaster faces two misdemeanor charges from the Alameda County District Attorneys Office one for driving under the influence of alcohol and a second for driving with a blood alcohol level of over 0.08% with potentially enhanced penalties because his BAC was over 0.15%. A funeral service will be held on Tuesday, March 7th 2023 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM at the same location. Somerville spoke this morning to local media hound Rich Lieberman who said Somerville was speaking to him exclusively but very quickly Somerville gave quotes to the Mercury News and the Chronicle saying that he's all but certain he won't ever be at the anchor desk again at KTVU. He is due to appear Feb. 28. Officers who spoke with Somerville said he exhibited symptoms of being under the influence of an alcoholic beverage: bloodshot/watery eyes, thick/slurred speech, and odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from his person.. Arianna Fitts would now be eight years old, but she hasnt been seen since 2016, and CNN is shining new light on her case in hopes of a breakthrough. Crime and Public Safety | Silence irks activists, stirs questions about suspension, Oakland NAACP calls for Frank Somervilles reinstatement at KTVU. Former KTVU news anchor Frank Somerville was charged earlier this week with driving under the influence following an arrest in late December in Oakland, Alameda County prosecutors and police said. Somerville was hospitalized shortly after the incident and was booked at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin. Somervilles Bay Area roots helped make him popular with viewers. So, nothing like this happens again. Email: joshua.bote@sfgate.com and Signal: 707-742-3756, Frank Somerville now faces 2 DUI charges after car crash in 2021, Horoscope for Friday, 3/03/23 by Christopher Renstrom, Wife of Jeffrey Vandergrift issues somber update, No seriously, dont drive up to Tahoe this weekend, The best fried chicken is at a San Francisco strip club, Scream publicity stunt floods Bay Area dispatch with 911 calls, Snowboarder dies at Tahoe ski resort following historic blizzard, Arrest in killing of woman seen running through Tahoe campground, Rain reenters Bay Area forecast: Have an umbrella near you, The Warriors broke Russell Westbrook, just like old times, Mochi muffin bakery closes SF cafe after just 4 months, Two more Shake Shack restaurants head to the Bay Area, Why every Californian needs an air quality monitor, In search of vegan food, I found a world-class Mendocino inn, 6 Cabo hotels for your spring break vacation, Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). He took a nine-week leave to focus on his health and had only returned in August. KTVU news anchor Frank Somerville again has been removed from the air, but this time a newsroom spat not an on-air meltdown appears to be the reason. Torture porn: Lily-Rose Depp filmed scenes of extreme sexual violence for new HBO show, report says, California chef Amar Santana returns as contestant on Bravos Top Chef World All-Stars, This Oscar season, Asian representation is Everywhere as upstart indie is Academy front-runner, Tom Cruises ditching of Suri showcased by Judd Apatows co-parenting joke, ex-Scientology exec says, Filipino bakerys addictive sweet bread now available in Brentwood, Wife of popular Wild 94.9 radio host JV says new information suggests he will not be coming back, Super sandwiches: 16 of the Bay Areas best sandos to try right now, After 40 years, Caspers Hot Dogs is closing in Walnut Creek, Brawl forces end of NorCal high school basketball playoff game, Alameda County DAs new policy will reduce prison sentences through widespread elimination of sentencing enhancements, Walnut Creeks Shake Shack is finally opening this weekend, Drought is now over in more than half of California, including the Bay Area, feds say, California extends Bay Area tax deadlines to match IRS, Riordan-Inderkum playoff brawl: CIF hands down punishment after player taken to hospital, As Adderall shortage continues, DEA plans to limit some telemedicine prescriptions, House where JonBenet Ramsey was found dead listed for sale for almost $7M, Columbia University permanently drops SAT, ACT admissions requirement, The Waterbed Doctor: California retailer lays claim to retro bed with nearly 40 years of service, sales, Felonious Florida podcast: Missing teenage girl leads to several cases of child sex trafficking, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. Frank Somerville says KTVU wouldnt re-sign, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Los Gatos: Hundreds still without power as Black Road repair project finishes early, Frank Somerville says KTVU wouldnt re-sign him: I am done at Channel 2, Bay Area TV anchor Frank Somerville arrested on suspicion of DUI after crash in Oakland, Frank Somerville says hes done at KTVU, apologizes to newsroom for drama, Wheres Frank Somerville? Crime and Public Safety | Look closely at this picture. Somerville, now 64, was arrested at 8:30 p.m. Dec. 30 in the 2200 block of Broadway following a collision between his 2014 Porsche 911 and a silver Audi, according to a probable cause statement by Officer Natalie Windham. Former SF anchor Frank Somerville publicly opens up about arrest, KTVU exit. In November, Somerville insisted he was right to push for the commentary, but he publicly apologized for all the drama because of the way it affected people who work at the station. KTVU's news division was infamously responsible for broadcasting the offensive fake names of the pilots of Asiana Airlines Flight 214 following a July 2013 crash at SFO, a mistake they blamed on the National Transportation Safety Board who, in turn, blamed a summer intern. Reid hosted a discussion with representatives from the Black and Missing Foundation andNot Our Native Daughters Foundation when she made the comments. In wake of scandal, East Bay school district keeps a close eye on staff behavior Former KTVU news anchor Frank Somerville was charged earlier this week with driving under the influence following an arrest in late December in Oakland, Alameda County prosecutors and police. "Frank Somerville to replace Dennis Richmond", "KTVU's Somerville settling in as Richmond's replacement", "Asiana: Anchor says KTVU never sounded-out racist pilot names", "KTVU anchor Somerville to take time away after slurred newscast", "Frank Somerville returns to KTVU after two months of leave", "Frank Somerville suspension: How the dispute over 'Gabby' Petito coverage unfolded at KTVU", "Frank Somerville says he's done at KTVU, apologizes to newsroom for 'drama', "Frank Somerville arrested for suspected DUI after crash", "Frank Somerville says KTVU wouldn't re-sign him: 'I am done', "Frank Somerville publicly opens up about arrest, KTVU exit", "Former KTVU Anchor Frank Somerville Speaks Publicly About Addiction Issues", "Image of Bay Area news anchor doing his daughter's hair touches people all over country | The Mommy Files | an SFGate.com blog", "Tender photo of TV anchor un-braiding daughter's hair goes viral", "A white dad does his black daughter's hair, and the Internet smiles", "10 Questions for Frank Somerville; Up Close and Personal with KTVU's Top Dog; And Something that may Surprise You", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Frank_Somerville&oldid=1133399814, American television reporters and correspondents, Berkeley High School (Berkeley, California) alumni, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2021, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 13 January 2023, at 16:12. [1] During his three decades at KTVU in Oakland, California, Somerville received three Emmy Awards, including one for best on-camera news anchor. Sign up for NBC Bay Areas Housing Deconstructed newsletter. He was named as a person of interest in the case, and his remains were found in Florida last week. Sources said he wanted to point out that the U.S. media often disproportionately covers tragedies involving young White women, while largely ignoring similar cases involving women of color and Indigenous people.
Lululemon Align Bodysuit,
Festinger And Carlsmith Experiment Independent Variable,
St Thomas Virgin Islands,
Josh Allen Rookie Year,
Articles W