Stay up to date! [5] He then attended San Francisco State University. His suspension came just six weeks after a previous leave of absence for health issues when he struggled to read his teleprompter and slurred his words during a broadcast in May. 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. 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. In a May broadcast of KTVU's 10 p.m. news program,. 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? Crime and Public Safety | Frank Somerville (born March 19, 1958) is an American television journalist. I would give anything to work there. When an officer-administered field sobriety test showed signs of impairment, Somerville consented to an alcohol screening test; he blew two tests, registering .239 and .219 blood-alcohol levels, according to the statement. The case of Gabby has sparked a national outcry as her fianc Brian Laundrie continues to evade authorities. The Alameda County District Attorneys Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from SFGATE. Somervilles Bay Area roots helped make him popular with viewers. 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. Its another strange twist in a turbulent year for Somerville. In interviews this week, Somerville declined to say anything more about his departure from KTVU, his arrest or his plans. Galvis said activists intentions werent to wag the finger but to foster a dialogue with a media organization thats a Bay Area icon with tremendous power.. Somerville, who has an adopted black daughter, reportedly pushed back after the tagline was refused. 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. He is extremely sorry to the person he hit and has provided all information to his insurance company to cover the other drivers losses. AdWeek's TVSpy blog is covering his disappearance from the air as well. [6], Somerville was an intern at KTVU in 1981, while attending San Francisco State. Related Articles 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. In 1992, he became co-anchor of the station's popular Mornings on 2 show. 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. ", "My guess is that Im not coming back to Channel 2, Somerville tells the Chronicle. The longtime KTVU news anchor is married to his wife, Donna Wright, a television producer. He was named as a person of interest in the case, and his remains were found in Florida last week. I also helped make the noon and 5 p.m. newscasts No. 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. I just dont notice the things you see, he added. This past week, Mornings On 2 anchor Mike Mibach has been in Somervilles chair, including on Thursday nights newscasts at 5 and 6 p.m. when he simply introduced himself: Im Mike Mibach., Somerville said his health was great, a point he also made in a photo he shared on Instagram with his 5,100 followers this week. Email us at exclusive@the-sun.com or call 212 416 4552. In 2008, he was elevated to one of the stations marquee positions when he was anointed co-anchor of the 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. newscasts, replacing 40-year veteran Dennis Richmond. A KTVU spokesperson later explained that he left the air to focus on his health.. Former SF anchor Frank Somerville publicly opens up about arrest, KTVU exit. Since then, Fox and station management have refused to publicly speak to the issue. [2][3][4], Somerville was born on March 19, 1958, in San Luis Obispo, California, but was raised in Berkeley. Speaking about the case ofmissing geologist Daniel Robinson, she added: "I never heard of it until this friend of mine sent it to me. KTVU was prepared to air a news report detailing the latest developments in the case. 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. Somerville later excused that saying he had mistakenly taken an Ambien before going on the air. I feel great, he said in response. His parents raised him in Berkeley, California. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! But she hadnt and the new tag was removed. After a brief return, he was suspended indefinitely by KTVU management following a dispute over coverage of the Gabby Petito missing person and homicide case. 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. As per his date of birth, his birth sign is Pisces. 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. This property is currently available for sale and was listed by MLS PIN on Mar . The next day, Somerville was told he was suspended for defying a superiors orders, sources said. Get all the latest & greatest posts delivered straight to your inbox, Frank Somerville Speaks, Says He's Likely Out at KTVU, fairly strange Memorial Day Weekend broadcast, just took up a local missing-persons case, Anchorman Frank Somerville's Future at KTVU In Doubt As Rumors Swirl About High Drama In the Newsroom, Day Around the Bay: San Jose Man Arrested In Connection With PG&E Transformer Explosions, Berkeley Poised to Close Famed Anthropology Library, Angry Students In Full Occupy Mode, The SFPD Brags About Busting Johns Seeking Sex Workers on Capp Street. Longtime KTVU news anchor Frank Somerville was booked into jail early Friday morning for allegedly driving under the influence, after a car crash at a busy intersection in downtown Oakland. Neither Fox nor KTVU has made any official statement on the matter. 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 . An ABC News report,citing statistics from the FBIs National Crime Information Center stated that at the end of 2020, the FBI had more than 89,000 active missing person cases, and 45 percent of those were people of color. During a now-infamous May 30 newscast, he repeatedly slurred and stumbled over his words and appeared to have trouble reading off the teleprompter. Somerville takes these charges very seriously. Get all the latest & greatest posts delivered straight to your inbox, Longtime Bay Area Anchor Frank Somerville Off Air Since Slurred-Speech Broadcast On Sunday, AdWeek's TVSpy blog is covering his disappearance, fake names of the pilots of Asiana Airlines Flight 214, Day Around the Bay: San Jose Man Arrested In Connection With PG&E Transformer Explosions, Berkeley Poised to Close Famed Anthropology Library, Angry Students In Full Occupy Mode, The SFPD Brags About Busting Johns Seeking Sex Workers on Capp Street. But if Somerville thought the issue was so important, then he should have used his journalistic gravitas to push for a second story to run after the segment or a series of stories to run over the next couple days, Reynolds said. The California native first started at KTVU as an intern in 1981 while attending San Francisco State University. Now, though, Somerville appears to be putting it out there that he's looking for a job. The couple has two daughters - one of which, Callie, who was adopted in 2005 when she was a baby. His first newspaper job was as a Washington Post paperboy. However, she agreed with the editors who thought the tag on its own wasnt a sufficient way to cover the story and would blur the lines between an anchor delivering a straight news story and offering editorial commentary, sources said. Former KTVU anchor Frank Somerville speaks about addiction struggles that he says spurred DUI wreck Former KTVU anchor Frank Somerville opened up about his struggles with addiction on Dec.. Sources said Eikel was willing to assign a reporter to do a separate, more in-depth story. I wish I could apologize to all of them in person. She'd now be 8 years old, and her case got little national attention at the time and she remains unaccounted for. The FBI has issued an arrest warrant for Brian Laundrie, Petitos 23-year-old fianc. Theylearned that Somerville had been driving a 2014 Porsche east on West Grand when he rear-ended an Audi stopped at the intersection. Reynolds, a former editor at the Oakland Tribune and Bay Area News Group, said it would have resulted in the very disparity (in coverage) he was seeking to address.. 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. As of Thursday afternoon, officials at KTVU and at Fox had not responded to repeated emails asking about Somervilles departure or about whether they had offically signed a replacement. FRANK Somerville has reportedly been pulled off the air at KTVU over his coverage of the Gabby Petito case. He was named after his father's childhood friend, Frank Patty, and his paternal grandfather, William Somerville. George Kelly is a breaking news reporter for the Bay Area News Group's East Bay Times and Mercury News. Martin Reynolds, co-executive director for the Oakland-based Maynard Institute, which promotes diversity in Americas newsrooms, said Somervilles reported solution, to tack a commentary on at the end of a straight news story, would have been lazy, as opposed to assigning a full story on the topic. Over the years he has become one of the station's most recognisable having presented on screen for more than two decades. Frank Somerville finally returns to KTVU: Are viewers owed an explanation? After graduation he worked at local stations in Santa Rosa, California; Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Providence, Rhode Island, before returning to the San Francisco Bay Area. 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. I would give anything to work there. Woman suspected of making threats toward Christian schools campus in Walnut Creek arrested Somerville, 63, won the awards at KTVU, which included an accolade for best on-camera news anchor. "I still want to continue working, Somerville tells the Mercury News. 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. 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The multiple Emmy winner lives in Oakland, grew up in Berkeley and graduated from Berkeley High and San Francisco State University. Get the latest posts delivered right to your inbox. 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. Federal jury finds Bay Area man guilty in string of East Bay bank robberies 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. 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. "Well, the answer actually has a name: Missing White Woman Syndrome, the term coined by the late and greatGwen Ifillto describe the media and public fascination with missing white women likeLaci PetersonorNatalee Holloway,while ignoring cases involving of people of color.". But a shortened version of the tag made it into the script for that evening's broadcast, which allegedly prompted Somerville's suspension for insubordination. If not, Ill go to other stations outside of the market. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. 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. MSNBC host Joy Reiddiscussed the Gabby Petito case on her showon September 20. Frank Somerville said Tuesday that he expects he has anchored his last newscast at KTVU, given that management hasn't contacted him since he was suspended in September for an off-air dispute. 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.. Somerville is expected to appear in court Feb. 28, the Bay Area News Group reports. But Reynolds also faulted KTVU for fueling the controversy by not meeting with activists to discuss their complaints about coverage, saying that journalism organizations must offer a level of transparency and accountability., While not publicly commenting to reporters about his suspension, Somerville took to Instagram late last month to thank his fans for his support in standing up for what he believes no matter the consequences., We in the media cant be afraid to look in the mirror and ask ourselves tough questions about race and our coverage, Somerville said. 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. A search-warrant obtained blood sample later yielded a result of .24 blood-alcohol content. All this drama isnt good, Somerville said. 2. He noted that his contract is up in January, so it seems like the management is just waiting that out. 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. 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 . 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. 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. What Somerville did that was so wrong is less clear. He said the couple spend their "together time" at the gym and that the pair "encourage each otherto keep pushing.". 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. 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 . Reynolds said Somerville may have been well-intentioned, and that he certainly seems passionate about fairness in coverage. Somerville has reportedly been "suspended indefinitely" after a behind-the-scenes disagreement about his coverage of the22-year-old vlogger's disappearance. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. Related Articles The case of Gabby has sparked a national outcry as her fianc Brian Laundrie continues to evade authorities. 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. He is a graduate of Bowie State University in Maryland with a BS degree in communications. According to Windham's statement, Somerville showed symptoms of being under the influence of alcohol when officers reached him. 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. Why is 'Gabriel Salazar car accident' trending? . Chuck Barney is the TV critic and columnist for the Bay Area News Group. 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. [citation needed] He attended Berkeley High School, graduating in 1976. Somervilles next hearing will take place May 6. Who is Frank Somerville? Crime and Public Safety | And the photo has since gone. Following a car crash late last December, embattled Bay Areareporter Frank Somerville now faces two DUI charges. Frank Somerville is an American journalist and three-time Emmy Award winner. The months-long saga surrounding longtime KTVU anchor Frank Somerville may have finally reached its conclusion. Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheSunUS and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSunUS, 2020 THE SUN, US, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY | YOUR AD CHOICES | SITEMAP, Frank Somerville, Donna Wright Somerville and their two daughters, Brian Laundrie cops narrow search based on new intelligence as rancher says Gabby Petito's fianc is NOT in reserve, Mystery as mom & son, 2 fall to their deaths before game at San Diego Padres stadium as cops probe suspicious case, Horrifying moment two starving Afghan boys are lashed to a wooden post by the Taliban for stealing bread, ISIS leader Abu Omar Khorasani executed by Taliban at Afghan prison as jihadis wage war after Afghanistans collapse, Inwood shooting: 'Five shot' outside Manhattan restaurant as 'gunman opened fire at crowd', Sickening moment young woman in a black bikini viciously attacks a teenage sunbather, Gabriel Salazar 'car accident': Heartbroken pals pay tribute to TikTok star Gabe amid reports influencer died aged 19. His name came after his father's friend, Frank Patty and his parental grandfather, William Somerville . The City of San Leandro also issued an official proclamation honoring him for speaking out about missing women of color and setting an example of strength and equity to our community and those worldwide.. For whatever reason, they decided not to re-sign me.. I think its probably time to (let them know) were still listening and waiting, Holland said. 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. TV Streaming | Frank Celeste, Gibson Sotheby's International Realty. The photo shows him with a beard and the caption: I think I look pretty cool for 63 if I do say so myself In response to a follower who said Somerville didnt look well, he said, I feel great. 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). This latest incident, coming just six weeks after Somervilles return to the anchor desk, will undoubtedly trigger speculation about his future with the station. Write by: . The local Fox affiliate has yet to comment on the incident, and as the Mercury News reported, Somerville has declined to respond to them for comment. In further comments to Lieberman over the phone, reported on his 415 Media blog, Somerville allegedly insisted he had not been drinking, and had just mistakenly taken Ambien before going on the air. Ive given my heart and soul to Channel 2. He first joined the San Francisco Bay Area station in 1991 and in 2008 became an anchor of the six o'clock and ten o'clock news broadcasts. "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.
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