In 1992, he became co-anchor of the station's popular Mornings on 2 show. [5], In 2013, Somerville apologized on behalf of KTVU for an incident in which racist pilot names were read out in a broadcast on Asiana Airlines Flight 214. 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. 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. Somerville takes these charges very seriously. Since then, Fox and station management have refused to publicly speak to the issue. 2. The crash had nothing to do with it, Somerville said, saying managers had decided to cut him loose months earlier. A picture of him styling his Black, adopted daughter's hair went viral on the Internet. Holland wondered if KTVU or Fox simply hope the controversy will disappear. 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. His name came after his father's friend, Frank Patty and his parental grandfather, William Somerville . 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. Frank Somerville says he believes he won't be coming back to KTVU 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.. A funeral service will be held on Tuesday, March 7th 2023 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM at the same location. In a May broadcast of KTVU's 10 p.m. news program,. His next scheduled court appearance will be 9 a.m. May 6 at Oaklands Wiley Manuel courthouse, a district attorney spokesperson said. Somerville was pulled off the air over his coverage of Gabby's case, MSNBC host Joy Reiddiscussed the Gabby Petito case. But the way this story captivated the nation has many wondering why not the same media attention when people of color go missing?" 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. At that point, Somerville stopped driving; police arrived a short time later. 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. Speaking about the case ofmissing geologist Daniel Robinson, she added: "I never heard of it until this friend of mine sent it to me. Neither Fox nor KTVU has made any official statement on the matter. He noted that his contract is up in January, so it seems like the management is just waiting that out. He said it was deeply concerning that KTVU wasnt even willing to have a conversation about media coverage when it serves the Bay Areas diverse viewers. In interviews this week, Somerville declined to say anything more about his departure from KTVU, his arrest or his plans. 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. 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.". Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. 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Get the latest posts delivered right to your inbox. Frank Bacci (J), 50 Public Records - Somerville Massachusetts His last video was published March 31, voicing his perspective on the Will Smith slap at the Oscars and recounting anincident in which his wifes boss repeatedly harassed her. According to The Mercury News, Somerville wanted to add a tagline to a segment about the case to point out the disparity in the coverage of missing persons cases of white women relative to women 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. So I am done at Channel 2, Somerville said in a brief phone interview this week with the Bay Area News Group. 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. Somerville reportedly told the producer that Eikel had approved a shortened version, a source said. Ive given my heart and soul to Channel 2, he told the Bay Area News Group. Frank Somerville's 31-year career at KTVU, where his nightly anchoring duties made him one of the Bay Area's most beloved TV news personalities, officially came to an end Friday, as his. Sources said that Somerville was informed by station management the next day that he was being suspended. This latest incident, coming just six weeks after Somervilles return to the anchor desk, will undoubtedly trigger speculation about his future with the station. Holland and Galvis insist the ultimate focus of their rallies was not Somerville, nor were they saying the media shouldnt cover Petitos killing. According to station sources, Somerville, 63, has been "suspended indefinitely" by Channel 2 management after a disagreement with news director Amber Eikel over coverage of the Gabby Petito. In a May broadcast of KTVUs 10 p.m. news program, Somerville was recorded slurring his words and abruptly left midbroadcast with no explanation. "I still want to continue working, Somerville tells the Mercury News. The request was denied by KTVU news director Amber Eikel, who called the tag line inappropriate, according to the source. 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. 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. The Alameda County District Attorney's Office filed charges against former Bay Area news anchor Frank Somerville following a Dec. 30 car wreck in a busy downtown Oakland intersection. As Somerville has pointed out on social media, he is the father of an adopted Black daughter. Crime and Public Safety | ", 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. Born Frank William Somerville on 19th March 1958 in San Luis Obispo, California, Frank Somerville is a journalist. Update: A spokesperson for Fox tells the Mercury News, "We can confirm Frank is taking time away from the desk to focus on his health and we welcome his return when he is ready.". She has previously reported or edited for Bay Area news and lifestyle publications, including Walnut Creek Patch, and Diablo, Oakland and Alameda magazines, as well as The Nation in Bangkok, Thailand and The Economist. The case of Gabby has sparked a national outcry as her fianc Brian Laundrie continues to evade authorities. Related Articles I helped make Mornings on 2 the No. [16][17][18][19], Somerville has been a vegetarian since the age of 12. Silence irks activists, stirs questions about suspension, Oakland NAACP calls for Frank Somervilles reinstatement at KTVU. Early Life and Education. Hes one of the highest paid anchors in the Bay Area, but his contract is up in March. Former SF anchor Frank Somerville publicly opens up about arrest, KTVU exit. 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. KTVU anchor Frank Somerville remains off air after abrupt Sunday exit 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. [1] During his three decades at KTVU in Oakland, California, Somerville received three Emmy Awards, including one for best on-camera news anchor. ", Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. 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. Frank Somerville speaks out after arrest for suspected DUI - SFGATE Look closely at this picture. I think its probably time to (let them know) were still listening and waiting, Holland said. Jurors hopelessly deadlocked in Bay Point murder trial, mistrial declared Frank Somerville - Facebook Its really, really sad, because Ive given 31 years to the station, he said. According to a police statement in charging documents obtained Thursday, officers responded to Broadway and West Grand Avenue at about 8:20 p.m. Dec. 30, 2021 for a vehicle collision. [10] In November 2021, he said in an interview with the Bay Area News Group that KTVU had not contacted him and that "All indications are that Im never going to anchor at Channel 2 again. As of now, he is already 64 years old and his zodiac sign is Pisces. He became co-anchor of KTVU's morning news program in 1992 and was the first anchor of the 5 p.m. newscast when it launched in 2005. Frank Somerville has spoken out for the first time since his Dec. 30 arrest for a suspected DUI. The longtime news anchor faced a rocky 2021. 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 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. . 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. 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. "[11], On December 30, 2021, Somerville was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence after an automobile collision. After the initial collision, the driver of the Audi got out of their vehicle and Somerville, in his Porsche, allegedly pushed the Audi across the intersection of Broadway and West Grand Avenue until the Audi hit a pole on the southwest corner of the intersection, Windham's statement said. 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 . But I have no reason to think otherwise.". MSNBC host Joy Reiddiscussed the Gabby Petito case on her showon September 20. On March 19, 1958, Frank Somerville was born in San Luis Obispo, California, US. The couple has two daughters - one of which, Callie, who was adopted in 2005 when she was a baby. George Galvis, executive director of Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice, which helped organize the Oct. 12 rally, said KTVUs silence is a response.. Frank Somerville has spoken out for the first time since his Dec. 30 arrest for a suspected DUI. He added that the decision was made long before December, when the alleged DUI took place. Thats just a guess. 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Longtime KTVU anchor Frank Somerville, who's been off the air since being suspended by management in September over a disagreement about the coverage of the Gabby Petito case, is speaking out and telling the press that he doesn't expect he'll be back at the station and also, no one from the station or Fox has even bothered contacting him. I wish I could apologize to all of them in person. KTVU's "Ten O'Clock News" has long held the top spot for the Bay Area's highest rated news broadcast. These rallies were followed by the City of San Leandro issuing an official proclamation honoring Somerville "for speaking out about missing women of color and setting an example of strength and equity to our community and those worldwide.". Somerville has kept his relationship with Donna mostly private, however, in an interview with the National Academy Of Television Arts & Sciences, he opened up about his personal life. February 27, 2023 equitable estoppel california No Comments . ", "My guess is that Im not coming back to Channel 2, Somerville tells the Chronicle. 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.