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. KTVU News Director Amber Eikel has allegedly taken Somerville off the air until further notice, as Liberman reports. 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. [1] During his three decades at KTVU in Oakland, California, Somerville received three Emmy Awards, including one for best on-camera news anchor. Look closely at this picture. Shortly before the 5 p.m. broadcast, Eikel told Somerville she planned to cut the tag after newsroom editors raised concerns. 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. Frank Celeste, Gibson Sotheby's International Realty. As Somerville has pointed out on social media, he is the father of an adopted Black daughter. 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. 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. He took a nine-week leave to focus on his health and had only returned in August. He was off 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. Stay up to date! Before the 6 p.m. broadcast, a producer, not familiar with the earlier discussions between Somerville and Eikel, noticed that a shortened tag had been added to the Petito update. I think its probably time to (let them know) were still listening and waiting, Holland said. But beyond that, the outlet did not get much more information from Somerville, who has had a rocky 2021. 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. But I have no reason to think otherwise.". OAKLAND The Alameda County District Attorney's Office has filed two misdemeanor charges against former KTVU news anchor Frank Somerville in connection with his arrest late last year on. 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. MSNBC host Joy Reid criticized her own industry on her prime-time program, calling the Petito coverage an example of missing White woman syndrome, a term coined by the late PBS anchor Gwen Ifill to describe the medias often lopsided focus on white women and girls when they go missing. The crash had nothing to do with it, Somerville said, saying managers had decided to cut him loose months earlier. 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. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! In related news, CNN is reckoning with its Petito coverage and just took up a local missing-persons case involving Arianna Fitts, a Bay Area girl who is black, and who went missing in 2016 at the age of 2. Federal jury finds Bay Area man guilty in string of East Bay bank robberies 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. Following a car crash late last December, embattled Bay Areareporter Frank Somerville now faces two DUI charges. Theyre not re-signing me. All rights reserved, with driving under the influence following an arrest in late December in Oakland. Joshua Bote is the tech editor at SFGATE. 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. ContactGeorge Kelly at 408-859-5180. 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. Off work, he enjoys playing in bands, busking and karaoke. While Somerville was attending San Francisco State University in 1981, he interned at KTVU. [2][3][4], Somerville was born on March 19, 1958, in San Luis Obispo, California, but was raised in Berkeley. 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. 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. A tag is a brief closing to a story thats typically read by an anchor. Longtime KTVU anchor Frank Somerville shared a Facebook post Saturday reflecting on his arrest and his termination from KTVU nearly a year later. Somervilles last newscast for KTVU was on Sept. 21. So, nothing like this happens again. On March 19, 1958, Frank Somerville was born in San Luis Obispo, California, US. Somerville pushed back, but was overruled, a newsroom source said. frank somerville house. 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. Ive given my heart and soul to Channel 2, he told the Bay Area News Group. I work out every day.. 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 Berkeley native had been an intern at KTVU many years before. Chuck Barney is the TV critic and columnist for the Bay Area News Group. He works out and practices the Israeli martial art of Krav Maga.[20]. He was also named anchor of Channel 2 News at 5 in April 2005, when it was launched. 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. But she hadnt and the new tag was removed. There was no word on how heated the discussion got. 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. MSNBC host Joy Reiddiscussed the Gabby Petito case on her showon September 20. 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. 42 Portfolio, Somerville, MA 02143 is a 9 bedroom, 18 bathroom, 15,789 sqft multi-family built in 1900. His first newspaper job was as a Washington Post paperboy. "I feel like a total idiot," Somerville allegedly said. I feel great, he said in response. 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. Before moving to Frank's current city of Somerville, MA, Frank lived in Bolton MA.In the past, Frank has also been known as Frank J Bacci. I would give anything to work there. George Kelly is a breaking news reporter for the Bay Area News Group's East Bay Times and Mercury News. 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.". Who is Frank Somerville? Related Articles 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. 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. Frank Somerville is a journalist and news anchor for 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. 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. KTVU anchor Frank Somerville anchors the five o'clock news at the KTVU studio on Tuesday, May 5, 2009, in Oakland, Calif. It's been one year since Somerville replaced longtime anchor Dennis . 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. KTVU's "Ten O'Clock News" has long held the top spot for the Bay Area's highest rated news broadcast. Last fall, he told this news organization that he anticipated his days anchoring at KTVU were over after he was suspended in September for an off-air dispute about the coverage of the Gabby Petito case. In a May broadcast of KTVU's 10 p.m. news program,. Somerville does not believe that his Dec. 30 arrest in Oakland on suspicion of driving under the influence was a factor in the stations decision. 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). [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. Crime and Public Safety | Since his suspension, Somerville has shared videos and posts on Instagram his social media platform of choice since leaving KTVU. Somerville has reportedly been "suspended indefinitely" after a behind-the-scenes disagreement about his coverage of the22-year-old vlogger's disappearance. 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. Days later, a spokesperson for Fox the network that owns and operates KTVU announced that Somerville would take an indefinite leave of absence to focus on his health.. Holland and Galvis insist the ultimate focus of their rallies was not Somerville, nor were they saying the media shouldnt cover Petitos killing. 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[12], Somerville's suspension from KTVU would become permanent in January 2022 when his contract expired and KTVU would decide not to re-sign him. Somerville later excused that saying he had mistakenly taken an Ambien before going on the air. 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. I would give anything to work there. Thats just a guess. A funeral service will be held on Tuesday, March 7th 2023 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM at the same location. Last week, the City of San Leandro also issued an official proclamation honoring the multiple Emmy-winning anchor for speaking out about missing women of color and setting an example of strength and equity to our community and those worldwide.. 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. 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. [16][17][18][19], Somerville has been a vegetarian since the age of 12. As per his date of birth, his birth sign is Pisces. In an interview with the Bay Area News Group published Friday, the celebrated former KTVU anchor. Somerville, 63, won the awards at KTVU, which included an accolade for best on-camera news anchor. Petito, 22, had been reported missing earlier this month while on a cross-country camping trip. The case of Gabby has sparked a national outcry as her fianc Brian Laundrie continues to evade authorities. So, I'm assuming I've done my last newscast," Somerville said. 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. A picture of him styling his Black, adopted daughter's hair went viral on the Internet. Reportedly, Somerville butted heads with KTVU News Director Amber Eikel over the addition of this "tag" that Somerville wanted to say on air, with Eikel saying that the topic deserved separate coverage at a later date. 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Somerville was not involved in that flub. Staff writers Harry Harris and Rick Hurd contributed to this report. He became co-anchor of the stations highly rated Mornings on 2 in 1992. Somerville wanted to add a brief tagline at the end of the report that questioned the extraordinary level of media coverage devoted to the story. Since Somervilles suspension, two rallies have been held outside the KTVU studios in Jack London Square on Oct. 2 and and Oct. 12, both sparked by Somervilles reported desire to address disparities in media coverage of White crime victims like Petito versus women of color. His parents raised him in Berkeley, California. Alameda County DA charges former TV anchor, 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), Alameda County DA charges former TV anchor Frank Somerville with DUIs, Info stolen in Oakland ransomware attack set to be released, Woman suspected of making threats toward Christian schools campus in Walnut Creek arrested, Federal jury finds Bay Area man guilty in string of East Bay bank robberies, Jurors hopelessly deadlocked in Bay Point murder trial, mistrial declared, In wake of scandal, East Bay school district keeps a close eye on staff behavior. In interviews this week, Somerville declined to say anything more about his departure from KTVU, his arrest or his plans. The venerated KTVU anchor spoke to the Bay Area News Group in an interview published . 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. Stay up to date! But the way this story captivated the nation has many wondering why not the same media attention when people of color go missing?" [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. This was Somervilles second suspension in a tumultuous year. Related Articles A station spokesperson could not be reached as of Friday evening, and Eikel declined to comment. 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. 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 . 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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 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. That's a shivering duck sheltering a puppy with its wings. "The Petito family certainly deserves answers and justice. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. They had told me long before that.. Reid said. The Alameda County District Attorneys Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from SFGATE. Viral Kids' Star Ms. Rachel Is Taking a Break From Social Media After Backlash Over Co-Star Who Uses They/Them Pronouns, Actor Tom Sizemore, of Saving Private Ryan,' Dies at 61, Alex Murdaugh Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murder of Wife and Son, Los Gatos Mom Accused of Hosting Alcohol-Fueled Teen Parties Attacked in Jail, Hospitalized. Somerville, a white male, is being lionized and becoming the topic of the story and not the women who have been ignored, Reynolds said. Theylearned that Somerville had been driving a 2014 Porsche east on West Grand when he rear-ended an Audi stopped at the intersection. 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. All this drama isnt good, Somerville said. 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. 53-127 m (174-417 ft) (avg. 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. I appreciate and admire what they do every day.. . By the end of the broadcast, co-anchor Julie Haener had taken over solo, and did the signoff for the show. He is due to appear Feb. 28. Frank Somerville finally returns to KTVU: Are viewers owed an explanation? "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.". 3bd. 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.. 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. Somerville, who has an adopted black daughter, reportedly pushed back after the tagline was refused. A KTVU spokesperson later explained that he left the air to focus on his health.. 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. 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. Somerville is the adoptive father of a Black teen daughter. [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. [5] He then attended San Francisco State University. 80346 /80620. This property is currently available for sale and was listed by MLS PIN on Mar . Write by: . Speaking about the case ofmissing geologist Daniel Robinson, she added: "I never heard of it until this friend of mine sent it to me. The longtime news anchor faced a rocky 2021. 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. Its really, really sad, because Ive given 31 years to the station, he said. 2 Frank Somerville Credit: Facebook/Frank Somerville Who is Frank Somerville's wife? Frank Somerville has spoken out for the first time since his Dec. 30 arrest for a suspected DUI. "[11], On December 30, 2021, Somerville was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence after an automobile collision. [6] He was named after his father's childhood friend, Frank Patty, and his paternal grandfather, William Somerville. The months-long saga surrounding longtime KTVU anchor Frank Somerville may have finally reached its conclusion.