At that point, Somerville stopped driving; police arrived a short time later. 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. 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 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. Over the years he has become one of the station's most recognisable having presented on screen for more than two decades. Stay up to date! Stay up to date! 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.. 4ba. All rights reserved, with driving under the influence following an arrest in late December in Oakland. But the way this story captivated the nation has many wondering why not the same media attention when people of color go missing?" 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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. 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. 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. 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. Sources told the outlet that Somerville was informed by station management the next day that he was being suspended. 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. During a now-infamous May 30 newscast, he repeatedly slurred and stumbled over his words and appeared to have trouble reading off the teleprompter. Somervilles Bay Area roots helped make him popular with viewers. And I wont stop fighting for equal media representation for all victims.. Frank Somerville is a journalist and news anchor for KTVU. I think its probably time to (let them know) were still listening and waiting, Holland said. I just dont notice the things you see, he added. The longtime KTVU news anchor is married to his wife, Donna Wright, a television producer. 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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. Somerville reportedly told the producer that Eikel had approved a shortened version, a source said. Somerville was booked into Santa Rita Jail in Dublin after his arrest, then released with a citation to appear in court. Reid said. 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. "I couldn't leave work at work," Somerville. 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. I helped make Mornings on 2 the No. A picture of him styling his Black, adopted daughter's hair went viral on the Internet. The longtime news anchor faced a rocky 2021. 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. 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. Born Frank William Somerville on 19th March 1958 in San Luis Obispo, California, Frank Somerville is a journalist. 42 Portfolio is located in Union Square, Somerville. In wake of scandal, East Bay school district keeps a close eye on staff behavior In an interview with the Bay Area News Group published Friday, the celebrated former KTVU anchor. [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. This latest incident, coming just six weeks after Somervilles return to the anchor desk, will undoubtedly trigger speculation about his future with the station. 3,096 sqft. Joshua Bote is the tech editor at SFGATE. ", He adds, "It makes me really sad, because Ive given 31 years to the station. Somervilles arrest came after he crashed his Porsche into another car in a downtown intersection in an accident caught on video. [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. He became co-anchor of the stations highly rated Mornings on 2 in 1992. 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 . The months-long saga surrounding longtime KTVU anchor Frank Somerville may have finally reached its conclusion. 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. The crash had nothing to do with it, Somerville said, saying managers had decided to cut him loose months earlier. 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. Who is Frank Somerville? Mr. 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. [citation needed] He attended Berkeley High School, graduating in 1976. The couple has two daughters - one of which, Callie, who was adopted in 2005 when she was a baby. A tag is a brief closing to a story thats typically read by an anchor. His parents raised him in Berkeley, California. Somerville, driving a 2014 Porsche 911, rear-ended a silver Audi. 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. 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. As per the sources, he was named after his father's friend Frank Patty. 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. Speaking about the case ofmissing geologist Daniel Robinson, she added: "I never heard of it until this friend of mine sent it to me. Somerville has had a tumultuous year. 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. 53-127 m (174-417 ft) (avg. Get the latest posts delivered right to your inbox. 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In 1992, he became co-anchor of the station's popular Mornings on 2 show. He took a nine-week leave to focus on his health and had only returned in August. "I still want to continue working, Somerville tells the Mercury News. 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. Additionally, he spent his childhood in Berkeley and was raised there. [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. Related Articles Somerville's attorney said that he is "attending meetings and working on himself. 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. [6] Another white person in Pacific Heights has been captured on video being an asshole to a person of color, this time questioning a man who was delivering Narcan to a nearby halfway house. The California native first started at KTVU as an intern in 1981 while attending San Francisco State University. "I feel like a total idiot," Somerville allegedly said. Elevation. 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 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. Somerville later excused that saying he had mistakenly taken an Ambien before going on the air. 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. But beyond that, the outlet did not get much more information from Somerville, who has had a rocky 2021. 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'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. I wish I could apologize to all of them in person. His first newspaper job was as a Washington Post paperboy. Now, though, Somerville appears to be putting it out there that he's looking for a job. 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. 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. 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. Silence irks activists, stirs questions about suspension, Oakland NAACP calls for Frank Somervilles reinstatement at KTVU. Somerville was hospitalized shortly after the incident and was booked at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin. 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.. Previously: Anchorman Frank Somerville's Future at KTVU In Doubt As Rumors Swirl About High Drama In the Newsroom. The collision took place near the intersection of Grand Avenue and Broadway Street just after 7:45 p.m. Dec. 31, 2021, Oakland police said at the time. He is a graduate of Bowie State University in Maryland with a BS degree in communications. Its another strange twist in a turbulent year for Somerville. Jay C. Barmann is a fiction writer and web editor who's lived in San Francisco for 20+ years. The collision occurred eastbound on West Grand Avenue, Windham wrote. And I guess thats the issue, isnt it?. 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. Somerville was pulled off the air over his coverage of Gabby's case, MSNBC host Joy Reiddiscussed the Gabby Petito case. And the photo has since gone. Sign up for NBC Bay Areas Housing Deconstructed newsletter. . Somerville, who has an adopted black daughter, reportedly pushed back after the tagline was refused. He is also survived by many uncles, aunts, cousins, nieces, nephews, extended family and friends. 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 homicide case. Woman suspected of making threats toward Christian schools campus in Walnut Creek arrested Related Articles This property is currently available for sale and was listed by MLS PIN on Mar . Early Life and Education. 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. 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 . Because Mr. Somervilles case is pending, he cannot personally comment at this time, but he takes full responsibility for what happened that night.. 1. Former SF anchor Frank Somerville publicly opens up about arrest, KTVU exit. 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? He's still in mourning over the cancellation of "Freaks and Geeks. He noted that his contract is up in January, so it seems like the management is just waiting that out. But as community groups voice frustration, questions also remain over Somervilles suspension. 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.
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