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. He added that the decision was made long before December, when the alleged DUI took place. Frank Somerville has spoken out for the first time since his Dec. 30 arrest for a suspected DUI. Joshua Bote is the tech editor at SFGATE. The New York-born Petito was slain during a cross-country van trip with her fiance, Brian Laundrie. 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. 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. 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. MSNBC host Joy Reiddiscussed the Gabby Petito case on her showon September 20. At that point, Somerville stopped driving; police arrived a short time later. As of now, he is already 64 years old and his zodiac sign is Pisces. In wake of scandal, East Bay school district keeps a close eye on staff behavior But even with such declarations, community activists say they have yet to hear from the station managers or Fox about their concerns. 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 . 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. 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. 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. But I have no reason to think otherwise.". Staff writers Harry Harris and Rick Hurd contributed to this report. Mr. Somervilles Bay Area roots helped make him popular with viewers. 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. 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. The FBI has issued an arrest warrant for Brian Laundrie, Petitos 23-year-old fianc. 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. So, nothing like this happens again. Somerville was hospitalized shortly after the incident and was booked at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin. 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. Holland wondered if KTVU or Fox simply hope the controversy will disappear. 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.". The crash had nothing to do with it, Somerville said, saying managers had decided to cut him loose months earlier. If not, Ill go to other stations outside of the market. FRANK Somerville has reportedly been pulled off the air at KTVU over his coverage of the Gabby Petito case. 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. Leslie Shawn Rayburn posted this. Sources told the outlet that Somerville was informed by station management the next day that he was being suspended. ", Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. . 2. ", He adds, "It makes me really sad, because Ive given 31 years to the station. 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. Theylearned that Somerville had been driving a 2014 Porsche east on West Grand when he rear-ended an Audi stopped at the intersection. 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. 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. 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. 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.. 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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. 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. In 2008, he was named co-anchor of the 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. newscasts, replacing 40-year veteran Dennis Richmond. 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. He became co-anchor of the stations highly rated Mornings on 2 in 1992. 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. He is also survived by many uncles, aunts, cousins, nieces, nephews, extended family and friends. 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. I wish I could apologize to all of them in person. 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.". 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. 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. Federal jury finds Bay Area man guilty in string of East Bay bank robberies Crime and Public Safety | "[11], On December 30, 2021, Somerville was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence after an automobile collision. A tag is a brief closing to a story thats typically read by an anchor. She'd now be 8 years old, and her case got little national attention at the time and she remains unaccounted for. Email us at exclusive@the-sun.com or call 212 416 4552. 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. [citation needed] He attended Berkeley High School, graduating in 1976. Sources said that Somerville was informed by station management the next day that he was being suspended. [6] Somerville displayed symptoms of driving under the influence of alcohol, with bloodshot eyes, slurred speech and odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from his person. After a field sobriety test showed signs of impairment, the documents said, two separate breathalyzer tests found that Somerville had blood alcohol levels of 0.239% and 0.219%. Holland and Galvis insist the ultimate focus of their rallies was not Somerville, nor were they saying the media shouldnt cover Petitos killing. 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. Jurors hopelessly deadlocked in Bay Point murder trial, mistrial declared ", "My guess is that Im not coming back to Channel 2, Somerville tells the Chronicle. 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 was hospitalized shortly after the incident and was booked at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin. A KTVU spokesperson later explained that he left the air to focus on his health.. 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. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. The venerated KTVU anchor spoke to the Bay Area News Group in an interview published . In a May broadcast of KTVU's 10 p.m. news program,. Somerville takes these charges very seriously. (He was a prolific Facebook user until September. 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). Theyre not re-signing me. [7], In June 2021, Somerville took a personal leave of absence from KTVU following an on-air incident during which he struggled to read the script for several stories and appeared to slur his words. 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. Silence irks activists, stirs questions about suspension, Oakland NAACP calls for Frank Somervilles reinstatement at KTVU. 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. Theyre the backbone of Channel 2. Ive given my heart and soul to Channel 2. 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. 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 think its really indicative of the silencing and invisibility of Black and brown people, said Galvis, whose group worked with Restoring Justice for Indigenous Peoples to organize the rally. 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. NEW - 21 HRS AGO. His next scheduled court appearance will be 9 a.m. May 6 at Oaklands Wiley Manuel courthouse, a district attorney spokesperson said. Frank Somerville, a veteran TV newscaster suspended from KTVU following a dispute over coverage of the Gabby Petito homicide case, said Tuesday that he believes he is not returning to the station . 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This was Somervilles second suspension in a tumultuous year. All rights reserved, with driving under the influence following an arrest in late December in Oakland. Frank Somerville, the anchor for KTVU, has been 'suspended indefinitely' by the network Credit: Facebook/Frank Somerville. His first newspaper job was as a Washington Post paperboy. 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. Thats just a guess. They had told me long before that.. 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%. 3,096 sqft. 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Get the latest posts delivered right to your inbox. I feel great, he said in response. He took a nine-week leave to focus on his health and had only returned in August. 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. I would give anything to work there. 3bd. The request was denied by KTVU news director Amber Eikel, who called the tag line inappropriate, according to the source. 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. 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.. 1. 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. Related Articles 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 . 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 is a journalist and news anchor for KTVU. The longtime KTVU news anchor is married to his wife, Donna Wright, a television producer. 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. 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 Black women in America face, an unnamed source with knowledge of the situation told SFGATE in September. Reid hosted a discussion with representatives from the Black and Missing Foundation andNot Our Native Daughters Foundation when she made the comments. Early Life and Education. 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. Get the latest posts delivered right to your inbox. Reynolds said Somerville may have been well-intentioned, and that he certainly seems passionate about fairness in coverage. There was no word on how heated the discussion got. Somervilles next hearing will take place May 6. 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 . Frank Somerville finally returns to KTVU: Are viewers owed an explanation? 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. The case of Gabby has sparked a national outcry as her fianc Brian Laundrie continues to evade authorities. As Somerville has pointed out on social media, he is the father of an adopted Black daughter. Info stolen in Oakland ransomware attack set to be released Somerville was born on March 19, 1958, in San Luis Obispo, California, but was raised in Berkeley. Somerville did not reply to repeated efforts to contact him, nor did representatives from Fox News, who said last month only that the anchor had been suspended pending further review. No one at KTVU, including news director Amber Eikel, would speak on the record. 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. 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 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.. "I couldn't leave work at work," Somerville. 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. 2 Frank Somerville Credit: Facebook/Frank Somerville Who is Frank Somerville's wife? In interviews this week, Somerville declined to say anything more about his departure from KTVU, his arrest or his plans.

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