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On March 19, 1958, Frank Somerville was born in San Luis Obispo, California, US. Write by: . Petito, 22, had been reported missing earlier this month while on a cross-country camping trip. He is a graduate of Bowie State University in Maryland with a BS degree in communications. As Somerville has pointed out on social media, he is the father of an adopted Black daughter. You can see video of the Sunday 10 o'clock broadcast below, in which Somerville has difficulty reading from his teleprompter. ", He adds, "It makes me really sad, because Ive given 31 years to the station. 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.. Get the latest posts delivered right to your inbox. KTVU again removes Frank Somerville from the air Frank Bacci (J), 50 Public Records - Somerville Massachusetts Meanwhile, Oakland police are awaiting the results of blood tests before turning the case over to Alameda County prosecutors to decide whether to file charges. 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. And I guess thats the issue, isnt it?. 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. 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. Somerville was hospitalized shortly after the incident and was booked at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin. Somerville reportedly told the producer that Eikel had approved a shortened version, a source said. Alameda County DA charges former TV anchor Frank Somerville with DUIs According to Windham's statement, Somerville showed symptoms of being under the influence of alcohol when officers reached him. 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. Early Life and Education. We wanted to give KTVU a chance to see if they would independently respond, said George Holland, the president of the Oakland chapter of the NAACP, which hosted a rally for 40 to 50 people on Oct. 2. Frank Somerville: KTVU anchor fired for discussion on 'missing - MEAWW 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. 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. Longtime Bay Area News Anchor Frank Somerville Charged With DUI 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. 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. 53-127 m (174-417 ft) (avg. He added that the decision was made long before December, when the alleged DUI took place. $5,550,000. And the photo has since gone. Somerville, who has an adopted black daughter, reportedly pushed back after the tagline was refused. ", Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. He was also named anchor of Channel 2 News at 5 in April 2005, when it was launched. Frank Somerville- Bio, Age, Net Worth, Height, Married, Facts So, I'm assuming I've done my last newscast," Somerville said. 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 . Somerville was hospitalized shortly after the incident and was booked at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin. All rights reserved, with driving under the influence following an arrest in late December in Oakland. 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. Elevation. 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.". Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. But beyond that, the outlet did not get much more information from Somerville, who has had a rocky 2021. Ive given my heart and soul to Channel 2. A funeral service will be held on Tuesday, March 7th 2023 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM at the same location. 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. NEW - 21 HRS AGO. 1 newscast in the market. 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, 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. [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. "The Petito family certainly deserves answers and justice. 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Theyre the backbone of Channel 2. The request was denied by KTVU news director Amber Eikel, who called the tagline inappropriate, a source told SFGATE in September, leading to criticism from the Oakland chapter of the NAACP. 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. Over the years he has become one of the station's most recognisable having presented on screen for more than two decades. Frank Somerville has spoken out for the first time since his Dec. 30 arrest for a suspected DUI. 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. 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 says KTVU wouldn't re-sign him: 'I am done' The case of Gabby has sparked a national outcry as her fianc Brian Laundrie continues to evade authorities. 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 work out every day.. Previously: Anchorman Frank Somerville's Future at KTVU In Doubt As Rumors Swirl About High Drama In the Newsroom. 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He is due to appear Feb. 28. Silence irks activists, stirs questions about suspension, Oakland NAACP calls for Frank Somervilles reinstatement at KTVU. "No one at the station Fox/KTVU has contacted me. Theylearned that Somerville had been driving a 2014 Porsche east on West Grand when he rear-ended an Audi stopped at the intersection. 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. The request was denied by KTVU news director Amber Eikel, who called the tag line inappropriate, according to the source. KTVU's Frank Somerville faces 2 DUI charges after car crash - SFGATE Somervilles last newscast for KTVU was on Sept. 21. 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. As per the sources, he was named after his father's friend Frank Patty. 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. Woman suspected of making threats toward Christian schools campus in Walnut Creek arrested 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. 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. There was no word on how heated the discussion got. Ive given my heart and soul to Channel 2, he told the Bay Area News Group. The Berkeley native had been an intern at KTVU many years before. 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. Staff writers Harry Harris and Rick Hurd contributed to this report. The crash had nothing to do with it, Somerville said, saying managers had decided to cut him loose months earlier. He is also survived by many uncles, aunts, cousins, nieces, nephews, extended family and friends. Somervilles arrest came after he crashed his Porsche into another car in a downtown intersection in an accident caught on video. [5] He then attended San Francisco State University. 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. (He was a prolific Facebook user until September. 42 Portfolio, Somerville, MA 02143 is a 9 bedroom, 18 bathroom, 15,789 sqft multi-family built in 1900. 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.". FRANK Somerville has reportedly been pulled off the air at KTVU over his coverage of the Gabby Petito case. He became co-anchor of the stations highly rated Mornings on 2 in 1992. 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. Crime and Public Safety | 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 . 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. Since his suspension, Somerville has shared videos and posts on Instagram his social media platform of choice since leaving KTVU. This was Somervilles second suspension in a tumultuous year. Somerville was not involved in that flub. 1. I also helped make the noon and 5 p.m. newscasts No. 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%. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. The FBI has issued an arrest warrant for Brian Laundrie, Petitos 23-year-old fianc. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! Related Articles [13], In December 2022, Somerville went public about his dismissal from the station on a Facebook post. But the way this story captivated the nation has many wondering why not the same media attention when people of color go missing?" Former SF anchor Frank Somerville publicly opens up about arrest, KTVU exit. 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 . A KTVU spokesperson later explained that he left the air to focus on his health..