"The Petito family certainly deserves answers and justice. He became co-anchor of the stations highly rated Mornings on 2 in 1992. [5] He then attended San Francisco State University. By the end of the broadcast, co-anchor Julie Haener had taken over solo, and did the signoff for the show. 4ba. 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. Frank Somerville finally returns to KTVU: Are viewers owed an explanation? Jay C. Barmann is a fiction writer and web editor who's lived in San Francisco for 20+ years. I would give anything to work there. In a May broadcast of KTVUs 10 p.m. news program, Somerville was recorded slurring his words and abruptly left midbroadcast with no explanation. 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. Staff writer Harry Harris contributed to this report. Crime and Public Safety | But even with such declarations, community activists say they have yet to hear from the station managers or Fox about their concerns. Frank Somerville has spoken out for the first time since his Dec. 30 arrest for a suspected DUI. In interviews this week, Somerville declined to say anything more about his departure from KTVU, his arrest or his plans. KTVU's "Ten O'Clock News" has long held the top spot for the Bay Area's highest rated news broadcast. 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%. 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. He took a nine-week leave to focus on his health and had only returned in August. Ive given my heart and soul to Channel 2. Somerville, 63, won the awards at KTVU, which included an accolade for best on-camera news anchor. There was no word on how heated the discussion got. Crime and Public Safety | He has worked as an online coordinator and, before that, a copy editor and page designer for Bay Area-based newspapers and magazines. 2. A funeral service will be held on Tuesday, March 7th 2023 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM at the same location. Frank Somerville finally returns to KTVU: Are viewers owed an explanation? This past week, Mornings On 2 anchor Mike Mibach has been in Somervilles chair, including on Thursday nights newscasts at 5 and 6 p.m. when he simply introduced himself: Im Mike Mibach., Somerville said his health was great, a point he also made in a photo he shared on Instagram with his 5,100 followers this week. Somervilles last newscast for KTVU was on Sept. 21. A KTVU spokesperson later explained that he left the air to focus on his health.. He was also named anchor of Channel 2 News at 5 in April 2005, when it was launched. 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. Somerville has had a tumultuous year. 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. He is extremely sorry to the person he hit and has provided all information to his insurance company to cover the other drivers losses. 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. 2. The crash had nothing to do with it, Somerville said, saying managers had decided to cut him loose months earlier. I appreciate and admire what they do every day.. Sources said he wanted to point out that the U.S. media often disproportionately covers tragedies involving young White women, while largely ignoring similar cases involving women of color and Indigenous people. Woman suspected of making threats toward Christian schools campus in Walnut Creek arrested 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. Following the suspension and subsequent social media attention, two rallies were held in support of Somerville outside KTVU headquarters in Oakland. 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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. 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. Somerville, who has a mixed-race daughter, wanted to make a statement at the end of a segment regarding "missing white woman syndrome," a term coined by the late Gwen Ifill about American media's obsession with the disappearance of young, pretty Caucasian women, when very little national attention is given to the thousands of people of color who go missing every year. But as community groups voice frustration, questions also remain over Somervilles suspension. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. 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. February 27, 2023 equitable estoppel california No Comments . 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. A picture of him styling his Black, adopted daughter's hair went viral on the Internet. 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. Somerville later excused that saying he had mistakenly taken an Ambien before going on the air. Related Articles I feel great, he said in response. Somerville was born on March 19, 1958, in San Luis Obispo, California, but was raised in Berkeley. 53-127 m (174-417 ft) (avg. Stay up to date! 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. Somerville, driving a 2014 Porsche 911, rear-ended a silver Audi. Write by: . Somervilles Bay Area roots helped make him popular with viewers. . He is due to appear Feb. 28. 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. Frank Somerville (born March 19, 1958) is an American television journalist. 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. [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. Stay up to date! 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. 3,096 sqft. "[11], On December 30, 2021, Somerville was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence after an automobile collision. And the photo has since gone. 2 Frank Somerville Credit: Facebook/Frank Somerville Who is Frank Somerville's wife? 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? $5,550,000. Following Somervilles suspension, two rallies were held outside the KTVU studios in Jack London Square in October, both sparked by his reported desire to address disparities in media coverage of White crime victims like Petito versus women of color. Who is Frank Somerville? 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. Longtime KTVU anchor Frank Somerville is facing two DUI charges following a car accident on Dec. 30, 2021. She'd now be 8 years old, and her case got little national attention at the time and she remains unaccounted for. In 1992, he became co-anchor of the station's popular Mornings on 2 show. I wish I could apologize to all of them in person. [6], Somerville was an intern at KTVU in 1981, while attending San Francisco State. Sources said Eikel was willing to assign a reporter to do a separate, more in-depth story. Longtime KTVU anchor Frank Somerville shared a Facebook post Saturday reflecting on his arrest and his termination from KTVU nearly a year later. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. The FBI has issued an arrest warrant for Brian Laundrie, Petitos 23-year-old fianc. What Somerville did that was so wrong is less clear. 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. KTVU's news division was infamously responsible for broadcasting the offensive fake names of the pilots of Asiana Airlines Flight 214 following a July 2013 crash at SFO, a mistake they blamed on the National Transportation Safety Board who, in turn, blamed a summer intern. Its really, really sad, because Ive given 31 years to the station, he said. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! Somerville was not involved in that flub. Ive given my heart and soul to Channel 2, he told the Bay Area News Group. 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. Petito, 22, had been reported missing earlier this month while on a cross-country camping trip. 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