Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. 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. 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. Leslie Shawn Rayburn posted this. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! I work out every day.. 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. 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.. The crash had nothing to do with it, Somerville said, saying managers had decided to cut him loose months earlier. Related Articles Somerville's attorney said that he is "attending meetings and working on himself. The next day, Somerville was told he was suspended for defying a superiors orders, sources said. Jay C. Barmann is a fiction writer and web editor who's lived in San Francisco for 20+ years. 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. And I guess thats the issue, isnt it?. Holland wondered if KTVU or Fox simply hope the controversy will disappear. KTVU suspended veteran anchor Frank Somerville after the station news director nixed his proposal to add commentary about racial justice to coverage of the Gabrielle "Gabby" Petito homicide . Who is Frank Somerville? 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. 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 is due to appear Feb. 28. Somerville, driving a 2014 Porsche 911, rear-ended a silver Audi. Reynolds said Somerville may have been well-intentioned, and that he certainly seems passionate about fairness in coverage. Frank Somerville speaks out after arrest for suspected DUI - SFGATE Somervilles Bay Area roots helped make him popular with viewers. 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 . 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. 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. Theyre not re-signing me. (He was a prolific Facebook user until September. Frank Somerville says he's done at KTVU, apologizes to newsroom for Sources said that Somerville was informed by station management the next day that he was being suspended. He added that the decision was made long before December, when the alleged DUI took place. While Somerville was attending San Francisco State University in 1981, he interned at KTVU. 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). 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. 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. 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. 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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 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. This property is currently available for sale and was listed by MLS PIN on Mar . 2. I think its probably time to (let them know) were still listening and waiting, Holland said. I would give anything to work there. A KTVU spokesperson later explained that he left the air to focus on his health.. 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 . Somerville, a white male, is being lionized and becoming the topic of the story and not the women who have been ignored, Reynolds said. 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. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! MSNBC host Joy Reiddiscussed the Gabby Petito case on her showon September 20. The months-long saga surrounding longtime KTVU anchor Frank Somerville may have finally reached its conclusion. 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. During a now-infamous May 30 newscast, he repeatedly slurred and stumbled over his words and appeared to have trouble reading off the teleprompter. The New York-born Petito was slain during a cross-country van trip with her fiance, Brian Laundrie. But she hadnt and the new tag was removed. In interviews this week, Somerville declined to say anything more about his departure from KTVU, his arrest or his plans. Chuck Barney is the TV critic and columnist for the Bay Area News Group. 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. Former SF anchor Frank Somerville publicly opens up about arrest, KTVU exit. frank somerville house The Alameda County District Attorney's Office filed charges against former Bay Area news anchor Frank Somerville following a Dec. 30 car wreck in a busy downtown Oakland intersection. 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. Frank Somerville says he's 'never going to anchor' at KTVU again 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. 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. Where's Frank Somerville? Silence irks activists, stirs questions about Email us at exclusive@the-sun.com or call 212 416 4552. 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. Look closely at this picture. 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. There was no word on how heated the discussion got. 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.. 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