Viral Kids' Star Ms. Rachel Is Taking a Break From Social Media After Backlash Over Co-Star Who Uses They/Them Pronouns, Actor Tom Sizemore, of Saving Private Ryan,' Dies at 61, Alex Murdaugh Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murder of Wife and Son, Los Gatos Mom Accused of Hosting Alcohol-Fueled Teen Parties Attacked in Jail, Hospitalized. 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. Crime and Public Safety | The Berkeley native had been an intern at KTVU many years before. 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. "Well, the answer actually has a name: Missing White Woman Syndrome, the term coined by the late and greatGwen Ifillto describe the media and public fascination with missing white women likeLaci PetersonorNatalee Holloway,while ignoring cases involving of people of color.". 42 Portfolio, Somerville, MA 02143 is a 9 bedroom, 18 bathroom, 15,789 sqft multi-family built in 1900. [16][17][18][19], Somerville has been a vegetarian since the age of 12. 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. 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. He is a graduate of Bowie State University in Maryland with a BS degree in communications. The New York-born Petito was slain during a cross-country van trip with her fiance, Brian Laundrie. Previously: Anchorman Frank Somerville's Future at KTVU In Doubt As Rumors Swirl About High Drama In the Newsroom. For whatever reason, they decided not to re-sign me.. Somerville's attorney said that he is "attending meetings and working on himself. Somerville pushed back, but was overruled, a newsroom source said. According to Windham's statement, Somerville showed symptoms of being under the influence of alcohol when officers reached him. 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Leslie Shawn Rayburn posted this. He has worked as an online coordinator and, before that, a copy editor and page designer for Bay Area-based newspapers and magazines. $5,550,000. As per the sources, he was named after his father's friend Frank Patty. Joshua Bote is the tech editor at SFGATE. And the photo has since gone. [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. But as community groups voice frustration, questions also remain over Somervilles suspension. A station spokesperson could not be reached as of Friday evening, and Eikel declined to comment. The California native first started at KTVU as an intern in 1981 while attending San Francisco State University. Crime and Public Safety | [6], Somerville was an intern at KTVU in 1981, while attending San Francisco State. 2. I would give anything to work there. Sign up for NBC Bay Areas Housing Deconstructed newsletter. Sources told the outlet that Somerville was informed by station management the next day that he was being suspended. 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. 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. In a May broadcast of KTVUs 10 p.m. news program, Somerville was recorded slurring his words and abruptly left midbroadcast with no explanation. By the end of the broadcast, co-anchor Julie Haener had taken over solo, and did the signoff for the show. A funeral service will be held on Tuesday, March 7th 2023 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM at the same location. He added that the decision was made long before December, when the alleged DUI took place. As per his date of birth, his birth sign is Pisces. Jurors hopelessly deadlocked in Bay Point murder trial, mistrial declared His first newspaper job was as a Washington Post paperboy. 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. Early Life and Education. 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. He became co-anchor of the stations highly rated Mornings on 2 in 1992. Somervilles arrest came after he crashed his Porsche into another car in a downtown intersection in an accident caught on video. Theyre not re-signing me. You can see video of the Sunday 10 o'clock broadcast below, in which Somerville has difficulty reading from his teleprompter. Following a car crash late last December, embattled Bay Areareporter Frank Somerville now faces two DUI charges. On Tuesday, the district attorneys office charged Somerville with driving under the influence of alcohol, as well as driving with a blood-alcohol level over .08, with an added clause for having a level over .15. KTVU News Director Amber Eikel has allegedly taken Somerville off the air until further notice, as Liberman reports. George Galvis, executive director of Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice, which helped organize the Oct. 12 rally, said KTVUs silence is a response.. 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 . Mr. 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. As Somerville has pointed out on social media, he is the father of an adopted Black daughter. This property is currently available for sale and was listed by MLS PIN on Mar . 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. Crime and Public Safety | 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. 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. Somerville, now 64, was arrested at 8:30 p.m. Dec. 30 in the 2200 block of Broadway following a collision between his 2014 Porsche 911 and a silver Audi, according to a probable cause statement by Officer Natalie Windham. 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), Wheres Frank Somerville? 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. Holland and Galvis insist the ultimate focus of their rallies was not Somerville, nor were they saying the media shouldnt cover Petitos killing. I work out every day.. 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 . 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. The longtime news anchor faced a rocky 2021. 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. 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. He was also named anchor of Channel 2 News at 5 in April 2005, when it was launched. 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). The case of Gabby has sparked a national outcry as her fianc Brian Laundrie continues to evade authorities. 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 .