2. 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. Jurors hopelessly deadlocked in Bay Point murder trial, mistrial declared Frank Somerville has spoken out for the first time since his Dec. 30 arrest for a suspected DUI. I wish I could apologize to all of them in person. 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. Frank Somerville has spoken out for the first time since his Dec. 30 arrest for a suspected DUI. 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. MSNBC host Joy Reiddiscussed the Gabby Petito case on her showon September 20. 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. 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. Somerville's attorney said that he is "attending meetings and working on himself. [citation needed] He attended Berkeley High School, graduating in 1976. Additionally, he spent his childhood in Berkeley and was raised there. "I feel like a total idiot," Somerville allegedly said. His last video was published March 31, voicing his perspective on the Will Smith slap at the Oscars and recounting anincident in which his wifes boss repeatedly harassed her. The months-long saga surrounding longtime KTVU anchor Frank Somerville may have finally reached its conclusion. I just dont notice the things you see, he added. He added that the decision was made long before December, when the alleged DUI took place. Reynolds, a former editor at the Oakland Tribune and Bay Area News Group, said it would have resulted in the very disparity (in coverage) he was seeking to address.. Frank Somerville is an American journalist and three-time Emmy Award winner. 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. Somervilles Bay Area roots helped make him popular with viewers. 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. Related Articles KTVU news anchor Frank Somerville again has been removed from the air, but this time a newsroom spat not an on-air meltdown appears to be the reason. Early Life and Education. His first newspaper job was as a Washington Post paperboy. She'd now be 8 years old, and her case got little national attention at the time and she remains unaccounted for. [5] He then attended San Francisco State University. But even with such declarations, community activists say they have yet to hear from the station managers or Fox about their concerns. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. 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.. If not, Ill go to other stations outside of the market. 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. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. And I wont stop fighting for equal media representation for all victims.. Somerville has reportedly been "suspended indefinitely" after a behind-the-scenes disagreement about his coverage of the22-year-old vlogger's disappearance. Martha Ross is a Bay Area News Group features writer for The Mercury News and East Bay Times who covers everything and anything related to popular culture, society, health, womens issues and families. . Arianna Fitts would now be eight years old, but she hasnt been seen since 2016, and CNN is shining new light on her case in hopes of a breakthrough. 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%. The collision occurred eastbound on West Grand Avenue, Windham wrote. 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. In a statement Thursday afternoon, Somervilles attorney Shannan Dugan acknowledged the charges. Last fall, he told this news organization that he anticipated his days anchoring at KTVU were over after he was suspended in September for an off-air dispute about the coverage of the Gabby Petito case. 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. Somerville, who has an adopted black daughter, reportedly pushed back after the tagline was refused. "The Petito family certainly deserves answers and justice. [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. Woman suspected of making threats toward Christian schools campus in Walnut Creek arrested Before moving to Frank's current city of Somerville, MA, Frank lived in Bolton MA.In the past, Frank has also been known as Frank J Bacci. 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According to a police statement in charging documents obtained Thursday, officers responded to Broadway and West Grand Avenue at about 8:20 p.m. Dec. 30, 2021 for a vehicle collision. He works out and practices the Israeli martial art of Krav Maga.[20]. The disagreement, said sources, occurred earlier in the week after the body of Petito was discovered in Wyoming. Stay up to date! Since then, Fox and station management have refused to publicly speak to the issue. 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. 1. Staff writers Harry Harris and Rick Hurd contributed to this report. 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. I would love to work at one of the other stations in the market. What Somerville did that was so wrong is less clear. 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. Reynolds said Somerville may have been well-intentioned, and that he certainly seems passionate about fairness in coverage. February 27, 2023 equitable estoppel california No Comments . But I have no reason to think otherwise.". Related Articles "Frank Somerville to replace Dennis Richmond", "KTVU's Somerville settling in as Richmond's replacement", "Asiana: Anchor says KTVU never sounded-out racist pilot names", "KTVU anchor Somerville to take time away after slurred newscast", "Frank Somerville returns to KTVU after two months of leave", "Frank Somerville suspension: How the dispute over 'Gabby' Petito coverage unfolded at KTVU", "Frank Somerville says he's done at KTVU, apologizes to newsroom for 'drama', "Frank Somerville arrested for suspected DUI after crash", "Frank Somerville says KTVU wouldn't re-sign him: 'I am done', "Frank Somerville publicly opens up about arrest, KTVU exit", "Former KTVU Anchor Frank Somerville Speaks Publicly About Addiction Issues", "Image of Bay Area news anchor doing his daughter's hair touches people all over country | The Mommy Files | an SFGate.com blog", "Tender photo of TV anchor un-braiding daughter's hair goes viral", "A white dad does his black daughter's hair, and the Internet smiles", "10 Questions for Frank Somerville; Up Close and Personal with KTVU's Top Dog; And Something that may Surprise You", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Frank_Somerville&oldid=1133399814, American television reporters and correspondents, Berkeley High School (Berkeley, California) alumni, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2021, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 13 January 2023, at 16:12. 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Somerville was pulled off the air over his coverage of Gabby's case, MSNBC host Joy Reiddiscussed the Gabby Petito case. ", He adds, "It makes me really sad, because Ive given 31 years to the station. [14][15], Somerville was married to television producer Donna Wright Somerville for more than 20 years; the couple has two daughters. 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. So, I'm assuming I've done my last newscast," Somerville said. Somerville, driving a 2014 Porsche 911, rear-ended a silver Audi. [5], In 2013, Somerville apologized on behalf of KTVU for an incident in which racist pilot names were read out in a broadcast on Asiana Airlines Flight 214. The longtime news anchor faced a rocky 2021. 53-127 m (174-417 ft) (avg. [1] During his three decades at KTVU in Oakland, California, Somerville received three Emmy Awards, including one for best on-camera news anchor. Since his suspension, Somerville has shared videos and posts on Instagram his social media platform of choice since leaving KTVU. [10] In November 2021, he said in an interview with the Bay Area News Group that KTVU had not contacted him and that "All indications are that Im never going to anchor at Channel 2 again. Crime and Public Safety | 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. Somerville was not involved in that flub. The request was denied by KTVU news director Amber Eikel, who called the tag line inappropriate, according to the source. According to Windham's statement, Somerville showed symptoms of being under the influence of alcohol when officers reached him. Ive given my heart and soul to Channel 2, he told the Bay Area News Group. Now, though, Somerville appears to be putting it out there that he's looking for a job. 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. Frank Celeste, Gibson Sotheby's International Realty. 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? Now, the tagline controversy has put Somerville in a position that journalists usually find uncomfortable: instead of reporting on the story, he is the story. Email us at exclusive@the-sun.com or call 212 416 4552. Get the latest posts delivered right to your inbox. There was no word on how heated the discussion got. Joshua Bote is the tech editor at SFGATE. 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. Following the suspension and subsequent social media attention, two rallies were held in support of Somerville outside KTVU headquarters in Oakland. At the time, Somerville said he had not yet lined up offers to work at other stations but wanted to keep working and was disappointed about how his time at KTVU had ended. Reid said. The multiple Emmy winner lives in Oakland, grew up in Berkeley and graduated from Berkeley High and San Francisco State University. Stay up to date! 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. A search-warrant obtained blood sample later yielded a result of .24 blood-alcohol content. But if Petitos story needs to be told, so do the stories of thousands of overlooked women of color, they said. This was Somervilles second suspension in a tumultuous year. He was named after his father's childhood friend, Frank Patty, and his paternal grandfather, William Somerville. The local Fox affiliate has yet to comment on the incident, and as the Mercury News reported, Somerville has declined to respond to them for comment.