But if Petitos story needs to be told, so do the stories of thousands of overlooked women of color, they said. [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. 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. But the way this story captivated the nation has many wondering why not the same media attention when people of color go missing?" Longtime KTVU anchor Frank Somerville shared a Facebook post Saturday reflecting on his arrest and his termination from KTVU nearly a year later. [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. He said the couple spend their "together time" at the gym and that the pair "encourage each otherto keep pushing.". Jurors hopelessly deadlocked in Bay Point murder trial, mistrial declared Sources told the outlet that Somerville was informed by station management the next day that he was being suspended. Petito, 22, had been reported missing earlier this month while on a cross-country camping trip. An ABC News report,citing statistics from the FBIs National Crime Information Center stated that at the end of 2020, the FBI had more than 89,000 active missing person cases, and 45 percent of those were people of color. In 2008, he was elevated to one of the stations marquee positions when he was anointed co-anchor of the 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. newscasts, replacing 40-year veteran Dennis Richmond. A picture of him styling his Black, adopted daughter's hair went viral on the Internet. 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. Somerville was hospitalized shortly after the incident and was booked at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin. 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. So, I'm assuming I've done my last newscast," Somerville said. Chuck Barney is the TV critic and columnist for the Bay Area News Group. 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. Get the latest posts delivered right to your inbox. Frank Somerville said Tuesday that he expects he has anchored his last newscast at KTVU, given that management hasn't contacted him since he was suspended in September for an off-air dispute. There was no word on how heated the discussion got. He was named after his father's childhood friend, Frank Patty, and his paternal grandfather, William Somerville. A KTVU spokesperson later explained that he left the air to focus on his health.. I think its probably time to (let them know) were still listening and waiting, Holland said. [citation needed] He attended Berkeley High School, graduating in 1976. During a now-infamous May 30 newscast, he repeatedly slurred and stumbled over his words and appeared to have trouble reading off the teleprompter. 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Reynolds said Somerville may have been well-intentioned, and that he certainly seems passionate about fairness in coverage. Somerville was hospitalized shortly after the incident and was booked at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin. Longtime KTVU news anchor Frank Somerville was booked into jail early Friday morning for allegedly driving under the influence, after a car crash at a busy intersection in downtown Oakland. "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. According to The Mercury News, Somerville wanted to add a tagline to a segment about the case to point out the disparity in the coverage of missing persons cases of white women relative to women of color. As Somerville has pointed out on social media, he is the father of an adopted Black daughter. Update: A spokesperson for Fox tells the Mercury News, "We can confirm Frank is taking time away from the desk to focus on his health and we welcome his return when he is ready.". 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. 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. What Somerville did that was so wrong is less clear. He is a graduate of Bowie State University in Maryland with a BS degree in communications. I would give anything to work there. Since his departure from KTVU, he has steadily posted videos on Instagram featuring an assortment of commentary. Somervilles last newscast for KTVU was on Sept. 21. Somerville was born on March 19, 1958, in San Luis Obispo, California, but was raised in Berkeley. 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.". 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. Why is 'Gabriel Salazar car accident' trending? 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. [citation needed] He attended Berkeley High School, graduating in 1976. He was named as a person of interest in the case, and his remains were found in Florida last week. His name came after his father's friend, Frank Patty and his parental grandfather, William Somerville . For whatever reason, they decided not to re-sign me.. Look closely at this picture. Somervilles arrest came after he crashed his Porsche into another car in a downtown intersection in an accident caught on video. Off work, he enjoys playing in bands, busking and karaoke. "[11], On December 30, 2021, Somerville was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence after an automobile collision. The longtime news anchor faced a rocky 2021. [14][15], Somerville was married to television producer Donna Wright Somerville for more than 20 years; the couple has two daughters. And I wont stop fighting for equal media representation for all victims.. She graduated from Northwestern University with a BA degree in German studies and from Mills College with a MFA degree in creative writing and English. But I have no reason to think otherwise.". 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. So, nothing like this happens again. Frank Somerville has spoken out for the first time since his Dec. 30 arrest for a suspected DUI. MSNBC host Joy Reiddiscussed the Gabby Petito case on her showon September 20. 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. 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. 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 then, Fox and station management have refused to publicly speak to the issue. I feel great, he said in response. Get the latest posts delivered right to your inbox. Frank Somerville, the anchor for KTVU, has been 'suspended indefinitely' by the network Credit: Facebook/Frank Somerville. OAKLAND The Alameda County District Attorney's Office has filed two misdemeanor charges against former KTVU news anchor Frank Somerville in connection with his arrest late last year on. The public silence from Channel 2 and Fox, its parent network, has fueled community frustration over the ostensible reason he was suspended a reported dispute over his push to add a brief commentary on racial inequity to the end of a straight-news story about the disappearance of social media influencer Gabby Petito, whose case had attracted a firestorm of media coverage. But if Somerville thought the issue was so important, then he should have used his journalistic gravitas to push for a second story to run after the segment or a series of stories to run over the next couple days, Reynolds said. Additionally, he spent his childhood in Berkeley and was raised there.