A KTVU spokesperson later explained that he left the air to focus on his health.. [6] 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. 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 . You can see video of the Sunday 10 o'clock broadcast below, in which Somerville has difficulty reading from his teleprompter. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. He was named as a person of interest in the case, and his remains were found in Florida last week. Somerville, a white male, is being lionized and becoming the topic of the story and not the women who have been ignored, Reynolds said. His first newspaper job was as a Washington Post paperboy. MSNBC host Joy Reiddiscussed the Gabby Petito case on her showon September 20. [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. Somerville, driving a 2014 Porsche 911, rear-ended a silver Audi. I think its probably time to (let them know) were still listening and waiting, Holland said. 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. He was also named anchor of Channel 2 News at 5 in April 2005, when it was launched. The California native first started at KTVU as an intern in 1981 while attending San Francisco State University. 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. Jay C. Barmann is a fiction writer and web editor who's lived in San Francisco for 20+ years. But the way this story captivated the nation has many wondering why not the same media attention when people of color go missing?" Frank Somerville has spoken out for the first time since his Dec. 30 arrest for a suspected DUI. [16][17][18][19], Somerville has been a vegetarian since the age of 12. Somerville has had a tumultuous year. He is a graduate of Bowie State University in Maryland with a BS degree in communications. In interviews this week, Somerville declined to say anything more about his departure from KTVU, his arrest or his plans. In an interview with the Bay Area News Group published Friday, the celebrated former KTVU anchor. Early Life and Education. As per his date of birth, his birth sign is Pisces. He was named after his father's childhood friend, Frank Patty, and his paternal grandfather, William Somerville. I work out every day.. Somerville, 63, won the awards at KTVU, which included an accolade for best on-camera news anchor. During a now-infamous May 30 newscast, he repeatedly slurred and stumbled over his words and appeared to have trouble reading off the teleprompter. Jurors hopelessly deadlocked in Bay Point murder trial, mistrial declared 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 for Black women in America. KTVU was prepared to air a news report detailing the latest developments in the case. 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. Somerville has said in the past that he wants to work two or three more years and would like to finish his career at KTVU. 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. This property is currently available for sale and was listed by MLS PIN on Mar . Staff writer Harry Harris contributed to this report. ", KTVU again removes Frank Somerville from the air, 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. But beyond that, the outlet did not get much more information from Somerville, who has had a rocky 2021. 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. Somerville is expected to appear in court Feb. 28, the Bay Area News Group reports. 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Since then, Fox and station management have refused to publicly speak to the issue. "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.". 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The next day, Somerville was told he was suspended for defying a superiors orders, sources said. He became co-anchor of the stations highly rated Mornings on 2 in 1992. The City of San Leandro also issued an official proclamation honoring him for speaking out about missing women of color and setting an example of strength and equity to our community and those worldwide.. Somerville does not believe that his Dec. 30 arrest in Oakland on suspicion of driving under the influence was a factor in the stations decision. This latest incident, coming just six weeks after Somervilles return to the anchor desk, will undoubtedly trigger speculation about his future with the station. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! [6], Somerville was an intern at KTVU in 1981, while attending San Francisco State. The venerated KTVU anchor spoke to the Bay Area News Group in an interview published . But I have no reason to think otherwise.". 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 . Holland wondered if KTVU or Fox simply hope the controversy will disappear. Speaking about the case ofmissing geologist Daniel Robinson, she added: "I never heard of it until this friend of mine sent it to me. ContactGeorge Kelly at 408-859-5180. Leslie Shawn Rayburn posted this. 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. Longtime Bay Area News Anchor Frank Somerville Charged With DUI 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. Somerville was born on March 19, 1958, in San Luis Obispo, California, but was raised in Berkeley. 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. 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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. There was no word on how heated the discussion got. Former Bay Area TV anchor Frank Somerville charged with driving with a "I still want to continue working, Somerville tells the Mercury News. Crime and Public Safety | Email us at exclusive@the-sun.com or call 212 416 4552. $5,550,000. Robert Neil O'Keefe Jr. Obituary (1981 - 2023) | Somerville, New Jersey A tag is a brief closing to a story thats typically read by an anchor. Get all the latest & greatest posts delivered straight to your inbox, Frank Somerville Speaks, Says He's Likely Out at KTVU, fairly strange Memorial Day Weekend broadcast, just took up a local missing-persons case, Anchorman Frank Somerville's Future at KTVU In Doubt As Rumors Swirl About High Drama In the Newsroom, Day Around the Bay: San Jose Man Arrested In Connection With PG&E Transformer Explosions, Berkeley Poised to Close Famed Anthropology Library, Angry Students In Full Occupy Mode, The SFPD Brags About Busting Johns Seeking Sex Workers on Capp Street. So I am done at Channel 2, Somerville said in a brief phone interview this week with the Bay Area News Group. "The Petito family certainly deserves answers and justice. Who is Frank Somerville's wife? | The US Sun The Berkeley native had been an intern at KTVU many years before. And the photo has since gone. Frank Somerville suspension: How the dispute over 'Gabby' Petito I work out every day.. In 2008, he was named co-anchor of the 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. newscasts, replacing 40-year veteran Dennis Richmond. As of now, he is already 64 years old and his zodiac sign is Pisces. 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. 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Sources said that Somerville was informed by station management the next day that he was being suspended.