#Frank somerville ktvu news tv

Three-time Emmy winner Frank Somerville, 63, wanted to add a 'brief tagline' at the end of a KTVU report to discuss 'missing white woman syndrome'. 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.A San Francisco-area news anchor has been 'suspended indefinitely' after reportedly arguing with the station's news director over media coverage of the Gabby Petito case. 2 and 12, both sparked by Somerville’s reported desire to address disparities in media coverage of White crime victims like Petito versus women of color. Seven weeks later, he was off the air again.įollowing Somerville’s suspension, two rallies were held outside the KTVU studios in Jack London Square on Oct. He took a nine-week leave to “focus on his health” and had only returned in August. 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. If not, I’ll go to other stations outside of the market.” “I would love to work at one of the other stations in the market. “I still want to continue working,” said Somerville, who lives in the East Bay.

#Frank somerville ktvu news tv

Somerville said he wants to continue anchoring the news at a local TV station, though he has nothing lined up. “It makes me really sad, because I’ve given 31 years to the station,” Somerville said. KTVU and Fox have not responded to this publication’s requests for comment. With his contract up in January, Somerville said he figures “that means they’re not going to re-sign me.” Since he left the station, Somerville said no one from KTVU or Fox, KTVU’s parent company, had contacted him. The next day, Somerville was told he was suspended for defying a superior’s orders, sources said. But Eikel hadn’t, and the new tag was removed. Somerville reportedly told the producer that Eikel had approved a shortened version, according to newsroom sources. broadcast, a producer, who was unfamiliar with the earlier discussions between Somerville and Eikel, noticed that a shortened tag had been added to the Petito update. Somerville pushed back, saying the tag would contain factual information about domestic violence and crimes against women of color, but was overruled, a newsroom source said. However, she agreed with the editors who thought the tag on its own wasn’t a sufficient way to cover the story and would blur the lines between an anchor delivering a straight news story and offering editorial commentary. Sources said Eikel was willing to assign a reporter to do a separate, more in-depth story. broadcast, Eikel told Somerville she planned to cut the tag after newsroom editors raised concerns. Petito, of Florida, was slain during a cross-country van trip with her fiance, Brian Laundrie. Somerville reportedly wanted the tag, a brief closing to the story, to address domestic violence and the media’s tendency to overlook reports about missing and slain women of color, according to newsroom sources, who declined to give their names because they were not authorized to speak on the record. Somerville, however, declined to comment further on the dispute with KTVU managers, including with news director Amber Eikel.

In the interview, Somerville indicated that he didn’t think he was wrong to push for adding what’s known as a “tag” to a Petito case update, which aired Sept. 21 over his push to add a brief commentary on racial inequity to the end of a news story about the disappearance of social media influencer Gabby Petito, whose case had attracted a firestorm of media coverage. Somerville was suspended the day after a reported dispute on Sept. I appreciate and admire what they do every day.” “I wish I could apologize to all of them in person. “All this drama isn’t good,” said Somerville, long a fixture of Bay Area TV news. Somerville said he also wanted to apologize “to all the people in the station for all the drama” that ensued because of his suspension. “All indications are that I’m never going to anchor at Channel 2 again,” the longtime anchor said in an interview with the Bay Area News Group. 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 about coverage of the Gabby Petito case.