For whatever reason, they decided not to re-sign me.. But the news of her death was difficult for those who worked with her at KTVU. By clicking Sign Up, I confirmthat I have read and agreeto the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. The San Francisco Chroniclesaid Somerville was driving a 2014 Porsche 911 Turbo when he rear-ended a silver Audi. Katie Davies 13 catcandokatmandu 2 yr. ago Ouch 9 TheJadedSF 2 yr. ago Definitely drunk if you ask me. Downtown S.F. Abrupt closure of S.F. Days earlier, KTVU news director Lee Rosenthal was crowing about how good his news operation had performed. The Alameda County District Attorney charged Somerville with three. Nothing is more important to us than having the highest level of accuracy and integrity, and we are reviewing our procedures to ensure this type of error does not happen again.'. Prior to joining the newsroom in 2019, she worked for the Roxie Theater, Noise Pop and Frameline Film Festival. Theyre not re-signing me. Wayne has anchoredweekend evening newscasts at KTVU in Oakland since 2002. He's been a fixture on Bay Area news since 1991, and has been in the anchor seat at KTVU since 2008, following the retirement of Dennis Richmond. KTVU also broadcasts in two heavily Asian-populated communities: San Francisco, where Asians make up 33.3 per cent of the total population and San Jose, where 32 per cent of the population is Asian. ", When asked about Somerville in a Facebook comment on her own page recently, co-anchor Julie Haener didn't offer much. Although Somervilles contract with KTVU expired in 2022 he has kept the public in thrall, largely with his energetic and intensely personal posts on social media. These are the worst drinks for your health, according to nutritionists Many posts were from people who are longtime KTVU viewers and those who said they grew up with Griffth on the screen in their homes. Or maybe teaching, Downtown S.F. April 8, 2022 2:36 pm Former KTVU news anchor Frank Somerville has been officially charged with driving under the influence after his December arrest. When officers approached Somerville, he exhibited symptoms of being under the influence of an alcoholic beverage: bloodshot/watey eyes, thick/slurred speech, and odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from his person, the declaration said. She shared about the last time she heard from Griffith. Former KTVU anchor Frank Somerville gave his first on-camera interview since his arrest for a DUI crash in December 2021. Most recently Gin was the producer of the 11 p.m. newscast for KGO Channel 7. This S.F. 2023 FOX Television Stations, High Stakes: Sports Betting in California, American children missing in Mexico: State Department 'aware of reports of 2 missing US citizens', TikTok CEO to tell Congress video-sharing app is safe, urge against ban, Man survives shark attack off Hawaiis Big Island, officials say, Woman lucky to be alive after 2 trees fall on her Oakland home, America's first-ever tornado forecast issued 75 years ago at Oklahoma's Tinker Air Force Base. "The 10 O'Clock News" on KTVU remains the Bay. A California man is forced to live in a country hes never known, Warriors lean into championship DNA, beat Kings behind sublime Curry, Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). @Ktvu News | Latest News On @Ktvu Role: Reporter, actress. ', 'AAJA is embarrassed for the anchor of the noon broadcast, who was as much a victim as KTVUs viewers and KTVUs hard-working staff, including the journalists who produced stellar work covering the crash. Instead I took it home and obsessed about it.. I come with a background. Ive always believed in second chances and thats what Im asking for now, he said. The block parties and judging contests in the SF Fire Department holiday decoration contest are scheduled for Wednesday, and these five SF fire stations are decked out with gushers of yuletide razzle-dazzle that you wont want to miss. Somerville began broadcasting on KTVU in 1992 and became co-anchor . But, this impacted his own mental health, he says, and "The problem was I didnt feel I had anywhere to go or anyone to talk to.". The first name 'Captain Sum Ting Wong' might have been a giveaway that something was not quite right. KTVU news director Amber Eikel denied the request, calling it inappropriate, according to the source. Mr. Sasaki said he worked with Griffith for 10 years and that she always offered feedback to him and others and was a mentor and true professional in the newsroom. Lauren Hernndez joined The San Francisco Chronicle in 2018. Jaymi Mccann, Station broadcast inaccurate names but apologized for the error quickly, KTVU confirmed information with the National Transportation Safety Board, NTSB says a summer intern verified the names when approached by the station, At least 77 people killed and more than 130 injured including one Briton in Spain after packed passenger train derails on bend 'while travelling at nearly THREE TIMES the speed limit'. Movies. Big shift in weather is headed to California. He has been taking steps to address the circumstances that led to this case, including attending meetings and working on himself so that nothing like this ever happens again, said Dugan. A California man is forced to live in a country hes never known, Warriors lean into championship DNA, beat Kings behind sublime Curry, Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). Moment commuter blasts eco-zealots, Royal superfans camping on The Mall ahead of King's Coronation, Women's rights activists and pro-trans campaigners separated, Ukraine drone strike hits major fuel depot in port Sevastopol, Russian freight train derails and bursts into flames after explosion, Historic chairs to be reused by the King for the coronation service, Hundreds of Household Division members rehearse for coronation, Braverman: People crossing Channel are 'at odds with British values', 'You motherf***ers don't understand': Bam Margera details 'turmoil', Cambridge students party in the park during annual celebrations. View All. Elaine Corral Kendall: Self - Former KTVU News Anchor - IMDb needs these 5 sites to thrive so the city can recover. By Kevin Eck on Aug. 17, 2022 - 3:28 PM. "Janice brings unique strengths that will make our newsroom even better." 'Earlier today, in response to an inquiry from a media outlet, a summer intern acted outside the scope of his authority when he erroneously confirmed the names of the flight crew on the aircraft,' it added. 'Then, during our phone call to the NTSB where the person confirmed the spellings of the names, we never asked that person to give us their position with the agency. Based in Oakland, California, the Fox affiliate represents a city where 16.8 per cent of the population is Asian. CNN anchor Don Lemon has hit out at the network after his firing, which came after accusations of misogyny and misbehaviour. It was his first post since May 26. June 1, 2021: KTVU television news anchor Frank Somerville has been taken off the air after an incident Sunday evening in which he slurred his speech while struggling to read a prepared script. Its been a tumultuous year for Somerville. RT @KTVU: Danville native Jake Haener is headed to New Orleans! Investigative producer Roland DeWolk, special projects producer Cristina Gastelu and producer Brad Belstock were all fired over the incident. An ambitious plan to reduce homelessness by 25% seems to lack the plan part in the Biden administrations new effort to house people, as homelessness has ticked up nationally by 3.4% this year. That November, Somerville told the Bay Area News Group he was never going to anchor at KTVU again. 29 Apr 2023 22:34:47 Whenever a reporter had new information or a new interviewee, she would go to that person immediately to assure the viewers the latest information. Chuck Barney is the TV critic and columnist for the Bay Area News Group. Longtime KTVU anchor and reporter Leslie Griffith has died. That being said, KTVU as a whole has become unwatchable for me over the past year. Asiana Airlines has identified two of the four flying crew on board as the pilot and copilot Lee Kang-kook and Lee Jung-min. and Local | This mysterious Bay Area beach is covered in broken ceramicsFood | Is San Francisco tiki bar the Tonga Room actually good?Culture| This SF restaurant was the blueprint for Bobs Burgers'Music| Nirvana's Cow Palace show was once panned. But he did tell a local media blag that he had mistakenly taken an Ambien pill before the broadcast. KTVU announced that Watson, a former "Segment 2" reporter and anchor, will begin work as a writer, producer and on-air reporter for "My Twentieth Century," a yearlong project that traces the Bay Area's history over the past 100 years. Many locals remember her for her 22-year career at the station, much of her time was spent alongside Dennis Richmond at the anchor desk. He was arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence after a car crash the following month, according to the Oakland Police Department. So I am done at Channel 2, Somerville told the Bay Area News Group. Alameda County DA charges former TV anchor Frank Somerville with DUIs But, as the East Bay Times reports, neither the station nor Somerville himself have publicly addressed the elephant in the room, which is the reason for his alarming behavior that night in May and why he took a nine-week leave of absence. The names poked fun at the crash and have been further criticized for their racist undertones. "She was one of those really vibrant, vivacious, you know, very alive people. He said the station told him he was out long before that., BNG also said that two rallies have been held outside KTVU in Jack London Square in October to bring attention to his reported desire to address disparities in media coverage of White crime victims like Petito versus women of color. Then, on December 30, there was the very public DUI incident in which he rammed his Porsche into another car, pushing it across an intersection and the whole thing seemed like a cry for help, or a rock bottom. In April 2022 Somerville pleaded no contest to one misdemeanor drunken driving count and received a sentence of 30 days in county jail, which he served via a sheriffs work alternative program that required him to wash police cars. Another unidentified teen has died of her injuries bring the death toll in the tragic crash up to three. Expand / Collapse search. Live On-Air Ask Your Smart Speaker to Play K C B S Radio KCBS All News 106.9FM and 740AM Listen Now Veteran Bay Area TV reporter Ken Wayne is apparently poised to leave KTVU-Channel 2, although the station has yet to announce his departure. 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 . GEORGE WATSON, a popular KTVU Channel 2 news anchor whose much- publicized battles with alcoholism saw him spiral into homelessness, has returned to the station after four years of sobriety. SF is still wide open, along with the rest of the Bay Area, despite concerns over the Delta variant and its ability to spread among the vaccinated and unvaccinated alike. Dear Abby: I have a great life, so why have I fallen into this shameful behavior? She covers breaking news, crime and general news. "Leslie was from Tomball, Texas right outside of Houston. Previously, she was a breaking news reporter for the USA TODAY Networks Statesman Journal in Salem, Oregon. KTVU anchor Frank Somerville remains off air after abrupt Sunday exit mercurynews 89 43 comments Best Add a Comment mangochive 2 yr. ago https://youtu.be/cJplQ99FXx0 here's a compilation I found of the broadcast. "This is shocking news. However, the apologies from KTVU and the NTSB have done little to abate anger over the issue. I never had a chance to say goodbye and for that Im sorry.. KTVU replaces Frank Somerville with new weeknight anchor, Downtown S.F. Mibach is being promoted and will take up the anchor desk starting May 2 and serve as the stations weeknight anchor at 5, 6, 10 and 11 p.m. alongside Julie Haener, according to a KTVU news release provided to The Chronicle on Thursday from a spokesperson from Fox Television Stations, which owns KTVU. After a strange May 30 newscast in which he slurred words and seemed to lose the ability to read from the teleprompter, longtime KTVU anchor disappeared from the air to "focus on his health," and he reappeared with no explanation of his absence on Wednesday night's "10 O'Clock News.". Spokespeople for Fox Television Stations, the Fox Corp. subsidiary that owns KTVU, declined to comment. Somerville, who has a Black daughter, had wanted to add a note at the end of any news story regarding the investigation explaining how media coverage of missing people tends to focus on white women, and the rates of domestic violence Black women in America face, an unnamed source with knowledge of the situation told SFGATE in September 2021. KTVU has been a part of my life for nearly five decades; from growing up in the Bay Area as a viewer, and for the last 17 years as a reporter and anchor, Mibach said in a statement. "The 10 O'Clock News" on KTVU remains the Bay Area's highest-rated news broadcast. RT @KTVU: Danville native Jake Haener is headed to New Orleans! 1993 KTVU news anchor George Watson sign off asking for help with his alcoholism 5,171 views Aug 12, 2017 28 Dislike Share Save JPMcFly1985 Retro Videos 3.42K subscribers Significant piece of. However, with the camera's rolling and in the middle of a live broadcast, Ms. Campbell continued to read without so much as flinching: 'Wi Tu Lo, Ho Lee Fuk, Bang Ding Ow.'. Saboteurs wreck Russian train cut power cables 37mi from Ukraine, Unseen footage of Meghan Markle during her teenage years, 'We're not your enemies!' Ex-news anchor back at KTVU as writer, reporter - SFGATE Somerville said he has no memory of rear-ending an Audi at a red light and pushing it across the street with such force that its wheels came off the ground, the Audi driver said. OAKLAND, Calif. - Leslie Griffith, a longtime journalist who graced television screens for more than two decades as anchor for KTVU Channel 2 News, has died. A further 180 people were injured, many serious. until SUN 10:00 PM PDT, San Francisco Bay Shoreline. Noon news producer Elvin Sledge told colleagues he was leaving for health reasons. It's one of those voices that you always connect with. Ive given my heart and soul to Channel 2. The safety board admitted a summer intern told KTVU the spelling of the names was correct. Former Bay Area TV anchor Frank Somerville charged with driving with a The last time they saw me, I didnt look so good, he told The Chronicle on Wednesday, referring to smartphone videos that went viral after the dramatic Dec. 30 crash at Broadway and West Grand Avenue. The Alameda County District Attorney's Office filed charges against former Bay Area. ClubAlcohol Plovdiv - Facebook But main anchors dont do that, Somerville wrote. A family member confirms Griffith was suffering from the effects of Lyme Disease since she was bitten by a tick while living in Oregon in 2015. I was just totally stuck.. Former KTVU anchor Frank Somervillehas been charged with driving with a blood alcohol level three times the legal limit. A year after his arrest for a DUI crash, Somerville is looking for a new job. The station also announced that it had hired Janice Gin as associate news director. Three veteran producers have been fired by a San Francisco TV station after they published a series of fake and racially offensive names supposedly of the pilots on-board the crashed Asiana 214 flight. KTVU staff members fired over Asiana racist name gaffe including After serving as anchor of the Bay Area's most-watched news broadcast for the last decade-plus, Somerville was the subject of widespread speculation following an on-camera incident over Memorial . He later apologized to the other driver through a third party, he said Wednesday. 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The end of all of her emails ended with a quote, and it was, Theres more to life than just yourself, your own family, or your own kind.'". Now, as Somerville tells it in a Saturday Facebook post and in an interview with the Chronicle, it was a kind of rock bottom. Wayne was born in Marin, but lived in several places including Alaska and Hawaii and worked at TV stations in Palm Springs, Chico, Fresno and Sacramento before finally returning to the Bay Area in 1991. The Saints selected Haener, former Fresno State quarterback and son of KTVU anchor Julie Haener, with the 127th pick in the 2023 NFL draft. Somerville reappeared at the anchor desk in August, without making any real explanation for his hiatus. Born in Berkeley, she graduated from Cal with a degree in rhetoric and is now raising two daughters in El Cerrito. SFGATE tech editor Joshua Bote contributed to this report. on Twitter: "RT @KTVU: Danville native Jake Haener is Political chaos has erupted in this Peninsula city over one issue: Housing, showed his blood alcohol concentration was .24%, Beneath Michelin-starred restaurants success, landlord dispute is boiling. Former KTVU anchor Frank Somerville gave his first on-camera interview since his arrest for a DUI crash in . They use so much recycled old footage it's crazy. In September, he was suspended after questioning the level of media coverage devoted to the Gabby Petito murder case. Personalities - KTVU FOX 2 "Ive NEVER been in trouble with the law and I never will be again," he said on Facebook. It all depends on a station hiring me, which requires a station taking a chance on me, he told The Chronicle on Wednesday. Family members said she endured a years-long battle with Lyme disease. Former KTVU anchor Frank Somerville formally charged with driving - MSN She then proceeded to read out four fake names from a teleprompter as they appeared on screen over footage of the wreckage. Or maybe teaching. 'Being first on air and on every platform in all aspects of our coverage was a great accomplishment, but being 100% accurate, effectively using our great sources and social media without putting a single piece of erroneous information on our air, is what we are most proud of as a newsroom. Somerville takes these charges very seriously, his attorney, Shannan Dugan, told The Chronicle. For the record as messed up as I was I didnt drink on the air, he said of the May 2021 broadcast. According to the {:tag :b, :attrs nil, :content [{:tag :a, :attrs {:href "http://www.sfgate.com/technology/businessinsider/article/TV-Station-Makes-Excruciating-Error-Reads-4-4662895.php", :rel "nofollow"}, :content ["San Francisco Chronicle"]}]}, Belstock revealed his embarrassment on the social networking site yesterday, just moments after an anchor in all seriousness read four 'names' including Captain Sum Ting Wong. I thought it was a good idea for people to see me now. Former KTVU anchor Frank Somerville speaks about addiction - MSN Here are five key structures that need to bounce back to help the city recover. Now, it's revered. The time I was sent home for being drunk on the air I had actually taken two [Ambien] by accident. The announcement from Fox Television Stations, which owns KTVU, says that Mibach was promoted to co-anchor, alongside Julie Haener, for the 5 p.m., 6 p.m., 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts, and. ', The station issued a statement on acknowledging it had 'misidentified the pilots involved. KTVU also broadcasts in two heavily Asian-populated communities: San Francisco, where Asians make up 33.3 per cent of the total population and San Jose, where 32 per cent of the population is Asian. News Director Lee Rosenthal called newsroom staff into a conference room Wednesday and informed them of the dismissals. Presenter Tori Campbell announced that the station had just learned the names of the four pilots who were on board Asiana flight 214 when it crashed at San Francisco International Airport on Saturday. At the same time, he said, Im a damn good anchor.. Longtime KTVU Anchor Frank Somerville Returns After Abrupt - SFist The disagreement was specifically about him wanting to highlight the phenomenon of "missing white woman syndrome" and the Gabby Petito case suggesting that this context be given during the broadcast, in order to bring attention to the many missing-persons cases involving victims of color that do not get much attention. Get TVSpy delivered straight to your inbox, Technical Audio Producer (Part-Time Contract). and Here is a look at some of the big stories from her career, including the Oakland hills fire, the Los Angeles riots and the mistreatment of circus elephants, an issue that deeply concerned her. , updated Former KTVU Anchor Frank Somerville Speaks Publicly About Addiction Issues Nearly a year after a dramatic DUI incident in downtown Oakland that was caught on camera, and 18 months after he first disappeared from the anchor desk at KTVU, former station anchor Frank Somerville is now talking publicly about the addiction issues and psychological state that in part brought an end to his days at KTVU. Somerville, 65, opened up to The Chronicle in December about his past troubles with drug and alcohol addiction, a theme he revisited during a wide-ranging sit-down with KRONanchor Pam Moore that aired Tuesday. Here are five key structures that need to bounce back to help the city recover. Veteran Bay Area TV reporter Ken Wayne is apparently poised to leave KTVU-Channel 2, although the station has yet to announce his departure. Now, Somerville says that while the aftermath ofthe DUI has cost a fortune, hes hopeful that he can have the opportunity to work for another news station. In the videos Somerville appears disoriented and shoeless. Is San Francisco tiki bar the Tonga Room actually good? But he revealed more information regarding the incident in his Saturday post. Sasaki she connected to the viewers with her powerful voice. She accomplished a lot in her life. Somerville says he was on his way to get some Taco Bell when the crash happened. He is extremely sorry to the person he hit and has provided all information to his insurance company to cover the other drivers losses., Technical Audio Producer (Part-Time Contract)Bloomberg LPNew York, New York, Former KTVU Anchor Frank Somerville Charged with DUI After December Crash, An error has occurred, please try again later. He also recapped the 2021 crash, on a night he was depressed, when he began combining alcohol with prescription drugs for anxiety and depression, and blacked out while trying to drive to a nearby Taco Bell, he told The Chronicle. I would give anything to work there. After serving as anchor of the Bay Area's most-watched news broadcast for the last decade-plus, Somerville was the subject of widespread speculation following an on-camera incident over Memorial Day Weekend 2021. Somerville still faces two counts of driving under the influence of alcohol and driving with a blood level alcohol concentration of .08 or more, along with an enhancement for having a blood alcohol concentration that exceeds .15 after a crash in December. Jay C. Barmann is a fiction writer and web editor who's lived in San Francisco for 20+ years. Prescription drugs. LaMonica is one of the new anchors on KTVU, having joined the channel in May 2022 from CBS 8. is the city's financial engine and it is sputtering. This email address is already subscribed to the selected list(s). Former KTVU anchor Frank Somerville is not returning to the Oakland Fox owned station after 31 years there. According to Bay Area media blogger Rich Lieberman, Wayne had been working without a contract at KTVU for more than a month. Jay C. Barmann is a fiction writer and web editor who's lived in San Francisco for 20+ years. He's been a fixture on Bay Area news since 1991, and has been in the anchor seat at KTVU since 2008, following the retirement of Dennis Richmond. Over a month later, Liberman said, Somerville stopped returning his texts. Almost a year after his arrest that resulted in two misdemeanor charges for driving under the influence, former KTVU anchor Frank Somerville shared a lengthy Facebook post reflecting on his. How long has it been since May started off this cold in Bay Area? Get all the latest & greatest posts delivered straight to your inbox, Longtime KTVU Anchor Frank Somerville Returns After Abrupt Departure With No Explanation, I Love Tenderloin Week Seeks to Beautify, Celebrate the Neighborhood With SFs Most Checkered Reputation, Yet Another French Bulldog Stolen, This Time In Jack London Square Car Burglary, Monday Morning Headlines: Beloved Community Member Stabbed in Davis. "I am stunned," Lemon wrote on Twitter, saying he was told by his agent . Amanda Bartlett is a senior reporter for SFGATE covering culture, Bay Area history, science and breaking news. GEORGE WATSON, a popular KTVU Channel 2 news anchor whose much- publicized battles with alcoholism saw him spiral into homelessness, has returned to the station after four years of sobriety.. KTVU . Griffith, is survived by her two daughters, Trenton and Carly, a son Eric, and two grandchildren. Like an air traffic controller, she deftly went from one source to another, without script in hand, asking probing questions of newsmakers, experts and fellow journalists. ", "Im a damn good anchor and everyone knows that," he adds. But the surge does not seem to have peaked yet, and some parties and shows are starting to cancel out of caution. Cocktails are among the worst drinks for your health.