When the driver of the Audi got out of his car after the crash, Somerville allegedly kept driving, pushing the Audi through the intersection until it collided with a pole at the southwest corner. I also want to say sorry to all my co workers and all the viewers. Wayne has anchoredweekend evening newscasts at KTVU in Oakland since 2002. James Daniel 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. The announcement comes weeks after Somerville, a longtime KTVU news anchor, was charged by Alameda County prosecutors with driving under the influence of alcohol and driving with a blood level . Former KTVU news anchor and reporter Leslie Griffith recently died. This email address is already subscribed to the selected list(s). ", Somerville says he became obsessed with the idea that he should show up for the families of these shooting victims, to show that KTVU cared and that the deaths were not just "another number." 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.'. Gin could be in line to produce KTVU's new 6 p.m. newscast, which is set to begin March 27. A year after his arrest for a DUI crash, Somerville is looking for a new job. (iStock) Ivanir said the combination of alcohol and fructose syrup, which are sometimes found in cocktails, are not . I dont even know how I got out of my parking lot [that night], he tells the Chronicle. He frequently airs political opinions, a practice for which he was disciplined at KTVU. SFGATE tech editor Joshua Bote contributed to this report. "We are very happy to have him back on the air with us.". 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. Get TVSpy delivered straight to your inbox, Technical Audio Producer (Part-Time Contract). Most recently Gin was the producer of the 11 p.m. newscast for KGO Channel 7. The fans on Facebook aren't asking too many questions, and are just welcoming Somerville back. But over time I realized that I felt like I was under a pall of sadness. She is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and the CCNMA Latino Journalists of California. On Thursday, Wayne posted this cryptic message on his. You always knew that she was there. Sasaki she connected to the viewers with her powerful voice. The Saints selected Haener, former Fresno State quarterback and son of KTVU anchor Julie Haener, with the 127th pick in the 2023 NFL draft. That being said, KTVU as a whole has become unwatchable for me over the past year. Here are five key structures that need to bounce back to help the city recover. I remember watching her. Instead I took it home and obsessed about it.. LaMonica is one of the new anchors on KTVU, having joined the channel in May 2022 from CBS 8. Find info on Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) companies in Plovdiv, including financial statements, sales and marketing contacts, top competitors, and firmographic insights. Movies. In September, he was suspended after questioning the level of media coverage devoted to the Gabby Petito murder case. 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. Menu. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. She currently serves as a general assignment reporter at KTVU in Oakland, California. Prior to joining the newsroom in 2019, she worked for the Roxie Theater, Noise Pop and Frameline Film Festival. Former KTVU reporter Rita Williams reflected on time spent with her friend and colleague, covering stories with energy and professionalism. "I am stunned," Lemon wrote on Twitter, saying he was told by his agent . Former KTVU anchor Frank Somerville opened up about his struggles with addiction on Dec. 19, 2022. 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, 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. ', Technical Audio Producer (Part-Time Contract)Bloomberg LPNew York, New York, KTVU Wont Renew Longtime Anchor Frank Somervilles Contract, An error has occurred, please try again later. Is San Francisco tiki bar the Tonga Room actually good? "Ive always believed in second chances and thats what Im asking for now. ', 'But were mostly saddened that a tragedy that took the lives of three people and injured scores of other passengers could be taken as an opportunity for an apparent joke.'. I mean, Elaine Corral is another one, Dennis Richmond is another onethese people who are just kind of legendary in the KTVU family. 'First, we never read the names out loud, phonetically sounding them out,' he said. Get TVSpy delivered straight to your inbox, Technical Audio Producer (Part-Time Contract). CNN anchor Don Lemon has hit out at the network after his firing, which came after accusations of misogyny and misbehaviour. Her 22-year career at KTVU included her time sitting alongside veteran anchor Dennis Richmond. 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. The Cliff House was once a colossal Victorian mansion that met a Warriors crush Kings 120-100 as Steph Curry scores Game 7-record 50 points, Steph Curry adds to his Warriors legend by lighting up Kings for 50. Hernndez has bylines in the Silicon Valley Business Journal and The Desert Sun. 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. 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. 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The Cliff House was once a colossal Victorian mansion that met a Warriors crush Kings 120-100 as Steph Curry scores Game 7-record 50 points, Steph Curry adds to his Warriors legend by lighting up Kings for 50. 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. 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. As a veritable breaking news guru, Griffith became master of the three-ring circus in what can be chaotic situations when a major story breaks. He's still in mourning over the cancellation of "Freaks and Geeks. This SF restaurant was the blueprint for Bobs Burgers'. How I even made it home that night is beyond me.. It all depends on a station hiring me, which requires a station taking a chance on me, he told The Chronicle on Wednesday. Former KTVU anchor Frank Somerville is not returning to the Oakland Fox owned station after 31 years there. Longtime KTVU anchor Frank Somerville shared a Facebook post Saturday reflecting on his arrest and his termination from KTVU nearly a year later. San Francisco saw, like, two one-hundredths of an inch of rain early Thursday, so does that count as rain? RT @KTVU: Danville native Jake Haener is headed to New Orleans! Fans of Somerville's expressed relief and happiness about his return in replies to an unrelated post he put on Facebook on Wednesday before the broadcast, which was about his daughter starting her senior year in high school. Coverage of the tragic plane crash at San Francisco International Airport, which killed three people and injured dozens of others last Saturday has proven tricky for some news outlets. In a testy exchange with KTVU on Wednesday, Mayor London Breed defended San Francisco as safe despite the recent stabbing death of tech executive and the perception that The City is overly progressive and full of lawless behavior. Longtime KTVU anchor and reporter Leslie Griffith has died. It started with me going to seven funerals for young black men and women who were killed on the streets on Oakland. James Daniel Last fall, Somerville tried to illuminate the contrast in how news organizations cover missing persons cases involving Black and white people in the United States during a 46-second verbal tag to the end of an update about Gabrielle Gabby Petitos homicide case. Neshka MANCHOROVA, Professor (Associate) | Cited by 26 | of Medical University of Plovdiv, Plovdiv | Read 7 publications | Contact Neshka MANCHOROVA 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. Saboteurs wreck Russian train cut power cables 37mi from Ukraine, Unseen footage of Meghan Markle during her teenage years, 'We're not your enemies!' Spokespeople for Fox Television Stations, the Fox Corp. subsidiary that owns KTVU, declined to comment. and But when asked if he was sick, she said, "No hes doing well taking a little time for himself and should be back soon!". and KTVU was forced to make an immediate apology moments after the on-air gaffe at Midday yesterday. Viewers news may remember her as she spent more than two decades anchoring the 10 p.m. news alongside veteran anchor Dennis Richmond. and Theyre not re-signing me. Gin, who had a stint with KTVU from 1986 to 1988, will begin her new job Feb. 7. ', '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. The longtime reporter, who became an anchor in 1992 and started co-anchoring the evening shows in 2008, said that he had gone to the funerals of seven young Black men and women who were killed on the streets on Oakland as well as two police officers for BART and the city of Fremont. But main anchors dont do that, Somerville wrote. needs these 5 sites to thrive so the city can recover. She then proceeded to read out four fake names from a teleprompter as they appeared on screen over footage of the wreckage. Family members said she endured a years-long battle with Lyme disease. 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. Jay C. Barmann is a fiction writer and web editor who's lived in San Francisco for 20+ years. When the driver of the Audi got out of his car after the crash, Somerville allegedly kept driving, pushing the Audi through the intersection until it collided with a pole at the southwest corner. 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. Seated across from one another in a living-room setting, with a ficus plant and vinyl blinds covering the windows, Somerville and Moore discussed the DUI crash, Somervilles emotional turmoil and his rocky last months at KTVU. "So almost a year . Ask Amy: I put a security camera in my room, and what I saw was creepy, The dad whose wife and child were among 5 killed by a neighbor in Texas describes how the massacre unfolded, Ask Amy: My fiancee's family says I'm not invited, and she's going without me, 'Total dominance': Steph Curry breaks NBA Game 7 record, leads Warriors over Kings, Dear Abby: The reason her fiance hid his phone was something she never guessed, Mortgage fees to rise for buyers with high credit scores, fall for those with lower scores, Kurtenbach: Steph Curry built the Warriors dynasty. Former KTVU anchor Frank Somerville is not returning to the Oakland Fox owned station after 31 years there. By Jaymi Mccann We are no longer accepting comments on this article. 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. Mr. 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. , updated I thought it was a good idea for people to see me now. Chuck Barney is the TV critic and columnist for the Bay Area News Group. Amanda Bartlett is a senior reporter for SFGATE covering culture, Bay Area history, science and breaking news. Political chaos has erupted in this Peninsula city over one issue: Housing, Former KTVU anchor Frank Somerville speaks about addiction struggles that he says spurred DUI wreck, charged by Alameda County prosecutors with driving under the influence, Beneath Michelin-starred restaurants success, landlord dispute is boiling. In May 2021, he was taken off air after an erratic newscast where he stumbled through the stories and appeared to be slurring his words. "This is shocking news. 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. Glad your health is ok and whatever you were going through.". Somerville began broadcasting on KTVU in 1992 and became co-anchor . But the surge does not seem to have peaked yet, and some parties and shows are starting to cancel out of caution. They're still operating in March/April 2020 lockdown mode when most of the other news channels have been able to come back almost to full swing production. 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. She always remained a prolific writer for the like of the Huffington Post and San Francisco Chronicle. Ive always believed in second chances and thats what Im asking for now, he said. Abrupt closure of S.F. "I remember her before I joined KTVU. 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 first name 'Captain Sum Ting Wong' might have been a giveaway that something was not quite right. 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. 13 catcandokatmandu 2 yr. ago Ouch 9 TheJadedSF 2 yr. ago Definitely drunk if you ask me. He refused to let it end in Game 7, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. 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. 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. 29 Apr 2023 22:34:47 Meet the woman with the most harrowing job in Britain: Sally spends her days viewing vile images as part of a tiny team battling internet porn - how DOES she cope? Somerville posted the news that his contract would not be renewed on Facebook and also said that he is hoping to get another job in TV news. That November, Somerville told the Bay Area News Group he was never going to anchor at KTVU again. Days earlier, KTVU news director Lee Rosenthal was crowing about how good his news operation had performed. is the city's financial engine and it is sputtering. 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. I come with a background. 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). While Somerville spoke out on the arrest earlier this January and confirmed he would not be returning to KTVU, details were scant. 2. For whatever reason, they decided not to re-sign me.. She had a home in Mexico and lived there since 2016, the family member said. "Janice brings unique strengths that will make our newsroom even better." The station also announced that it had hired Janice Gin as associate news director. 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. Get the latest posts delivered right to your inbox. 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. A further 180 people were injured, many serious. Get all the latest & greatest posts delivered straight to your inbox, Former KTVU Anchor Frank Somerville Speaks Publicly About Addiction Issues, on-camera incident over Memorial Day Weekend 2021, KTVU Anchorman Frank Somerville Arrested In Suspected DUI Crash In Downtown Oakland, 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. Photo courtesy of KTVU / Photo courtesy of KTVU. The Chicago Sun-Times apologized for its front page headline 'FRIGHT 214,' which was criticized for sounding like a stereotype of an Asian accent. 'We heard this person verify the information without questioning who they were and then rushed the names on our noon newscast.'. Live On-Air Ask Your Smart Speaker to Play K C B S Radio KCBS All News 106.9FM and 740AM Listen Now How long has it been since May started off this cold in Bay Area? 'With such a vaunted reputation among local news stations, we expected much more from KTVU. So I am done at Channel 2, Somerville told the Bay Area News Group. Roland DeWolk, Cristina Gastelu and Brad Belstock were all fired, News producer Elvin Sledge told people he was leaving for health reasons. They use so much recycled old footage it's crazy. 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.". "Ive NEVER been in trouble with the law and I never will be again," he said on Facebook. 'The National Transportation Safety Board apologizes for inaccurate and offensive names that were mistakenly confirmed as those of the pilots of Asiana flight 214, which crashed at San Francisco International Airport on July 6,' the NTSB said in a statement. Ex-KTVU anchor Frank Somerville gives first TV interview since DUI Here are five key structures that need to bounce back to help the city recover. But he revealed more information regarding the incident in his Saturday post. '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. I made a huge mistake., He paused a beat. "I was so depressed and sad that night, it turned me into a zombie, Somerville told The Chronicle on Monday, recalling how he left his home intending to stop at a nearby Taco Bell, and had no memory of the crash. The San Francisco Chroniclesaid Somerville was driving a 2014 Porsche 911 Turbo when he rear-ended a silver Audi. Former KTVU anchor Frank Somerville gave his first on-camera interview since his arrest for a DUI crash in December 2021. 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.