Producers had nixed the tag ahead of a 5 p.m. broadcast and suspended him when a shortened version appeared in a script, sources had told The Chronicle then. As one fan writes, Im soooo happy to see you back anchoring the news! The charges stem from a December wreck in downtown Oakland. But when asked if he was sick, she said, "No hes doing well taking a little time for himself and should be back soon!". 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? According to Bay Area media blogger Rich Lieberman, Wayne had been working without a contract at KTVU for more than a month. Hernndez has bylines in the Silicon Valley Business Journal and The Desert Sun. 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. 29 Apr 2023 22:34:47 Shelives in San Francisco with her rabbit, Cheeto. "This dui will not define me. I come with a background. She was just this really powerful figure in the newsroom.". 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. Griffith, is survived by her two daughters, Trenton and Carly, a son Eric, and two grandchildren. 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. However, the apologies from KTVU and the NTSB have done little to abate anger over the issue. For the record as messed up as I was I didnt drink on the air, he said of the May 2021 broadcast. At the same time, he said, Im a damn good anchor.. 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. The broadcaster said they never checked the position of the employee in the organisation and rushed to get the names into their lunchtime broadcast. For more, stream KCBS Radio now. Ex-KTVU anchor Frank Somerville gives first TV interview since DUI Court charging documents showed his blood alcohol concentration was .24% three times the legal limit. 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 . 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. Former KTVU anchor Frank Somerville is not returning to the Oakland Fox owned station after 31 years there. And he'd like a new anchor job, either in town or in another market. Former longtime KTVU anchor and reporter Leslie Griffith has died. 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. Somerville began broadcasting on KTVU in 1992 and became co-anchor . Rachel Swan is a breaking news and enterprise reporter. 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. She studied journalism at San Jose State University, and was born and raised in Los Angeles. 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. Glad your health is ok and whatever you were going through.". Photo courtesy of KTVU / Photo courtesy of KTVU. Ex-KTVU anchor Frank Somerville gives first TV interview since DUI He told BNG that the DUI arrest had nothing to do with his contract not being renewed. The Saints selected Haener, former Fresno State quarterback and son of KTVU anchor Julie Haener, with the 127th pick in the 2023 NFL draft. needs these 5 sites to thrive so the city can recover. ', '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.'. 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. Ex-KTVU anchor Frank Somerville says he may pursue another TV job. Family members said she endured a years-long battle with Lyme disease. Days earlier, KTVU news director Lee Rosenthal was crowing about how good his news operation had performed. 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.'. 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. KTVUs false report comes after a week of speculating whether last week's disastrous Asiana Airlines crash could be attributed to Korean 'culture' and whether South Koreas tradition of deference to hierarchy could have played a role in the crash. 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. 27 By Ex-KTVU anchor Frank Somerville may pursue another TV job, teach Now, as Somerville tells it in a Saturday Facebook post and in an interview with the Chronicle, it was a kind of rock bottom. Petito, a young white woman and social media influencer, was murdered by her boyfriend Brian Laundrie. 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. RT @KTVU: Danville native Jake Haener is headed to New Orleans! The broadcaster said they came from a source who they were refusing to identify. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 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.". She accomplished a lot in her life. Speaking to the Chronicle, Somerville says he's incredibly embarassed and ashamed about the DUI, for which he has mostly paid his penance through community service. I felt it was my duty to be at all those funerals to let people know that I cared and that KTVU cared, Somerville continued. Tributes to the legendary anchor poured in on social media. How long has it been since May started off this cold in Bay Area? Saboteurs wreck Russian train cut power cables 37mi from Ukraine, Unseen footage of Meghan Markle during her teenage years, 'We're not your enemies!' Somerville says he was on his way to get some Taco Bell when the crash happened. "Ive always believed in second chances and thats what Im asking for now. 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. Former KTVU anchor Frank Somerville gave his first on-camera interview since his arrest for a DUI crash in December 2021. He is standing by the Ambien story with regard to the first incident, but he admits that he had been self-medicating with alcohol and prescription drugs during the summer of 2021. is the city's financial engine and it is sputtering. Ive always believed in second chances and thats what Im asking for now, he said. She had a home in Mexico and lived there since 2016, the family member said. Her reporting has received awards in California and Oregon. Veteran Bay Area TV reporter Ken Wayne is apparently poised to leave KTVU-Channel 2, although the station has yet to announce his departure. not good 69 todlo 2 yr. ago oof. 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. Frank Somerville, former network news anchor at KTVU, has given his first television interview since leaving the station in 2021. SFGATE tech editor Joshua Bote contributed to this report. He was arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence after a car crash the following month, according to the Oakland Police Department. "She was one of those really vibrant, vivacious, you know, very alive people. Former KTVU anchor Frank Somerville opened up about his struggles with addiction on Dec. 19, 2022. Those are people that you don't forget," said Sasaki. 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.". Previously, she was a breaking news reporter for the USA TODAY Networks Statesman Journal in Salem, Oregon. A spokesperson for Fox earlier said, "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. , updated Alcohol. As first reported by the Mercury News on Thursday, the venerated KTVU broadcaster faces two misdemeanor charges from the Alameda County District Attorney's Office one for driving under the. 'With such a vaunted reputation among local news stations, we expected much more from KTVU. ', '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. Longtime KTVU Anchor Frank Somerville Returns After Abrupt - SFist Ex-KTVU anchor Frank Somerville says he may pursue another TV job. 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. 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. until SUN 10:00 PM PDT, San Francisco Bay Shoreline. Life has returned back to normal! Longtime KTVU anchor and reporter Leslie Griffith has died. 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. Role: Reporter, actress. 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. LaMonica is one of the new anchors on KTVU, having joined the channel in May 2022 from CBS 8. The first name 'Captain Sum Ting Wong' might have been a giveaway that something was not quite right. "Janice brings unique strengths that will make our newsroom even better." News Director Lee Rosenthal called newsroom staff into a conference room Wednesday and informed them of the dismissals. Before sitting behind the anchor desk, Griffith was a fearless reporter who often worked in dangerous circumstances, gathering information and writing the stories that gave her incredible presence in live broadcasts. How I even made it home that night is beyond me.. This S.F. 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. Based in Oakland, California, the Fox affiliate represents a city where 16.8 per cent of the population is Asian. So I am done at Channel 2, Somerville told the Bay Area News Group. 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'. 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.'. Don Lemon, CNN anchor, fired after 17 years on the network 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. Lauren Hernndez (she/her) is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Find info on Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) companies in Plovdiv, including financial statements, sales and marketing contacts, top competitors, and firmographic insights. You always knew that she was there. Asiana Airlines has identified two of the four flying crew on board as the pilot and copilot Lee Kang-kook and Lee Jung-min. I mean, Elaine Corral is another one, Dennis Richmond is another onethese people who are just kind of legendary in the KTVU family. < Ex-news anchor back at KTVU as writer, reporter, Dubs fans picking apart video of possible Poole-Draymond incident, Destructive landslide closes historic California institution, Bay Area mom influencer found guilty of lying about kidnapping, Horoscope for Monday, 5/01/23 by Christopher Renstrom, More rain, 'unseasonably chilly' temperatures coming to Bay Area, 49ers out in full force at Warriors-Kings Game 7, Bay Area preschool teacher suspected of dumping body along road, Shock, fear as 2 killings in 3 days rock quiet Davis, Sold-out Berkeley crowd gets rowdy at country star's concert, Steph Curry killed off the Kings with a smile, Draymond Green rips Domantas Sabonis: 'Lost a lot of respect', Warriors' biggest hater made a cowardly Game 7 'bet', Dyson's air purifying headphones have finally arrived, HOKA Clifton 9 review: Ive never loved a sneaker more, Things to do in Napa Valley during Bottlerock, plus hotels, Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). Roland DeWolk, Cristina Gastelu and Brad Belstock were all fired, News producer Elvin Sledge told people he was leaving for health reasons. 13 catcandokatmandu 2 yr. ago Ouch 9 TheJadedSF 2 yr. ago Definitely drunk if you ask me. She covers breaking news, crime and general news. For whatever reason, they decided not to re-sign me.. He quickly disappeared from the air and co-anchor Julie Haener finished the broadcast on her own, and without explanation, Haener anchored alone or with other guest anchors for the next several months. RT @KTVU: Danville native Jake Haener is headed to New Orleans! On his evening newscast, anchor Frank Somerville apologized further. 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. Downtown S.F. on Twitter: "RT @KTVU: Danville native Jake Haener is On Thursday, Wayne posted this cryptic message on his. Get TVSpy delivered straight to your inbox, Technical Audio Producer (Part-Time Contract). She shared about the last time she heard from Griffith. ", Previously: KTVU Anchorman Frank Somerville Arrested In Suspected DUI Crash In Downtown Oakland. 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. '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. Months before his suspension from the stationamid a dispute over coverage of the Gabrielle Gabby Petito homicide case, Somerville took a leave of absence after slurring his words on air. Airport Weather Warning. '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. Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). Its an absolute honor to be trusted to deliver stories in a way that continues the legacy of journalistic excellence for which KTVU has always been known.. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. Below, the infamous broadcast, which finished with Haener alone at the anchor desk. San Francisco saw, like, two one-hundredths of an inch of rain early Thursday, so does that count as rain? 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. Local media gadfly Rich Lieberman said in a June blog post that he'd texted with Somerville right after the incident and Somerville claimed he had mistakenly taken an Ambien before going on air, and it was just a silly mistake. This SF restaurant was the blueprint for Bobs Burgers'. Somerville posted the news that his contract . Former KTVU anchor Frank Somerville has been charged with driving with a blood alcohol level three times the legal limit. But the news of her death was difficult for those who worked with her at KTVU. Over a month later, Liberman said, Somerville stopped returning his texts. But the surge does not seem to have peaked yet, and some parties and shows are starting to cancel out of caution. It started with me going to seven funerals for young black men and women who were killed on the streets on Oakland. 4/12/2023 9:20:00 PM Read more. Nirvana's Cow Palace show was once panned. 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. He's still in mourning over the cancellation of "Freaks and Geeks. The San Francisco Chroniclesaid Somerville was driving a 2014 Porsche 911 Turbo when he rear-ended a silver Audi. Now, he says, he has quit drinking and only takes one medication presumably the Ambien for insomnia. Its been a tumultuous year for Somerville. Get the latest posts delivered right to your inbox. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. He would then depart from the station again less than two months later following an apparent disagreement with the news director. In a statement the NTSB admitted a summer intern had 'erroneously' confirmed the names of the flight crew and was 'acting outside the scope of his authority' in doing so. 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 couldnt leave work at work, Somerville wrote in the post on Saturday. Expand / Collapse search. That being said, KTVU as a whole has become unwatchable for me over the past year. Katie Davies KTVU's Ken Wayne leaving station after 26 years - The Mercury News 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. I would give anything to work there. KTVU's Frank Somerville faces 2 DUI charges after car crash - SFGATE "The 10 O'Clock News" on KTVU remains the Bay. A further 180 people were injured, many serious. It is not yet clear where the names, which mock the tragedy which killed three, originated. Former Bay Area news anchor Frank Somerville reclaimed the spotlight this week with his first on-camera interview since his 2021 arrest for plowing his Porsche through a busy Oakland intersection and wrecking another car while drunk. Veteran Bay Area TV reporter Ken Wayne is apparently poised to leave KTVU-Channel 2, although the station has yet to announce his departure. 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 termination from the news station as he attempted to shed light on the state of his mental health at the time of the crash. Jay C. Barmann is a fiction writer and web editor who's lived in San Francisco for 20+ years. She was a fearless reporter in her own right and her colleagues recall her professionalism and dynamic voice. 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. "I am stunned," Lemon wrote on Twitter, saying he was told by his agent . KTVU staff members fired over Asiana racist name gaffe including Griffith died Wednesday in Lake. Viewers news may remember her as she spent more than two decades anchoring the 10 p.m. news alongside veteran anchor Dennis Richmond. Longtime KTVU anchor and reporter Leslie Griffith dies Is San Francisco tiki bar the Tonga Room actually good? I never had a chance to say goodbye and for that Im sorry.. Former KTVU Anchor Frank Somerville Speaks Publicly About Addiction Issues Another unidentified teen has died of her injuries bring the death toll in the tragic crash up to three. Ex-news anchor back at KTVU as writer, reporter - SFGATE He blamed the incident on lethargy from accidentally ingesting two Ambien sleeping pills, an explanation he repeated during his interview with Moore. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Leslie Griffith, a longtime journalist who graced television screens for more than two decades as anchor for KTVU Channel 2 News, has died.