IN THIS DAY AND AGE of reduced salary compensation-- even among elite, tenured, talented, big market TV News anchors, making high six-figure coin is a rarity.Not so for KTVU's veteran evening anchor, Frank Somerville, who makes a whopping $615K a year, according to a reliable 415 Media source.
Sure, it isn't Dennis Richmond money (who was making around $800K a year when he retired) nor Van Amburg (who was close to a million when he left KGO) but again, in today's environment, 600 thousand annually is noteworthy.
Keep in mind, Fox tends to want to keep its salary structure in line (translation: they're thrifty) so even they value an important member of Channel 2's vaunted franchise, "The 10 O'clock News." A newscast that still makes loads of money for the station and has virtually dominated the Bay Area news scene for decades. And while it's not the Rolls Royce it used to be its still a baby Bentley.
Somerville's contract is up in a year; he's happy and is probably due a re-up soon. The numbers are still positive at FOX2. And that's the only thing that counts.
Didn't Dave McElhatton make more than $1million per year?
ReplyDeleteI'm curious how Bay Area stations attract new talent to the market given the housing market. If you are a top anchor at a station, I imagine you don't want to be renting. Isn't $200k in household income required to afford even an average home in the Bay Area?
ReplyDeleteYes, an average home in......Vallejo.
DeleteOld Frankybabe is totally worth it. Consider it a bargain at only $90k for Frank, $110k for his self-righteousness and $400k for his fragile ego. What a deal!
ReplyDeleteAgreed!
DeleteWhat’s unsaid is that Julie isn’t paid the same.
ReplyDeleteShould she be? Pay is supposed to be equal? This is a socialist country now?
DeleteEven at $615k a year ... Somerville is still a cheap ass from the Oakland hills who doesn’t take care of the people (garbage men) who take care of him.
ReplyDeleteWho tips garbage men? They don't even get out of their trucks any more.
DeleteLittle do you know... In the Oakland hills all trash is picked up on a 2 man rear loader truck. Once a year during the holiday’s all garbage men are tipped for there services. It sounds like your just like frank!
DeleteIf you do the math, that amounts to $20 for each insipid, self-promotional Facebook post he's written.
ReplyDeleteA USED baby Bentley maybe...
ReplyDeleteIs it just me, or is it these anchors are way over paid to read news stories? Mire power to them, I say. It just seems like way to much money.
ReplyDeleteAnd, even with the money, they often don't read very well..tripping, stuttering, stammering. I've wondered ..since they've been reading news for so long that they'd be better at it...doesn't practice make perfect?
DeleteFrank Sommerville was born to be a Funeral Director. He has the same "come let us pray," slow, phoney-empathic tone of voice. Cannot stand to watch it even though it's a train wreck.
DeleteFrank takes home bags of money while fox screws everyone else that acactually do the work.
ReplyDeleteAnd Rich made the story in the newspaper: https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2018/02/13/whos-the-bay-areas-highest-paid-news-anchor/
ReplyDeleteAbout the highest paid anchor.
That article, is basically this blog, word for word!!!
DeleteFrank deserve to be the highest paid anchor. I have been watching him since Mornings on 2 and glad someone recognize his hard work putting him as a Prime Time anchor resembling KTVU. Like Rich said, Dan Ashley is also a great anchor. No comment on the other 3 stations since their news pairing is terrible to watch.
ReplyDeleteThey aren't paid to read news stories. They are paid to develop a relationship with the audience and be "the face" of the news operation. And there have been plenty of quality journos (male and female) who have lost their gigs because research showed they weren't "connecting" with a premium demo (women 25-49).
ReplyDelete