During a period last week, Somerville pulled aside several staffers, one by one, and showed them a video of a fellow anchor who made a minor on-air mistake. It was thought to be petty and unseemly. Especially by a lead anchor.
The entire episode (Somerville's activity) was REPORTED to KTVU management, including ND Amber Eikel. But not much is expected and it's doubtful Somerville will even be slapped on the wrist even though what he did was highly un-professional.
This news comes as tension at Fox2 between Somerville and some staffers is extrarodinarily high; a growing rank and file group of writers, producers and technical staffers were put off by the bosses kid-glove treatment of Somerville's on-air bizarro and feel he got away with the incident. "He's on borrowed time," a high-level source told me.
Hell hath no fury like an overblown anchor scorned. He's ridiculous. I've transitioned from being neutral about Frank to feeling sorry for Frank to being downright sick of Frank acting like a spoiled child and not owning up to his COLOSSAL screw up. He definitely did this and it's a few steps past pathetic. Enough already. Cut him loose and move on KTVU.
ReplyDeleteNothing will happen with this. He’s being treated with kid gloves until March.
ReplyDeleteDear Frank:
ReplyDeleteGROW UP.
Sincerely,
Everyone you work with at KTVU
First covid and now this. I need to go lie down now, it's just too much.
ReplyDeleteMy guess is just looking at his poor desperate struggling performance, along with his petty immature attitude with co -workers, he will be gone by the end of the year. His delivery is pretty bad these days, don't know if it is substance abuse or the high anxiety of his job, but he clearly loss credibility with his co-workers and perhaps his audience.
ReplyDeleteAs Rich has pointed out repeatedly, he's under contract till March 2022. They're not going to get rid of him before then. Three more months isn't that much and it would cost them, and Fox is cheap. However, if he gets too unbearable, I'd point out they could bench him and keep paying his contract till March, but they'd have to find another steady anchor, and their bench isn't that deep. Even while he was away they were constantly flipping anchors and even bringing in reporters to anchor just to fill up slots. They really need another strong male anchor. My favorite No. 2 right now is Andre Gregory. I used to say they should give the anchor slot to him...Then he got that stupid Mr. T haircut around the sides and that pretty much quelched that. What a dumbass.
DeleteThe Power Of 2
ReplyDeleteWow! Frank just doesn't get it. Give him enough rope and he won't make it until March...
ReplyDeleteSomerville still has difficulty reading a teleprompter and stumbles with pronouncing words. I assume management is fine with him looking and sounding as a second tier anchor.
ReplyDeleteWe must be watching different shows. I haven't noticed any stumbling at all.
Delete> I haven't noticed any stumbling at all.
DeleteAre you serious??
Not just "stumbling" per se, but he pronounces his S and other syllables funny since he returned. It's almost as if his teeth are stuck to his upper lip.
And even when he doesn't stumble he's cautious, as if he has to be very careful to enunciate correctly or he *will* stumble.
You are watching the same shows, but for different reasons. Like watching a car race, are you watching to see who wins or who crashes?
DeleteTotally! He's been awful since he came back. He's struggling to NOT stumble ... he's over-enunciating and speaking really slowly, super concentrating, it's horrible.
DeleteShades of Ron Burgandy vs Victoria Corningstone.
ReplyDeleteIf it's true, the staff member should share it with HR so the behavior can be addressed. Get the submission in email and if it doesn't stop, take notes and contact an attorney.
ReplyDeleteLikely subject of a conversation between Frank and Mark Ibanez, "Hey, did you do her, I did!"
ReplyDelete