The Bitter End to a Storied Career; Frank Somerville's Painful Demise at KTVU; The Events and Incidents Leading Up To Channel 2 Finale; What Took Place in Intimate Detail; Exclusive Report

FRANK SOMERVILLE HAD A LOT ON HIS PLATE...

Personal, professional, and otherwise. Then again, it was something he could manage and work out. After all, he'd been exposed to and dealt with hardship before and the coming year would be challenging but nothing out of the ordinary, or so he thought.

Somerville was still the TOP news anchor at KTVU. And "The 10 o'Clock News" remained the singular Bay Area TV newscast. Nobody, no other station, came close to KTVU's dominance at 10 and it was there where Frank shined and as long as the numbers remained strong, everything would be cool. His personal life would become secondary and a new contract was looming. That would take the sting off a whole lot of internal issues off camera.

Somerville felt annoyed about the prospect of taking a pay cut. He had looked at KTVU's ratings and saw good, better than average, actually, numbers, but he was also aware about the reality of news anchor salary circa 2022. Besides, he would still be one of the Top Five highest-paid anchors in the Bay Area. He was happy-- the good life, the post-marriage period, the idea he could make a lot of money and race cars (his hobby), work out and spend time with his daughters, especially his youngest (adopted) daughter.

But trouble was on the horizon.

Memorial Day, 2021 --after a Sunday night (before the holiday) 10 PM newscast that appeared to show a disheveled Somerville at his worst; a newscast where he slurred his words and was obviosuly out of whack; a show so bad he was taken off the show and told to go home.

Somerville, amazingly, drove home that night to his Downtown Oakland condo--only a few miles away, but in a danger zone nonetheless--who made that call at KTVU? Anyway, the incident was the beginning of the end for Frank and his tumultuous career at KTVU. He not only embarrassed himself but lost the entire newsroom at the station, especially those personnel that were angry at him because he'd received numerous second and third chances. Nothing to the extreme like appearing loopy on a live TV newscast but enough minor incidents that were never publicized.

KTVU suspended Somerville indefinitely.

He claimed (to me) that he mistakenly took sleeping pills and that caused him to sound and look disjointed, "drunk", said others. People behind the scenes at KTVU were not so sympathetic. A number of them were downright angry he had brought shame and embarrassment, not only to himself, but to KTVU as a whole.

Somerville was privately scorned inside the Fox2 premises, not just newsroom staffers but key, on-air figures like sports anchor, Mark Ibanez. The two were longtime veterans and Ibanez had 40plus years at KTVU to Somerville's 30 years. Ibanez was so close to Frank, they'd have private meetings and venting sessions away from the studio; sometimes in their cars when things got serious and emotionally-charged. Ibanez read Somerville the riot act but he also had his (Frank) back. He was loyal to the core even though Frank was hardly a sympatheic figure.

Ibanez himself was one of those KTVU on-air people that was ANGRY over the Somerville slurred-speech incident. He knew about Frank's vulnerabilities. He defended Frank but was also pissed because Frank seemed not to care about this latest incident and take Ibanez's friendship and guidance for granted. Ibanez wasn't alone. Almost the entire KTVU news staff were not only seething but fed up with Frank's latest antics.

They were angry that KTVU and high-top execs gave Somerville numerous rope with his less-than-stellar behavior.

Behavior that included many incidents at the station (and away) with questionable relationships with staff, one that included Somerville's bond with a young female intern. Somerville insisted the relationship was platonic but privately, KTVU Insiders said otherwise. Fox was so concerned over the matter, they paid a settlement to the woman as a buffer to any possible legal action. It was a significant amount of money. The woman intern left KTVU and no legal event took place. Still, that matter clearly left a negative vibe and Somerville on the defensive.

Out of nowhere, Somerville appeared on the air in September; KTVU and Somerville didn't make any notice about it, it just happened. Frank himself said nothing and looked as if he was fresh and crisp and wanting to begin a new chapter. And his bosses at the station agreed. They figured that the Memorial Day matter was a yesterday event and that the future held out a new beginning. They were also primed on maintaining KTVU's dominance at 10 PM and inherent want to get its star anchor back on track. They both, in essence, needed each other. Somerville the cagey veteran and KTVU, the Fox O and O that didn't want to mess with its late evening rule of the Bay Area news wars.

Things were moving along smoothly--until they weren't.

In late September, Somerville inexplicably had a confrontation with KTVU News director, Amber Eikel and other management personnel. He wanted to opine an on-air note about media coverage of the racial bias of the reporting of the Gabby Petito homicide --she being the missing white woman who was murdered by her fiance. Somerville was miffed over what he perceived as racial inequity--and Frank wanted to write some tag lines about it after an accompanying story.

KTVU would have none of it and the Somerville-Eikel confrontation was too hard to stomach. KTVU once again suspended Frank, indefinitely.

It would be the last time he appeared on the air.

Somerville initially had significant public support, most noteworthy the local NAACP. Privately, KTVU was in a significant bind, it's wanting to get Somerville a fresh start back from the May embarrassment only to have another incident mar their plan all at Somerville's doing. What the hell is happening? KTVU didn't know and seemed just as out of whack as Somerville. The latest turn of events seemed to hit KTVU at a time when personnel were steamed and done with Frank's latest controversy.

KTVU newsroom rank and file staff were once again livid that Somerville could bring unease and scorn to the Oakland Fox building. They were skeptical about Somerville's motives and figured he was using the Petito/racial reporting backlash as a means to piss off KTVU/Fox and milk the story for his own interests. They essentially said Frank was a phony and brought (once again) embarrassment and negative pub to KTVU, of which they (staff) were the recipients.

Fox and KTVU this time found themselves in a pickle. They couldn't outwardly fire Frank for fear of backlash from the Bay Area minority community and specifically the Oakland end--KTVU being headquartered in Oakland and all the negative outrage that would ensue should Somerville get the axe. They didn't do anything and played a wait-see game hoping over time that the latest incident would blow over. All the while, Somerville was being paid and in spite of being twisted in the wind, was content to wait it out.

The wait and see approach appeared to be working, from Fox's standpoint. It could buy time and formulate an end game to the entire Somerville mess. It began to set in that Frank's days at KTVU were numbered and that Fox was figuring out a way to say goodbye. Only how to do it and placate both Somerville and more importantly, the Bay Area minority groups and those alligned with Somerville. It was hard to come to grips that such a successful and lengthy relationship would be on the verge of a total break-up but the writing was on the wall and its outcome the only missing equation.

Somerville knew his days were numbered at KTVU. He had a contract coming up in late January and figured he'd be non-tendered. There was no way Fox would give him a new deal; even before all the earlier drama had occured, it was going to be tenuous at best that Frank would be at KTVU past the new year. Even so, he was still getting paid and nothing was imminent. And at least publicaly, KTVU was mum to Somerville's status even though it was common knowledge he was done. At least at Fox2.

The uncertainty and acknowledgment of his own future --professionally and privately--began to weigh on Somerville. He was suffering from a plethora of his own personal issues; a recent divorce (even though his ex-wife and him got along but a divorce nonetheless); a struggle to maintain a relationship with both his daughters, one who was so fed up she moved out and stayed with Frank's ex; another, the adopted daughter who was experiencing the rituals of dealing with teenage life at school and home; Frank's battle to keep her emotionally intact while at the same time keeping his own life in order.

Somerville began to drink more. He was never a hard-core drinker--mostly beer was his alcohol preference but no hard stuff. His life seemed to meander from stable to unstable. He began to look at everyhthing and determine what life had to offer for a guy in his early 60's with an uncertain future both professionally and personally. It was a lot to consider and it only seemed to get murkier by the day.

Cut to Dec. 30th, 2021. Frank had been drinking. A lot. But not just tonight. Earlier in the week, Somerville was so out of it, he'd forgot where he parked his car--a few days later he recovered it in a nearby Downtown Oakland parking garage. But it was clearly something both disturbing and unsettling. Frank was in crisis, in despair. Then all hell broke loose on the night before New Year's Eve.

Somerville crashed and rammed his Porsche car into another driver and their car. He was subsequently arrested on a DUI charge. He was lucky that he didn't kill anyone the accident was so jarring and violent. The images of a disjointed Frank were all over the Internet and marked the end of Frank's professional life more than likely and a personal journey from hell.

Now, Frank is dealing with the legal manuverings of his past misdeed. It's not a happy situation. It is chock full of regrets and misfortune. Of what could have been and what might have taken place. Frank is trying to change the subject via Instagram and has received inner inductry (and some outside) ridicule from both friends and foes alike. A common reaction to the social media posts: "Frank, what the fuck are you saying?!"--another local anchor told me, "He's weird. The whole posts are just weird."

I don't know what the future holds for Frank. I know he's basically a good person who means well and had to endure a rough time of his life. That he would jeopardize someone else's life is still a shocker to me. I couldn't believe what I saw and still, to this day, can't fathom the entire matter.

I considered long and hard to write this story but I decided to write it, A. because Frank himself put his images (via Instagram) and words out there and thus, is fair game. B. in spite of his notoriety, remains a popular person and still, a public person in that respect. Had Frank chosen to disappear and go about his ways without social media posts, I'd have most likely refrained from a story.

*EXCLUSIVE