Frank Somerville's Wasted Opportunity at KPIX; Dan Ashley May Be Simply Flirting With WABC; Deal Still Likely at ABC7; Circle7 Anchor Has NY Roots; 900 Front Producer Innocent Lunch Date with Anchor Talk of KGO But It's All Innocent; Monday Open

HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR HIS LAST, most serious transgression--a disturbing DUI arrest in Downtown Oakland in Dec., 2021--Frank Somerville would have probably been under major consideration for a return to the Bay Area TV News scene. It was a long shot, yes, of course it was, but it was very well considered and Somerville was all on board.

The destination? KPIX.

But fate and life chose otherwise.

*One thing for sure: Both PIX and KTVU are dealing with ratings issues and no one is watching. PIX's few watchers are MIA and KTVU's dominance has eroded to the point where its gold mine, 10 PM is wasting away.

*Dan Ashley was indeed in NY on vacation last week. He may or may not have spoken to WABC about a potential hook-up. I doubt it. Ashley has been a KGO (ABC7) constant for almost 30 years. He has NOT signed a new deal and all this speculation about reaching a contract extension might just be simple negotiations.

Ashley, I'm told, doesn't want to leave the Bay Area--he's got a nice family life in Walnut Creek and is the face of the station at Circle7 --then again, if Disney plays hardball, then I wouldn't be at all shocked if Ashley explored options outside the Bay Area.

Keep in mind, he (Ashley), has east-coast roots and spent his early career anchoring in South Carolina--he's also got several contacts in NY and that includes the ABC News network in Manhattan. Ashley, in fact, has turned down several offers over the years, to work in NY. It wouldn't be the craziest thing in the world were he to work back east--I still believe he gets a new deal here but if the mousies screw it up, then everything is on the table.

Remember, the money they used to pay the top-flight anchors isn't what it ued to be. Ashley knows that but he's also got considerable cachet in a major market--if not here, certainly in NYC.

Ashley makes in the neighborhood of $650K a year. It's pretty good money but in NY, Ashley could be paid more than double that. Chuck Scarborough, the WNBC-TV veteran anchor makes well over $5M and while Ashley isn't Scarborough, in terns of coin, he certainly has east-coast news chops.

*I get grief over the idea of this but the idea of a combo Ama Daetz-Larry Beil-Dion Lim presence at Channel 7 has already been put in place should the scenario (unlikely as it is) of a sudden Ashley departure take place.

Good heavens, 900 Front-Disney, get a deal done.

You don't want another Carolyn Johnson.

*INSIDE the Circle7 newsroom HOT TOPIC last week was of the second-tier producer who asked a certain star anchor (a female) out for a lunch date. It wasn't anything huge mind you, purely an innocent offer only in this case, the woman anchor is married and the guy who asked her to lunch is divorced and is known to love his noontime cabernet every now and then.

They both went to lunch and nothing happened,I'm told.

Darn.