AS OUTRAGEOUS to some as it might be viewed, the idea of
Frank Somerville reemerging in
Sacramento is a real possibility. And it could happen by the end of the year or even sooner.
Industry sources told me that the ex-KTVU anchor, could be back on the air in the capital for one of the network affiliates, no less.
Somerville, says one particular source, would be back --on a
probitationary period; he'd also have to sign a waiver freeing a station of any liability --extreme measures, of course, but Somerville is said to be sober and free from alcohol for over six months.
Somerville, a thirty-year+ veteran KTVU anchor, was let go early this year after a series of on and off-air personal transgressions.
The idea he could be back on the TV airwaves, even in Sac town, is still a long shot but not out of the question.
#EXCLUSIVE
He is talented with delivery and is familiar to area transplants
ReplyDeleteIf he’s paid his price for his crime then all for redemption
As long as Frank has his anchor hair, he's still in the game.
ReplyDeleteI hope Frank does well in Sac. He's much better than what KTVU has tried to replace him with.
ReplyDeleteI don’t see Hearst’s KCRA — the gold standard in that market — taking Somerville. CBS’s KOVR/KMAX is probably a no-go unless they habilitate Frank for a couple of years to ship over to fix KPIX’s sinking ship. Tegna’s KXTV may bite but they usually go young and cheap, but do have a stalwart or two in the market; they have also moved news production back to the studio from the newsroom. Maybe they need a news face. The remaining station in the market, Nexstar’s KTXL, probably won’t pony up the coin.
ReplyDeleteWell, maybe he's wised up. Giving him a 2nd chance won't be the end of the world.
ReplyDeleteFrank's new walk up song; "When I'm sixty four".
ReplyDeleteFunny how Lieberman thinks he is important
ReplyDeleteKUSI can be a great alternative, it’s known as the retirement home for Bay Area, LA and SD anchors. (Allen Denton, Carlos Amuezcua, Sasha Foo, Alan Frio)
ReplyDeleteThey’ve got strong evening anchors early in their tenure and Frank’s level of seriousness isn’t their style
DeleteLike KCOP in Los Angeles was before it gave up news, KUSI is the place for anchors at the beginning and at the end of their careers. Also Michael Tuck, who recently passed away, the Los Angeles and San Diego anchor who was said to be part of the prototype for "Ron Burgundy," but that had to be mostly Harold Greene.
DeleteWishing him luck. He would improve ANY stations news-casts here in the SAC Market.
ReplyDeleteThere's likely more Pros than Cons on this plan.
ReplyDeleteAt least it will (probably) keep him busy and out of trouble.
He will still need some sort of Minder to make sure he toes the line.
The Minder will need to be somebody who does not give a damn about being Frank's 'friend'.
If so, a condition of employment should be "Keep Off Social Media for at least the first seven years! ..That includes Aliases"
ReplyDeleteGood for Frank. I wish him all the best.
ReplyDeleteEveryone loves a good comeback...that's Media PR-101
DeleteWorkplaces and TV newsrooms are full of drink and dope, so they can cope...
Frank has to "want this bad" to make it work.
I wish him luck.
Just don't take the first drink!
If he get's back on the air, he better not demand to use his first news segment talking about how he got to this point. Nobody but Frank would wish to hear that story told again while live, on the air. That was his breaking point before, when management wanted him to just move on, no need to rehash, review or relitigate.
ReplyDeleteWell, ok. Uh, they don't have interns in Sacramento, do they?
ReplyDeleteThey have them everywhere. They're a source of cheap labor and they don't talk back.
DeleteAs long as the contract includes a hired driver... or fully paid Uber service 24/7.
ReplyDeleteBetter yet, a provision that he cannot own OR operate a vehicle.
Definitely not KCRA 3 or Fox 40, probably ABC 10 or CBS 13. I want to see him on NBC 11 kicking Raj out
ReplyDeleteI don't see Sac stations hiring an expensive older guy. KCRA is set. Their anchors stay around for years.. The CBS duopoly dumped an decent anchor who came here from a national cable network. They might bring in someone they want to groom for a network job not someone at the end of their career. The ABC station got rid of most of the older higher paid staff to go with youth. And I agree Nexstar won't pay big money in a market this size.
ReplyDeleteRich, another example of the utter patheticness of ktvu: tonight they did a
ReplyDeletestory about the robbery of a store in Danville complete with the name and street of the store and mugshots of the two suspects police are looking for.
During the next segment they stated the story was actually from Danville, VIRGINIA! And they ‘apologized for error.’
WHAT IN THE FUCKING FUCK? Clearly they do absolutely no checking of basic facts and obviously don’t even know the cities they cover. They probably have a Google News alert set for anytime Danville and Burglary appear together and when they got the alert for this story just plagiarized it and read it on air.
How embarassing.
"...And that sound you just heard as we apologized was Fred Zehnder spinning in his grave."
DeleteWe’ve lived nearby in San Ramon for nearly 40 years. My wife works in Danville and we know the town very well. When Greg Lee said the street name we were intrigued as neither of us had heard of it. A quick trip to Google Maps and we realized that street is in Danville, VA. We weren’t sure if it was a strange mixup or if there was a reason they were doing a story about a random burglary on the east coast (it wasn’t even a robbery!). KTVU is in freefall and clearly there is no rock bottom.
DeleteMost likely landing spot would be CBS 13. From top to bottom they have by far the worst anchors and reporters in Sacramento.
ReplyDeleteABC10 is by far the worst station in the market. So amateurish it makes Reno look upscale.
DeleteOne reporter doing the news in the office
DeleteFrank
ReplyDeleteFrank would be an idiot to expect the big bucks in a smaller market. His career is over, unless someone decides to do him a favor.
ReplyDeleteMaybe a raise after six months, if he's earned it.
After a nasty divorce he needs $$
DeleteHe has been sober for more than 6 months. And in my opinion that is all that matters.
ReplyDeleteSigning a waver would relieve a station from all liability like Trump declassified boxes of documents just by thinking about them. Just because you sign something that doesn't make it valid in court. I wouldn't want to be the lawyer defending that move in a suit.
ReplyDeleteTDS. Will he lecture people again? If sober, Sac might like his suits and gravitas.
DeleteHighway 80 between Sacramento and Berkeley has always been a crapshoot. Adding another impatient driver to the usual mix of Road-Hogs (Chevy Suburbans and lifted Dodge Ram Trucks) Speeding in the fast lane will only end badly. Tolbert has put $500 on the under of this endeavor lasting a year.
ReplyDeleteYou nailed the 80 road hogs. I’ve made many a trip on 80 and 680 and 95% of d bags drivers are driving pickup trucks. But with gas around $6 I can understand their anger since they’re dropping $200-300 a week in gas.
DeleteAin't gonna happen.
ReplyDeleteI wish Frank would adjust his instagram camera so it doesn't look like he's ready to throw-up all the time. He's been on camera long enough to know how to fix the camera so it is faced to him.
ReplyDeleteWait till he spends a summer in podunk. If you thought he was an alcoholic now, see what six months of unbreathable air and blast furnace turns him into.
ReplyDelete"Sacratomato," as Dr. Don Rose used to call it. I just hope Frank can get back into the game, he has much to offer. It'd be great if it were KOVR, a CBS O&O, where the newscasts can be seen on a lot of platforms.
ReplyDelete*Every* position in broadcasting is a probationary period fof as long as you're there. At will employment in the Golden State...
ReplyDeleteSalary shouldn't be an issue if he wants to get back in.Look at George Reading, who bounced between KRON and KTVU and KXTV in Sacto and LA.
ReplyDeleteLongshot question if he did end up in KPIX wonder if they would pair Somerville & Hackney together on the weekend newscast to start? That would be really neat if they dis as they are both very solid anchors in terms of their delivery. Maybe later move him to the 11PM newscast on weeknights?
ReplyDelete