The 54-year-old newsman says he had been in and out of 12-step programs for many years. The motorist, identified as Michael Williams, 30, of Hayward, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. Why is Rich Lieberman so absolutely giddy when other people face personal problems? 1994 KTVU flashback of George Watson drunk on the air Heres a quick look at some of the people we can expect to see more of in the coming days and weeks: Julie Haener, a Danville resident, goes way back with KTVU viewers. The Bay Area knows the story. He started at KTVU as a reporter in 2011 and shifted to anchoring in 2018. She will forever remain part of a lengthy list of talent that made KTVU a destination station for news. She was born and raised in the Bay Area and got her start in news at the Daily Californian newspaper at UC Berkeley where she majored in English literature. The ones that put me to sleep." George Watson does not know this. She later took over the 10 p.m. news spot co-anchoring with Dennis Richmond. Fun to follow. KTVU will take an all-hands-on-deck approach while Somerville is away, relying on several newsroom regulars to fill in. I watched the first 10 minutes of the 10 PM news and Somerville seemed pretty impaired. Another source who watched the program was more blunt. He looked off last night. He said that these findings and discipline are private under the police officer bill of rights. Published by at 07/06/2022. Starting in 1978, he had a 22-year run at the TV station, where he put together the anchor team of Dennis Richmond and Barbara Simpson, whom Zehnder later replaced with Elaine Corral, Leslie Griffith and Julie Haener, all during Richmonds 20 years as an anchor. Haener seems like a landing strip kinda girl. KTVU 10 p.m. news anchors from left: Bill Martin, Dennis Richmond (seated), Mark Ibanez, Leslie Griffith (seated). I watched Sommerville on Sunday's 10 p.m. newscast and noticed right away that he was having difficulty reading the teleprompter and speaking clearly. A news anchor was visibly intoxicated on the air. I remember when Doug passed away. Sadly, it looked like he was drunk. Co-anchor Julie Haener broadcast the rest of the newscast solo and didn't explain Somerville's absence nor even acknowledge it. Though station management has said it will welcome Somervilles return when he is ready, in the interim KTVU must scramble to fill the void left by one of the Bay Areas most visible journalists a man who co-anchored the 5, 6 and 10 p.m. newscasts. Click this link to see pics of George on his 60th birthday. Barbaa Rogers cried on the air announcing it, As a recovering Alcoholic (30 years sober) I know how difficult it is to reach sobriety. This S.F. You look and sound great, it seems like taking the time off was beneficial to you., One person even wrote that Somervilles absence led to a temporary alteration of viewing habits: I changed news channels when he left. John Sasaki worked with Griffith for 10 years, starting in 1986, when she was the weekend anchor he was the weekend nightside reporter. She was a force of nature.". Surprised that he was working so recently - I don't see any online mention he was a reporter / anchor at KPHO .- the CBS affil in Phoenix. Now I can watch again. Would be great to see some of his more recent reporting. KTVU, virtual channel 2 (digital channel 44), is the Fox-affiliated television station serving the San Francisco Bay Area. I used to pretend he was my father. Oh stop!He was drunk.Stop enabling him and make him get help. TV Streaming | Can't help but notice that the name 'Elaine' didn't appear in the list of reunion participants. I am hoping he stays sober and maybe if a local news station takes a chance on him they can use his considerable talents. Significant piece of retro San Francisco bay area broadcasting history. Theyd been planning a reunion for July 9 in Sacramento. Zehnder also helped mold the on-air persona of popular feature reporters Bob MacKenzie and George Watson. Great to report he's living in Scottsdale and enjoying retired life, sober and tranquil many years and sounding very much the same as he did when he was an anchor at KTVU. He arrived at KTVU in 2005 as a general assignment reporter. What happened on first day of CHP drug dealing crackdown in S.F. Somerville, one of the Bay Areas highest-paid and most visible TV journalists, has been at KTVU since 1991. I saw it. His life is changed now, relatively stable and on an ordinary course. I miss George Watson on the nightly news. Since then, he has helped launch the weekend editions of Mornings on 2, co-anchoring with Claudine Wong. KTVU began taking on water under his reign and frankly it's amazing it's still [barely] afloat. You're a GREAT MAN, George, we all love you. As editor and publisher of both the San Leandro Times and the Castro Valley Forum . The state panel is preparing a final report that will suggest how to compensate Black residents to address the harms caused by the states history of slavery. Fred just liked to do the real work of putting out a newspaper, the nuts and bolts of it, said Jim Knowles, managing editor of the San Leandro Times. "Long-time KTVU anchor Leslie Griffith has died. But behind the scenes, negotiations were under way on a departure settlement. Then, he disappeared. I am hoping he stays sober and maybe if a local news station takes a chance on him they can use his considerable talents. Email Lisa atlisa.fernandez@foxtv.comor call her at510-874-0139. Fred Zehnder, longtime KTVU news director, dies at 87 after being hit by a car in Alameda. KTVU's George Watson's 60th Read More. at KTVU (Mann was one of the station's first hires), O'Brien and Zehnder brought in newcomer Leslie Griffith to join veteran KTVU reporter George Watson on the weekend anchor desk. Frank Somerville finally returns to KTVU: Are viewers owed an explanation? It was Somervilles first appearance on the KTVU anchor desk since making an alarming exit from a May 30 newscast during which he repeatedly slurred and stumbled over his words and appeared to have trouble reading off the teleprompter. Dear Abby: I have a great life, so why have I fallen into this shameful behavior? KTVUs Frank Somerville to take a break after bizarre newscast behavior It was created in 1984 by KTVU reporter George Watson, and produced by Don McCuaig. I was tempted to make a George Watson joke, but(Jessica Savitch too). TO THIS DAY, I STILL GET ASKED, "how's George Watson doing?"No news is good news. And besides Haener, the Zehnder will likely include Ibanez & Vacar.Rich, absolutely keep us posted as to how many long-time KTVU alumni attend and reconnect. Watched the KTVU newscasts when George worked there, and I miss his work and on-air presence. Big shift in weather is headed to California. At that time I thought professional help and it did help. Updated by the minute, our Dallas Cowboys NFL Tracker: News and views and moves inside The Star and around the league . RICH LIEBERMAN 415 MEDIA: George Watson --a KTVU News Anchor - Blogger Frank Somerville, a veteran TV newscaster suspended from KTVU following a dispute over coverage of the Gabby Petito homicide case, said Tuesday that he believes he is not returning to the station . A segment that continues to be one of Dateline's most-watched programs--the segment aired in 1996, right when Watson left KTVU. > Also, how come KGO-TV Channel 7 doesn't have > Melanie Woodrow on their website under> Newsteam? ", Former Reporter George Watson Returns to KTVU, Why every Californian needs an air quality monitor, SZAs extended tour lineup includes new SF show, Sustainable Hawaii travel tips for your next island getaway, Saks Off 5th in downtown San Francisco slated to permanently close, Fox Sports pundit made cowardly 'bet' on Warriors losing Game 7, Landslide results in closure of near-century-old California institution, Horoscope for Monday, 5/01/23 by Christopher Renstrom, Another Ross Dress for Less could be opening in San Francisco, Geoffrey Hinton, 'Godfather of AI,' quits Google to speak out on AI concerns, Missing 12-year-old Petaluma girl found safe, police say, Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). It wasnt until four days after the bizarre incident that a New York-based spokesperson for Fox the network that owns and operates KTVU announced that the veteran anchor would be taking an indefinite leave of absence to focus on his health., KTVU also offered no prior notice that Somerville would be returning this week, although Julie Haener, his longtime co-anchor, did briefly broach the subject in a July 28 Facebook post. It includes footage of legendary transit historians Harre Demoro and Ted Wurm.. "As a reporter, she led with passion for the craft, for getting the story, for pursuing what is right," Sasaki, who is now the public information officer for the Oakland Unified School District, wrote in an email to SFGATE. I've reached out to Somerville. Emmy Award-winning TV journalist Leslie Griffith joined KTVU in 1986. Edited by Anita Badejo and Marc Georges. It's time KTVU makes a permanent change on their main anchor desk. This is the department's first acknowledgment that there were missteps taken during last summer's protests over the death of George Floyd. I will keep you informed of any information I obtain. George looks great, and he seems to be in good spirits. Calls to Somerville and Fox spokesperson Victoria Gurrieri Thursday morning were not returned. Let's forget Fred, we came here to buy him not to praise him, seems to be the mantra of current (mis)management. Emmy Award-winning TV journalist Leslie Griffith, who most notably anchored the Ten O'clock News on KTVU Channel 2, died at the age of 66 on Aug. 10 in Lake Chapala, Mexico, where she had home, KTVU reported. People get sick while working, all the time. Did he use a different name on air? Frederick Eugene Zehnder was born March 5, 1934, in Lakeport, where he grew up on a dairy farm run by his father, Joe Zehnder, and where the milking was done by Fred and his three brothers. Don. She has been with SFGATE for more than 10 years. Watson said Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong will hold a news conference this week to explain more. I'm just glad at the end of the day there is no smoke over the cubicle and I haven't shut down the station. No I was not deliriously happy, but I was not depressed. > Haener seems like a landing strip kinda girl.Or at least a strip kinda girl ;-). Chuck Barney is the TV critic and columnist for the Bay Area News Group. https://plaing.smugmug.com/Friends/KTVUs-George-Watsons-60th/i-PVT68BG. She joined KTVU in 1986 as a weekend reporter and anchor, and with her alto voice and steadfast reporting, she worked her way up to become an influential force in Bay Area journalism, the East Bay Times reported. Heather Holmes, a Texas native, has been at KTVU since 2006, when she started as a weekend anchor. It was O'Brien that was the same boss that had to let Watson go after repeated bouts with alcohol abuse. As a news reader, he's average and somewhat stiff, but his health is more important. Some people are more sensitive to the effects of alcohol than others. Fred Zehnder, longtime KTVU news director, dies at 87 after being hit OAKLAND, Calif. - Oakland police officers have been disciplined following the deployment of tear gas and other less-than-lethal projectiles at last summer's George Floyd protests, KTVU has learned. Watson's email on Monday came an hour after KTVU published a story online saying that it's been a year since the June 1, 2020, George Floyd protests outside Oakland Technical High School, which . Pray constantly for pain to go away. SAN FRANCISCO It's bizarre when someone calls me out with a sickening comment. Thanks for the update, Rich. Aug. 11, 2022 Updated: Aug. 11, 2022 10:49 p.m. Emmy Award-winning TV journalist Leslie Griffith joined KTVU in 1986. They were big shoes to fill! I miss seeing that good-looking gentleman with the wonderfully pleasant presence and noteworthy qualifications, and I will pray that he continues to address each day in wellness and with fortitude. A possible reunion of old KTVU on-air people, like Watson, Dennis Richmond, Rita Williams, Lloyd Lacuesta and others might be in the works too. In 2008, he received a highly publicized promotion when he was named the co-anchor of the station's 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. newscasts, replacing Bay Area . Fred Zehnder, the news director at KTVU for decades, died after being hit by a truck while walking in Alameda. TV Streaming | George Watson is safe and sane. No RL, he's a GREAT GUY, and one I admired all my years in Bay Area media. He wasn't missed. Thanks for posting this video, Rich, and for the update. It is up to you to calm them down. We knew what our job was and we did it, primarily because of Fred.. Former longtime KTVU anchor and reporter Leslie Griffith has died. "Leslie Griffith was a consummate professional," wrote KTVU reporter Greg Liggins. The film blends the status of the (then) current-day BART system with looks at the amazing transit systems that existed . Watson, George D. 68 Aug. 09, 1944 Jan. 01, 2013 Public viewing will be on Tuesday Jan. 8 from 4 to 7 p.m., at Terry Family Funeral Home. I watched the show, he was having a hard time delivering the words, slurring a few words. Well, have to say I never heard of Zehnder till now. Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). Betty and family Margaret are sorry for your lost.but remember he is in a better place god is holding him now ,our prayers are whith you all. Toshua Sears was injured after getting tear gassed at an Oakland youth rally in honor of George Floyd on June 1, 2020. "She had such a wild & wonderful personality. A native of Jamaica, he grew up in Miami. ", Watson's re-entry into the workplace was easier than he had expected, he says. Zehnder lived alone in Alameda. Posted to Fort Bliss, Texas, he worked at an Army public information office run by Sam Donaldson, later a famously brusque TV news reporter. Is she still working there? One year after Oakland police used tear gas to break up a large crowd ahead of a citywide curfew, the top brass remained mum on why the department resorted to that level of force. From there he was hired at KTVU, which at that time was an underdog independent station in Oakland, going up against the bigger stations in San Francisco KPIX, KRON and KGO. Former Reporter George Watson Returns to KTVU - SFGATE George Watson was "Excellence Personified" during his tenure at KTVU. Hope all is well, George. I have thought about you often and held positive thoughts for you. G Watson was that hard-working and effective at KTVU. George Watson is safe and sane. George Watson Obituary (1944 - 2013) - Portland, OR - The Oregonian