A former San Francisco Bay Area news anchor says he is finally addressing his alcohol addiction by attending support meetings, working out, eating healthier and taking other substantive steps.
The affirmation was made in a personal Facebook post on Sunday, and comes several months after former KTVU (Channel 2) news anchor Frank Somerville was arrested for his second DUI offense in two years.
On Sunday, Somerville said he was attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings five times a week, and was already 100 days sober.
“I’m on my way and feeling great,” Somerville affirmed. “There will still be ups and downs, but I’m learning to deal with [them], as a normal person would.”
Somerville’s health became a matter for public discussion when he was abruptly pulled from a late-evening news broadcast in June 2021 after slurring his speech during the first 15 minutes of the show.
Shortly after the incident, Somerville said he accidentally mixed up some medication, causing him to slur his speech during “The 10 O’Clock News,” the flagship KTVU news program that he co-anchored since 2008.
But further questions were raised about Somerville’s health after his first DUI-related arrest in December 2021. Weeks after the incident, Somerville told a local newspaper he was leaving KTVU, ending a 30-year career at the Bay Area’s top-rated local news station.
In March, Somerville broke his silence by agreeing to an interview with once-rival station KRON (Channel 4), during which he was asked about his apparent struggles with alcohol addiction. At the time, Somerville admitted he needed to get some of his personal affairs in order, but denied having a drinking problem.
When asked if he would stop drinking entirely, Somerville replied: “I’m not prepared to say I never will. It’s still a work in progress.”
Three months later, Somerville had another run-in with the law after police in Berkeley were called to the home of his 91-year-old father. There, eyewitnesses reported to police that a belligerent Somerville assaulted his father after confronting several relatives at the residence.
Somerville was asked to leave, but he apparently returned to the home hours later, prompting another call to police. When officers arrived, they reported Somerville smelled like alcohol, and he was arrested on suspicion of DUI and drunk and disorderly conduct.
On Sunday, Somerville said he was finally getting his drinking and mental health issues in order with a healthier routine that includes working out four days a week, “asking for help and eating better.”
“Now, it’s time to start making amends to all the people I hurt and let down,” Somerville wrote.
