Its just so silly.. But Griffith had been a reporter for the station for nearly 15 years prior, making her a familiar and trusted face, and earlier in her career, a reporter for the Denver Post and then the Associated Press. On the surface she was the consummate blond beauty of broadcast news; underneath, she was an old-school journalist who knew how to find a coroners report, question a corporate press release and live with drug dealers in San Franciscos projects for weeks at a time to understand turf wars. It is, without a doubt, one of the best scripts I have ever read and I am inundated with scripts every day, Bolt said in a press release. Click here to read one of them. Before that Sal worked as a radio DJ in San Francisco at LIVE 105 FM in the early 1990s. His son is currently working at the station as a cameraman. Full name: LaMonica Peters The first occurred in June after he appeared to slur his words during a broadcast, an incident that prompted Somerville to take two months of medical leave, according to a spokesperson for Fox Television Stations, the Fox Corp. subsidiary that owns KTVU. Former KTVU anchor Leslie Griffith has died. Oftentimes, the reporters are sitting at their desks taking the same feed, therefore writing the same story. Debora Villalon, a veteran Bay Area TV reporter and anchor, retired in December after 35 years in Bay Area television. Follow PleasantonWeekly.com and the Pleasanton Weekly on Twitter @pleasantonnews, Facebook and on Instagram @pleasantonweekly for breaking news, local events, photos, videos and more. Shes at Lafayette Parks Duck Hunter restaurant her favorite haunt to chat about life after KTVU. A cap was lifted (from 12) on the number of local broadcast stations a company could own and the Act spurred huge media consolidation nationwide. Kendall has played a reporter or anchor in a number of high-profile films, including "The Burglar" (with Whoopi Goldberg) and Neil LaBute's "Nurse Betty." But her most famous credit comes from. But the real talk of the town is where to get the best grub. Here are their names and their roles. All Rights Reserved. Solomon, who often gives talks about the state of the news, says sometimes people argue that corporations buying up media could mean more resources for those failing stations. Ford willingly gave up the camera. With Frank Somerville away, who will KTVU turn to? She said, What the hell are you doing here? The whole time she was preparing for her story and she didnt want to be bothered with any of it, remembers Gaspari. Betty Ann Bruno, former KTVU Channel 2 reporter, now best-selling author of The Munchkin Diary: My Personal Yellow Brick Road. KTVUs news director at the time, Andrew Finlayson, was proud that the station was without a helicopter, a gimmick that would simply fuel more image-driven reports instead of deeper news analysis. All rights reserved. Prosecutors dismissed Somervilles second misdemeanor count part of the plea deal, according to a court spokesperson. She was 66. Bay Area news viewers from the 1990s and early 2000s have lost a longtime favorite, as former anchor Leslie Griffiths family announced she passed away at her home in Mexico on Wednesday. Early life Born in Tomball, Texas, Griffith worked her way through college as a single mother, working as a cleaner. Hidden in the East Bay hills, the Carmelite nuns of Kensington live at the most secluded monastery in the United States. It came over us slowly. Former KRON 4 executive producer Chris Archer joins Atlanta-based Gray Television as the companys new vice president of research and consulting. Any thinking person would say, How do you get up in the bathtub and then fall downget up, fall down, get up, fall down? says Griffith. As a young child during the 1930s, Bruno successfully auditioned to be one of the Munchkins in the 1939 big-screen classic, The Wizard of Oz. (Photo Credit: Craig Scheiner), By KEVIN WING | Archive & Museum Committee. Its a Disneyland war, says Griffith, noting that ABC is owned by Disney. The award will be presented virtually on Dec. 2. Brown was told the paper was going digital, Politico said, although the connection to his column wasnt explained. She went to Russia and later, Romania, and saw firsthand the dangers of media control and the pitfalls for a democracy. She began co-anchoring the Ten OClock News in 1998. Many television news experts agree with Griffith, citing a steady slide in TV news quality over the years coupled with less independent station ownership, less skillful reporting and the rise of the Internet. By Kevin Eck on Aug. 11, 2022 - 1:08 PM. Former Bay Area news anchor Leslie Griffith has died, according to a report by KTVU Channel 2 News. She didnt. Longtime KTVU anchor and reporter Leslie Griffith dies editor / reporter who has been published in almost every San Francisco publication, including Hoodline, SF Weekly, Thrillist, and Broke Ass Stuart. She was 66. We will remove any comments or commenters that do not follow this commenting policy. State. I just fell to the floor and couldnt get up, Kendall says. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. DanvilleSanRamon.com, About Us Due to a lack of funding, Grade the News has been unable to do a follow-up report on local coverage. A cost-saving offer of buyouts to San Francisco Chronicle staffers has attracted 20 to 24 takers, some of them prominent figures in journalism, according to Carla Marinucci in Politicos California Playbook. "So almost a year . Embarcadero Media But he's still advocated for players historically Black institutions. Kendall found Hollywood a tough town, a place where no one cared that she had been the anchor of a popular news program. Currently he is serving three years of court probation that will end in August 2025. This is a family newspaper, please use a kind and respectful tone. Or maybe teaching, about how to cover the Gabrielle Gabby Petito, with a blood alcohol level three times the legal limit. Photo courtesy of KTVU / Photo courtesy of KTVU. I feel like Im doing great, Somerville said. A spokesperson for Fox Corp. was not available for comment Monday. All rights reserved. Ex-KTVU anchor Frank Somerville may pursue another TV job, teach Become a Member So almost a year ago I was arrested for a DUI, Somerville wrote in a Dec. 17 Facebook post that chronicled his departure from the news station, following a dispute about how to cover the Gabrielle Gabby Petito homicide case. TV Streaming | If a station or a newspaper has no competition and is the only game in town, what external forces are pushing it to perform better than the rest? Griffith hopes the book will inspire some outrage that could lead to pressure on the FCC to move back to a time of more regulation and public control. He said, You want to learn? Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. Griffith became a local legend in the seat, though in the early days of SFist, we developed an obsession with her in Wheres Leslie? Griffith says she was in heaven in San Francisco, citing Herb Caen, two thriving newspapers and people in the streets protesting Iran-Contra. Originally from Milpitas, Smith has lived in Livermore for five years. Theyre not reporters, theyre stenographers. In earlier roles at the Chronicle he covered courts, police, education, City Hall and urban affairs. I didnt want to say that I was going to try to make acting my career, because what if no one hired me? she says with that familiar, hearty laugh. When the doctor called with confirmation, Kendall was overwhelmed. KTVU aired the piece and the woman, ultimately, ended up in jail for life. I do think the economy being in the situation its in has really affected broadcast, maybe worse than anyone anticipated, says Potter, from her office in Maryland. Television journalists, she says, have gone from respected voicesthe town criers charged with informing the publicto corporate and government cheerleaders in a relatively short period of time. For those traveling to or from SFO, here's what to expect due to the pandemic. Griffith joined KTVU in 1986 as a weekend reporter and anchor, and ended up becoming one of the Bay Areas most recognized television reporters. Fear is what gets you. Introduction : It is hard to imagine Rosemary Orozco as anything but a fashion model, for she has gorgeous looks! David Snyder, executive director of the First Amendment Coalition, has received the Freedom of Information award from the Los Angeles chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. President Jimmy Carter had crafted the Synfuels initiative in response to the Arab oil embargo and a roiling energy crisis. Sal Castaneda has got you covered, Grandparents, grandson hospitalized after Alameda house fire, Sal Castaneda's favorite San Francisco ballpark eats and beer, Bay Bridge crash shuts 3 lanes of traffic, Overturned semi-truck shuts down Highway 101 southbound in San Jose, 80% of Bay Area drivers resuming normal routines despite pandemic, What to expect at SFO during the coronavirus pandemic. Former television news reporter Azenith Smith recently joined the Livermore Police Department communications team, following a seven-year run reporting in the South Bay for KTVU Fox 2 News. I learned about how to fail in journalism there. delivering her friend Faith Fanchers eulogy (Fancher died in October 2003), Kendall was doing a self-examination and discovered a tiny lump in her breast. Former Bay Area news anchor Leslie Griffith has died, according to a report by KTVU Channel 2 News. Griffith says yes, shes gotten the message, loud and clear. Drama is what elevated Griffith to the anchor seat, when her predecessor Elaine Corral abruptly resigned on the air in 1998, stunning her colleagues. Weve got to explain why. Kilduff Gets to the Bottom of the Kaspers or Caspers Question, Ask the Expert: Estate Planning with Sara Diamond, Berkeley-based bio honors SF architect Bernard Maybecks daughter-in-law, Ray Darten Brings Indie Designs to Bay Street, Rodolfo Mendoza-Denton Urges Parents to Discuss Race. Sal won an Emmy Award for his coverage of the 2014 Napa Earthquake. Nathalie Vera joins KSTS Univision 48 and KNTV NBC Bay Area in San Jose as a bilingual news reporter. He will continue to produce the stations 11 a.m. weekday newscast. A local investment group that rescued a Half Moon Bay newspaper liked the deal so much that they purchased another paper in Pacifica. Danville native Jake Haener is headed to New Orleans! Become a member today. Shed had a home in Mexico since 2016. It also reduces competition and that can result in lower quality. Shed had a home in Mexico since 2016. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! It turns out that Faith was looking after me again.. I kept asking why. Former Bay Area news anchor Leslie Griffith has died, according to a report by KTVU Channel 2 News. Kendall also completed her first original screenplay, A Punishment in Time. Again taking the reins of her fate, she wrote a story about two women from different centuries one from the old West, the other from present day who are charged with murdering their husbands. It matters a lot., When people say the local news all looks the same now, theres a logical reason, she says. But I always dreamed of someday becoming an actress, Kendall says. Uploaded: Mon, Jan 10, 2022, 3:25 pm Ask Amy: I put a security camera in my room, and what I saw was creepy, The dad whose wife and child were among 5 killed by a neighbor in Texas describes how the massacre unfolded, Ask Amy: My fiancee's family says I'm not invited, and she's going without me, 'Total dominance': Steph Curry breaks NBA Game 7 record, leads Warriors over Kings, Dear Abby: The reason her fiance hid his phone was something she never guessed, Mortgage fees to rise for buyers with high credit scores, fall for those with lower scores, Kurtenbach: Steph Curry built the Warriors dynasty. Griffith, who anchored the news on KTVU for two decades, died . Its not as bad as it is at KRON, but they are headed in that direction.. The retired anchor died in Mexico where she had lived since 2016. An overturned semi-truck shut down Highway 101in San Jose on Friday morning. Instead of sending the standard rsum and a stock headshot, Griffith mailed an application describing herself as a terrible journalist who needed a mentor. This is a carousel. A family member told KTVU that Griffith had been suffering from Lyme Disease ever since being bitten by a tick while living in Oregon in 2015. A&E TownSquare It destroyed me seeing the flag draped coffins and their boots sitting next to them, Somerville wrote in his Facebook post, adding that he went to the memorial services on his own time. Terms of Use The station wouldnt pay to have Griffiths hair done daily, but still fretted that the style looked different each night. Cristina Azocar, director of the Center for Integration and Improvement of Journalism at San Francisco State, says the Internet has taken away viewers from broadcast news and the response from stations has been to compete by offering more so-called info-tainment. In the late 1940s through mid-1950s, John Cameron Swayze hosted a 15-minute news program sponsored by Camel cigarettes. The San Francisco Examiner and SF Weekly newspapers have been purchased by Clint Reilly Communications. But, Solomon says, that never happens. We won the AMA Film Festival, Faith looked as if she was going to be fine and it was just time to do it, Kendall says. Griffith doesnt talk specifically about the many factors that led to her exit from the station, but she says her work on one story, that of Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey elephants, does illuminate why she had to leave and pinpoints the problems TV news reporters everywhere are facing. Privacy Policy, 2023 PleasantonWeekly.com Somerville said he no longer drinks alcohol and only takes one prescription medication to help with insomnia. Berkeley with a degree in Political Science. Leslie Griffith. A lit cigarette smoldered in front of him during newscasts even though he didnt smoke, says Drummond. The friend had a friend, Karen Bolt, who worked with a production company. Her lilting alto voice on the nationally acclaimed 10 oclock news signaled the end of a long day for people throughout the Bay Area. Born in Berkeley, she graduated from Cal with a degree in rhetoric and is now raising two daughters in El Cerrito. After spotting a help-wanted sign, Griffith walked into the local radio station where the manager, named Myrtle, offered her a job as a radio reporter if she could also clean the bathrooms and mop the floor. Kendalls first love has always been theater and acting. Somervilles suspension in September marked the second time he had left the air in 2021. ", KTVUs Maureen Naylor leaving the station, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Former KTVU news director Fred Zehnder killed by alleged DUI driver, KTVUs Frank Somerville to take a break after bizarre newscast behavior. COMING SOON: Watch our website for a special feature profile on Bruno and her husband, veteran KTVU photographer Craig Scheiner, written by Media Museum of Northern California chair Kevin Wing, who also worked with Bruno and Scheiner at KTVU Channel 2. Betty Ann Bruno, a staple on Bay Area television from the early 1970s to the mid 1990s, is now a best-selling author. Let's see where Sal Castaneda likes to eat (and drink.). "I can't wait to meet everybody and I'm really very excited about this new opportunity. Meteorologist Mike Nicco leaves KGO-TV ABC7 in San Francisco for a new position as chief meteorologist at KSHB in Kansas City. Berkeley to spend quarter-million for first 24-hour public bathroom. Griffith, a veteran journalist and media insider, is now on the outside, delivering a scathing review of television news. pic.twitter.com/31rklPj6AX. Marion Lewenstein, Early Silicon Valley Technology Journalist and Stanford Journalism Professor Emeritus, Dies at 93, Penny Nelson, Longtime KQED-FM Radio Host, Producer And Writer, Dies At 57 , dropped former mayor and former Assembly speaker, 2020 Benjamin C. Bradlee Editor of the Year Award, MediaWise for Seniors literacy training, award will be presented virtually on Dec. 2, has been named the next president of the Harvard Crimson. Or maybe teaching A year since his arrest for plowing his Porsche through a busy Oakland intersection while drunk, and. I decided I wouldnt tell anyone until after I actually started working.. She. Even though she routinely had mammograms, she felt the lump several months before her scheduled appointment for the screening test. So far, Griffiths book is 400 pages long and in the hands of her editor. No one is waiting to give you a job. Frank Somerville (born March 19, 1958) is an American television journalist. Kendall has played a reporter or anchor in a number of high-profile films, including The Burglar (with Whoopi Goldberg) and Neil LaButes Nurse Betty., But her most famous credit comes from the Best Picture Oscar-winner American Beauty., I get to put an Oscar-winning film on my resume and get residual checks from the film, and its great, Kendall says. Cecilia Vega, an ABC News reporter and former reporter for the SF Examiner, SF Chronicle and KGO-TV, has been named the networks chief White House correspondent. Get all the latest & greatest posts delivered straight to your inbox, Leslie Griffith, a 22-Year KTVU News Reporter and Eventual Anchor, Has Died, Leslie R. Griffith Woman of Courage Scholarship, Catching Up with Former KTVU Anchor Leslie Griffith [SFist], I Love Tenderloin Week Seeks to Beautify, Celebrate the Neighborhood With SFs Most Checkered Reputation, Yet Another French Bulldog Stolen, This Time In Jack London Square Car Burglary, Monday Morning Headlines: Beloved Community Member Stabbed in Davis. by Brenda Cruz and Margaretta K. Mitchell | My Generation |, by The Monthly Staff | Sep 22, 2021 | Faces of the East Bay, Family Care. In high school, she was selected student editor of the year by writing coaches at the nonprofit CC Spin newspaper in Contra Costa County. She was 66. Copyright 2023 Media Museum of Northern California. The fact that theyre so asleep now has a lot to do with the lack of explanation, the lack of explaining why.. SF Chronicle | Mercury News | CBS SF. Former television news reporter Azenith Smith recently joined the Livermore Police Department communications team, following a seven-year run reporting in the South Bay for KTVU Fox 2 News. She writes for popular online sites such as The Huffington Post and Truthout and newspapers like the San Francisco Chronicle and Bay Guardian, analyzing a broadcast media thats largely owned by General Electric, Disney, Viacom and Rupert Murdoch. Former KTVU anchor Frank Somerville gave his first on-camera interview since his arrest for a DUI crash in . But that baseline is pretty grim.. Sal has covered many different stories both as a traffic reporter and as a general assignment news reporter. It will now be seen in Thailand, Japan and a lot of other countries, Kendall says. Or maybe teaching. Bay Area news viewers from the 1990s and early 2000s have lost a longtime favorite, as former anchor Leslie Griffith's family announced she passed away in Mexico on Wednesday.