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Bill Handel

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William Wolf Handel
Bill Handel, June 2009
Born
Wolf Handel

(1951-08-25) August 25, 1951 (age 73)
Brazil
NationalityAmerican
Alma materCal State Northridge B.A. in Political Science; J.D., Whittier Law School
Occupation(s)Attorney, radio host and commentator
Websitehandelonthelaw.com

William Wolf "Bill" Handel (born August 25, 1951) is the director and founder of the Center for Surrogate Parenting and an AM radio personality in Los Angeles, California.

Handel currently hosts two radio programs on KFI in Los Angeles, California. First is KFI's local morning show, in which he comments on current events. The program is one of the top rated morning programs in the Los Angeles market, with more than 1 million listeners.[1] Additionally, he hosts a legal advice show on weekends called Handel on the Law, which is syndicated by Premiere Radio Networks and heard on over 150 stations.[2]

His legal show is currently his longest running radio program to date. In early 2010, The Bill Handel Show replaced Dr. Laura when she ended her syndicated show. Both of Handel's shows played across the United States on America's Talk channel 158 on XM Satellite Radio. On February 22, 2010, the afternoon show was replaced by The Bill Carroll Show.[3]

Biography

Handel was born Wolf Handel in Brazil, to Leo and Nechama Handel. His father Leo Handel was a Polish Jew who had hidden in a Jesuit house and lived as a Catholic priest during World War II. Much of the Handel family lost their lives in the Holocaust. [citation needed]

Leo applied to emigrate to the United States legally, and was forced to wait for eleven years to obtain entry. During this time he lived in Brazil where he met and married his wife, Nechama, a dentist. The Handel family emigrated to the U.S. when Bill was six. He was sworn in as a U.S. citizen at the age of eleven, at which time he changed his name to William Wolf Handel. Handel speaks fluent Brazilian Portuguese.[citation needed]

He spent the remainder of his formative years growing up in the San Fernando Valley. He attended California State University, Northridge where he obtained his bachelor's degree in Political Science. He then earned his J.D. from Whittier Law School.[4]

Before beginning his talk radio career, he provided legal counsel for some of the ground breaking cases establishing the bounds in the field of surrogate parenting, including the writing of one of the earliest surrogate parenting contracts ever written, and helping establish many of the legal precedents of the field.[5]

Handel is the director of the Center for Surrogate Parenting,[6] which helps childless couples have children through surrogacy. The company has offices in California and Maryland and has clients from all over the world.[citation needed] Handel is known to refer to himself as a "Latino Jew". Although he makes fun of his own heritage, and all stereotypes, one of his more serious and memorable excursions involved taking white supremacist John Metzger to Auschwitz to view the Nazi concentration camps and the gas chamber where his grandfather was executed. The German government originally thought that KFI was a neo-Nazi radio station and did not want to allow the trip, but finally relented after being presented with more information.[citation needed]

He hosted his own television show, Judge For Yourself, which was canceled due to low ratings and the lack of time in Handel's schedule. Judge For Yourself was unique in that it solicited comments from a 900 number, whose results would be broadcast on the next day's show.[7] He served as a fill-in host on Glenn Beck, when it aired on CNN Headline News.

He underwent bariatric surgery at Centinela Freeman Hospital to lose weight. Handel's experiences with this surgical procedure have been thoroughly documented in a series of segments on his morning radio show.[5] Handel has also openly discussed his previous drug addiction.[8]

Personal life

He and his wife Marjorie have twin daughters named Pamela and Barbara.[citation needed]

Radio work

Prior to January 2014 The Bill Handel Show aired from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. in Los Angeles and is heavily news based. The first hour was primarily discussion of Handel's personal life, letters to the show, and banter with other show personnel. The first hour banter was cut when, in January, 2014 the show was moved to its current 6 a.m to 10 a.m slot following the Departure of Rush Limbaugh to the newly created, Clear Channel-owned KEIB 1150 program "The Patriot".

The show now begins with the Handel on the News, segment previously heard in the show's second hour. "Handel On The News" is a summary of the news delivered with Handel's commentary played with appropriate music cues starting each story and playing "under" his delivery. In the second, third and fourth hour, Handel has guests to discuss topics in the news. Otherwise, he covers a single news story or item of interest for a half-hour, summarizing various other perspectives and offering his own opinion. Handel on the News: Late Edition airs at 9:30 a.m., is a condensed version of the 6 a.m. hour, and includes stories not covered in the earlier version.[9]

On his Saturday show, Handel on the Law, he gives terse "marginal legal advice" designed to point callers in the right direction. He often makes fun of callers for getting themselves into their legal predicament, stating bluntly "you have absolutely no case". Still, the show is informative in that it deals with many common legal problems, such as landlord-tenant, child custody, and divorce in an easy-to-understand way.[9]

From September 8, 2009 to February 12, 2010, Handel aired an additional show from noon to 2 p.m. on KFI after Dr. Laura Schlessinger moved to new Los Angeles talk station KFWB. Handel's afternoon show was syndicated to a handful of affiliates, though Premiere Radio Networks did not aggressively market the show (it aired opposite of the much more prominent The Sean Hannity Show. Handel quit the show after five months.[citation needed]

On September 11, 2001, Handel was on air live when the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center took place. Most Clear Channel music stations switched over to a live feed of Handel's show as news reports and further attacks unfolded. Rush Limbaugh's show normally follows The Bill Handel Show on KFI. Not only was Limbaugh on a plane heading to a golf tournament that day, but telecommunications systems were devastated in New York, where his show emanates. Because KFI is the West Coast flagship of Limbaugh's EIB Network, Handel continued to broadcast for another three hours, taking the place of The Rush Limbaugh Show on most stations in the country (as well as the taped broadcast for Armed Forces Radio overseas).[10] This led Handel to guest host on two more occasions on The Rush Limbaugh Show.[citation needed]

Awards and honors

On September 23, 2005, Handel was named Major Market Personality of the Year at the 2005 NAB Marconi Radio Awards for his KFI show. During his acceptance speech, Handel said, “I haven't been this affected since my circumcision. Seriously, I'm proud and honored to be singled out for this incredible award.” [11] On March 15, 2008 he was honored with Local News/Talk/Sports Personality of the Year by industry trade publication Radio and Records for the third time, his second being in 2007, and the first in 2005.[12]

Bill Handel at the ceremony receiving his star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame

Handel received the Distinguished Alumni Award from CSUN (Cal State University at Northridge) on April 26, 2008.[citation needed]

The alumni association of his alma mater, Whittier Law School awarded him the Humanitarian of the Year Award April 25, 2009. Handel says he has no idea why he was given this award. On June 19, 2008, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce's Walk of Fame Committee announced that Handel would be one of 25 to receive a Star on the Walk of Fame in June 2009. His star was unveiled on June 12, 2009, and is located at 6640 Hollywood Boulevard.[citation needed]

Controversy

In 1996, Asian-American leaders called for Handel's resignation after making comments about Kristi Yamaguchi and Michelle Kwan. Handel was quoted as saying; "And when I look at a box of Wheaties, all right? I don't want to see eyes that are like all slanted and Oriental and almond shaped. I want American eyes looking at me."[13] Handel apologized, claiming that he was mocking bigotry. In March 2004, Handel made jokes about Muslims not bathing, hating Jews, and practicing bestiality; KFI was forced to apologize.[14]

On January 12, 2006, Handel joked that pilgrims should hire traffic reporters to reduce the possibility of deadly incidents during the Hajj. The Council on American-Islamic Relations demanded an apology. Handel offered to apologize on the condition that CAIR would denounce terrorism, agree that Israel is a sovereign country, and claim it does not have ties with terrorists. CAIR did not take him up on his offer. Handel refused to apologize to CAIR, but did apologize to the actual victims of the Hajj stampede.[15]

Shortly after the Hajj incident, Michelle Kube began to close each show with an all-encompassing apology covering nearly every group mentioned during the course of the show. It is intended to be funny and draw attention to the numerous groups and individuals who Handel makes reference to who might be offended. The apology closes with the statement "and any and all...groups that might possibly have been offended during the broadcast of this show." Handel on the News, October 18, 2007; accessed November 13, 2015.

On December 15, 2006, KFI suspended Handel for one week after an on-air shouting match with Jamie White on KYSR. White allegedly told one of Handel's daughters to "get out" of the studio. He later apologized, claiming he lost his temper and had overreacted without having all the facts. Jamie White later said publicly as a guest on KLSX 97.1 that she understood Handel's reaction as a parent and that she and Handel had seen each other months later at a radio event and "were fine."[16]

On May 13, 2009, Handel commented on a show about health care that the U.S. government should "euthanize old people", "sell Glendale to get rid of the Armenians" and "get rid of the Irish and the Italians too". These comments were followed up the next day when a listener sent a letter requesting an apology for the remarks he made. After reading his letter aloud, his board operator, Lara Hermanson, joked that "what the Turks started, Bill will finish" referencing the Armenian Genocide. KFI AM 640 Program Director Robin Bertolucci apologized and maintained that Handel was "clearly engaging in parody and hyperbole to point out the absurdity of genocide as a solution to rising health care costs. No one was actually advocating hatred against Armenians. The comments were obviously said in jest, in the same breath with advocating euthanasia for the elderly and genocide for the Jews. The comments made were solely mocking the idea of genocide and weren't intended to be about Armenians any more than they were about euthanasia for the elderly."[17] On June 11, 2009, a formal apology was issued by Handel and Hermanson for their comments.[18]

References

  1. ^ HandelontheLaw.com – About Us, Billhandel.com; retrieved 2012-05-28.
  2. ^ Handel on the Law at Premiere Radio Networks, Premiereradio.com; retrieved 2012-05-28.
  3. ^ KFI AM 640 Changes its Lunchtime Menu, KFIAM640.com; retrieved 2010-02-12.
  4. ^ State Bar of CA for William Wolf Handel – #90971, calbar.ca.gov; retrieved 2012-05-28.
  5. ^ a b Profile, JewishJournal.com; retrieved 2012-05-28.
  6. ^ Center for Surrogate Parenting web page
  7. ^ On Tv: Gabfests Taking Over The Airwaves, lib.vt.edu; accessed November 13, 2015.
  8. ^ Doug Thorburn on Early-Stage Alcohol and Drug Addiction (December 2006), preventragedy.com; retrieved 2012-05-28.
  9. ^ a b Carney, Steve. "Humor, issues and a cause; Bill Handel's talk show is tops with morning listeners, but he is most proud of his support of surrogate parenting." Los Angeles Times, August 15, 2003.
  10. ^ Audio recording of Handel explaining his replacing Limbaugh on the air, The Bill Handel Show, September 11, 2001.
  11. ^ Archived 2008-02-29 at the Wayback Machine. nab.org
  12. ^ R&R – Radio & Records, Inc. Radioandrecords.com; retrieved 2012-05-28.
  13. ^ Asian-Americans Protest Radio Satire. – Free Online Library. Thefreelibrary.com; retrieved 2012-05-28.
  14. ^ Pfefferman, Naomi. "Can’t ‘Handel’ the Heat?" The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, July 9, 2004.
  15. ^ "California Radio Station, Host Apologize to Muslims". U.S. Newswire, February 8, 2006 (partially mirrored here [1])
  16. ^ "Audio recording of the heated exchange between Jamie White and Bill Handel". Retrieved November 13, 2015.
  17. ^ Group criticizes radio DJ’s remarks, GlendaleNewsPress.coml, June 4, 2009; retrieved 2012-05-28.
  18. ^ KFI AM 640 More Stimulating Talk Radio. Kfiam640.com; retrieved 2012-05-28.
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