Bill Handel - Biography

William Wolf Handel (born 25 August 1951 in Brazil) 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 program in the Los Angeles market, with over 1 million listeners. 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. Handel's 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.

Biography

Handel was born in Brazil, to Leo and Nechama Handel. His father Leo Handel was a Polish Jew who had hidden in a Jesuit monastery and lived as a Catholic priest during World War II. Much of the Handel family lost their lives in the Holocaust. 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. Handel emigrated to the U.S. with his family when he was six and was sworn in as a U.S. citizen at the age of eleven.

He spent the remainder of his formative years growing up in the San Fernando Valley, the northern portion of the City of Los Angeles. He attended Cal State Northridge, where he obtained his bachelor's degree in Political Science. He then earned his J.D. from Whittier Law School.

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.

Handel is the director of the Center for Surrogate Parenting, which helps childless couples have children through surrogacy. The company has offices in California and Maryland and has clients from all over the world.

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 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.

Handel generally expresses a centrist viewpoint, with support for some civil liberties and reduction of wasteful government spending and excessive taxation, while still denouncing civilian ownership of firearms, and supporting federally funded embryonic stem-cell research.

He has 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. He also 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. Handel has also openly discussed his previous drug addiction.

Handel is married to Marjorie Handel, and has twin daughters named Pamela and Barbara. His brother, Mark W. Handel is a real estate development professional at MWH Development in the greater Los Angeles area.

Handel is also a blue belt in kempo karate and attends classes several days a week.

Radio work

The Bill Handel Show airs 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. in Los Angeles and is heavily news based. The first hour is primarily banter of Handel's personal life, letters to the show, and softer topics he finds interesting. He might take one or two calls during this time. The second hour is a more comprehensive look at the news entitled Handel on the News. This is a summary of the news delivered with Handel's commentary with appropriate music cues starting each story and playing "under" his delivery. In the third and fourth hour, Handel often has guests to discuss topics in the news. Otherwise, Handel will cover 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 8:30 a.m., is a condensed version of the 6 a.m. hour, and includes stories not covered in the earlier version. The show is often the top-rated morning show in Los Angeles. As of Spring 2009, he is ranked first 12+ by the Arbitron audience research service. Legal stories and stories of hoaxes often pique Handel's interest. Parodies of events in the news are played during the show. All voices are done by Handel and his sidekicks, newsman Gary Hoffmann, producer Michelle Kube, sports anchor Rich Marotta, and board operator Todd Wilson.

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.

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, also a Premiere product). Handel quit the show after five months, citing a feeling of being overwhelmed, and passed on the microphone to Scots-Canadian Bill Carroll.

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). This led Handel to guest host on two more occasions on The Rush Limbaugh Show, and showcased his skills at hosting a nationally syndicated show.

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.” 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.

Handel received the Distinguished Alumni Award from CSUN (Cal State University at Northridge)on April 26, 2008. In his acceptance speech he revealed that his father had always wanted him to go to CSUN because he had helped with electrical aspects of the construction of the school. Handel said he was so enthusiastic about going to the school his father helped build that he graduated high school early and enrolled in CSUN at the age of 17. He proceeded to point out that he graduated when he was 26.

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 revealed on June 12, 2009, and is located at 6640 Hollywood Boulevard.

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." 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.

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.

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, KFI OnDemand, October 18, 2007

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."

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" This comment was 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 has 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 anymore than they were about euthanasia for the elderly." On June 11, 2009, a formal apology was issued by Handel and Lara Hermanson for the comments.

External links

• Official Web Site
• Handel at KFI 640 AM