Bill Handel - Radio Work

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.