Media Action Network for Asian Americans (MANAA) — the only organization solely dedicated to advocating balanced, sensitive, and positive depiction and coverage of Asian Americans — is demanding that KFI-AM 640 in Los Angeles suspend long-time morning man Bill Handel, that he apologize and agree to perform community service to make amends for promoting untrue and exaggerated stereotypes — that Koreans and Korean Americans eat dogs and that Chinese restaurants serve cat.
This is not the disc jockey’s first run-in with MANAA. In 1996, Handel went on for more than an hour talking about wanting to allow Tonya Harding back into professional figure skating because he was “tired of seeing slanted-eyed figure skaters winning all the time.” MANAA and officials from the Asian Pacific American Legal Center (now Asian Americans Advancing Justice), National Hispanic Media Coalition and Nosotros met with Handel and station management.
MANAA Founding President Guy Aoki gave Handel 48 hours to decide if he was going to apologize on air, or MANAA and its allies would begin targeting his advertisers at 12:01 p.m. Friday. The next day, KFI told the coalition he would apologize at 9:40 a.m. on Friday — the first apology he’d ever make. (Watch his televised apology from the 1:48 to 3:11 mark at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUQHlhn3KUM&t=109s)
Here is the timeline of Handel’s most recent offenses, according to MANAA:
On May 21, Amy King reports news that if people adopt dogs, no-kill shelters won’t have to euthanize them. Handel responds: “You just can’t have Korean people do it.” After King and Neil Saavedra get angry at him, Handel reminds Saavedra that years ago, the station came “this close” to doing a show in Korea that focused on restaurants serving dog. In other words, his crack implied that Koreans should not adopt dogs because they’ll eat them.
Saavedra says he doesn’t remember, but in Fresno, a family had to move and change their name because people kept painting graffiti and throwing rocks because they thought they were serving dog. Handel admits no one in California is serving dog. But then he continues, saying, “Little dogs, there’s just not a lot of meat on them” and doesn’t finish his joke. (Listen from the 27:51 to 30:44 mark at https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-bill-handel-show/handel-on-the-news-QE8vD2ljSJc/?t=1334)
On Aug. 8, Handel discusses housing problems and Airbnb with guest Joel Larsgaard, saying, “Yeah, you really want to host tourists who speak no English and are completely, totally obnoxious. There’s nothing like them. You know, I don’t want to mention names in terms of obnoxious people at all, you know, because I can’t do that anymore,” but then says “Koreans” under his breath. Handel says he knows he’s going to get emails about what he said and he’s going to be on Instagram so people can complain there and that he speaks Korean so he’ll understand them. (6:37-7:07 mark at https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-bill-handel-show/bhs-8a-how-to-money-with-1nd0EjtJYXi/?t=327)
On Sept. 16, Handel ridicules Donald Trump and J.D. Vance’s claim that Haitian immigrants are eating pets, but in a confusing way, brings Koreans and Chinese into it, perpetuating stereotypes against them:
“I’m putting up on Instagram @BillHandelShow, a recipe for dog meat soup — this is legitimate, by the way — OK, dog meat soup and fiery Szechuan cat stir fry with full instructions on how to cook cats and dogs. Now, what’s kinda weird is Korean and Chinese — I’m trying for the life of me to look at a Haitian recipe for dogs and cats and I cannot find one! So if anybody has any information, I’d love that, please.” [He never posts the recipe.]
“OK, now, I was talking about conspiracy theories and having a great time with it. The recipe I have for cats and dogs — REAL recipes I have for cats and dogs.” (15:42-16:45 mark at https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-bill-handel-show/bhs-7a-2nd-assassination-J4KC_Hcsp9u/?t=936)
On Sept. 25, Handel says, “There are still restaurants that serve dog and cat though not necessarily in the U.S. I don’t want to name ethnic groups and countries that they have dog and cat restaurants” (He says “Korea and China” under his breath.) Saavedra protests: “You know, that’s so outdated!”
Handel: “No, let’s look it up! I still think they have ’em! … Am I right? I don’t know!” He asks Siri if there are dog restaurants in Korea and says he has to research it because Siri won’t answer his question. “I may have to apologize. I don’t know. I’m gonna look this up and if I am wrong I will profusely apologize.”
On Oct. 3, in a discussion with King and Saavedra about a children’s book about a dog, Handel asks, “Is it translated in Korean? Don’t use too much ketchup.” (3:15-4:10 mark at https://www.listennotes.com/search/?q=children%27s%20book%20translated%20in%20Korean&sort_by_date=0&scope=episode&offset=0&language=Any%20language&len_min=0&ocid=26d565ce26b14807873db7cf2ed5d5d5)
On Nov. 22, Aoki wrote to Paul Corvino, division president of iHeartMedia; Chris Berry, interim station manager and executive VP, news talk and sports; and cc’d Saavedra: “The foregoing demonstrates Handel’s bizarre obsession with targeting Koreans, Korean Americans and also Chinese. This is unacceptable and disrespectful. By repeatedly spouting cheap jokes at their expense, this opens all Asian Americans up to ridicule and violence, as we have seen especially since the outbreak of COVID. Because guess what? Most people can’t distinguish between people of various Asian backgrounds and don’t stop to ask them what they are before attacking them.
“While some people in Korea have eaten dog, the majority of Korean Americans have not. Handel has admitted he knows this, yet for some reason, takes glee in creating the opposite impression.
“VP-elect Vance echoed Trump’s false claims that ‘millions and millions’ of Haitian immigrants are eating the dogs and cats in Springfield, Ohio. This encouraged hate incidents against these innocent people. Previous hate rhetoric spewed by Trump between 2020-21 triggered a significant rise in anti-Asian hate crimes and violence.”
After being prompted for a response twice, Berry finally emailed Aoki on Dec. 3: “Your feedback is very important, and appreciated, as we evaluate our programming. Thank you again for taking the time to bring your observations to our attention.” But there was radio silence after Aoki retorted to Berry and Corvino, “Clearly, you are not taking this seriously” and reiterated calls for a meeting with them, Handel and Saavedra (to thank him for standing up to Handel).
MANAA is demanding that Handel be suspended without pay; both he and the radio station make a formal apology to Koreans, Korean Americans, and Chinese Americans; and Handel perform appropriate community service for the damage he has caused.
In 2021, Aoki spoke with then-station manager Robin Bertolucci and Saavedera (who was then assistant program director) after “The Tim Conway, Jr. Show” aired an offensive skit mocking “Vic the Brick’s” Japanese American wife with a stereotyped Japanese accent that she doesn’t have. Bertolucci and sidekick/producer Sheron Bellio were suspended without pay for two weeks.
MANAA, a nonprofit, all-volunteer media watchdog, was founded in 1992. It led nationwide protests against the film “Rising Sun” in 1993 and challenged Sarah Silverman’s use of “Chinks” in her joke on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” and Bill Maher’s “Politically Incorrect” in 2001. Between 1999 and 2019, as part of the Asian Pacific American Media Coalition, MANAA met annually with the top four television networks pushing for more inclusion of APIs.
In 2021, MANAA got Jay Leno to apologize for two decades of making jokes about Asians eating dogs and cats while on “The Tonight Show” and on “America’s Got Talent.”