On May 13th, 2009, Bill Handel of KFI 640 AM made racist and grossly offensive statements about Armenians, one of his co-anchors going so far as to suggest, "What the Turks started, Bill will finish."
An audio excerpt can be heard here: May 13, 2009 excerpt
I urge you to file a complaint with the FCC, the federal agency that oversees all public broadcasts. It will only take a minute: FCC Online Complaint Form
Station call sign: KFI
Radio station frequency: 640
Station location: Burbank, CA
Program name: Bill Handel
Date: May 13, 2009
Time: 8 AM
Be sure to hit submit on the bottom.
Take a minute to sign an online petition, which will be forwarded to the appropriate parties after some time. Here's the link: http://www.petitiononline.com/fg343221/petition.html
If you're on Facebook, join the group that spread this information in the beginning: Bill Handel Insults the Armenians Group on Facebook
12 comments:
We should also contact all of their advertisers let them know about this debauchery. I can't believe these kinds of people are allowed to be on air. Free speech is one thing- but HATE speech is another.
What a shame, I used to enjoy this guy's show when I had early morning classes in high school. I still remember him saying OMG when the pentagon was attacked.
Last I listened, the most offensive thing he joked about was why muslims don't wear pink turbans, lawl.
It seems since then he's really jumped on the hate mongering, zionist, bandwagon.
When I first heard that, I thought it was a joke and that no educated human being would seriously think that. I didn't take the statement seriously and didn't have a problem with it until I heard the call for an apology and it made me wonder if that was what that person actually thought. In which case, that person should really consider growing a brain sometime soon. Especially in this economy, it does no one any good to roam the radio waves while brainless.
I just filed a complaint against this moron on the fcc website. Anyone who has lost any relatives in any kind of genocide should complain.
I recently wrote a complaint letter to the director of KFI, and got back a response (which I’m pretty sure was a generic one) that said “I am truly sorry you were offended. While I understand your concerns, Bill 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”.
Sure….of course…uh huh…Why would I be offended? Clearly, they were only joking…I guess I was the only one who caught on to their mockery…(sarcasm)
The email continues to say “The following day, when Lara said “what the Turks started Bill will finish?” she was clearly taking a shot at Bill and the idea that genocide was a solution to anything . She was outright mocking him for this outlandish and ludicrous idea. If Bill or anyone on the morning show had actually said with sincerity, “I think we should finish what the Turks had started” you and I would be having a very different conversation. To be clear, I do not believe that listeners who heard these comments could possibly take them to mean that Bill was really in favor of getting rid of the Armenians, or the Irish or the Italians, for that matter. It was an absurd statement mocking an absurd solution to a real problem.”
REALLY, who are these folks kidding!!!! Anyone in their right mind would take these statements as offensive. Bill and all his supporters should keep their prejudicial attitudes to themselves and stop poisoning the airwaves with their ignorant comments.
Yes, there is a canned response going around signed off by Robin, the producer of the show.
We really want to hear it from the horse's mouth with no conditions or explanations.
He WILL apologize and it won't be the first time he's had to do that, either.
Hey, Susan
would u mind posting the KFI director's email address here?
Regardless of whether or not Bill Handel's comments were in jest, they were still in poor taste. He isn't the first person in the spotlight to have made a supposedly innocent, but nonetheless tactless joke and have it come back and bite him in the ass. Why should he get away with it?
It would be helpful if you would make the link to the FCC site open in a separate window so that people can copy the information easily, i.e., station, name, etc. Just a suggestion. My cmplaint has been filed already!
I have already submitted complaint to FCC and will follow up. Class action will be bright punishment for this type of miserable nullities like Bill Handle.
I understand what this Bill guy was getting to...but it sure was a joke gone bad. So many people so often say that Hitler did just the right thing. It always makes me wonder about those people but i guess they all have their own Bill Handel-like experiences to take side with Hitler.
hi im french, i want say you that the petition is out, can you repare it ???
sorry but im not good in english.
Racist people like this Billy Bob shouldn't have the right to speak their minds. We shouldn't even feel offended by someone who is ignorant. It's a shame though 'cause those like himself might follow what idiots have to say... - like a sheep herd...
If I can file a complanit- will love to do so
Zara
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