Robert Handa Biography
Robert Handa is an Asian-American Emmy Award-winning Anchor, Reporter, and Host working for KNTV – NBC Bay Area in San Jose, California as an evening news reporter and host of “Asian Pacific America”. Prior to joining the station in June 2014, he worked for KTVU-TV.
Robert Handa Age
Handa likes to keep his personal life private hence he has not yet disclosed the date, month, or year he was born. However, he might be in his 60s.
Robert Handa Height
Handa stands at an approximate height of 5 feet and 7 inches.
Robert Handa Family
Handa was born to Albert (father) and Harumi Handa (mother). Both his parents are Japanese. There is no information regarding whether Handa has any siblings or not.
Robert Handa Wife / Children
Handa is a married man and his spouse is Arlene Sison- Handa. The couple takes great pride in being dad and mom to their 2 daughters, Olivia and Maison. The family happily resides in Morgan Hill, California.
Robert Handa Net Worth
Handa has an estimated net worth of between $1 Million-$5 Million which he has earned through his successful career as an Anchor, Reporter, and Host.
Robert Handa Salary
Handa earns an annual salary ranging from $ 45,000 – $ 110,500.
Robert Handa Career
Handa is a proud alumnus of DeAnza College, San Jose State University, and Sunnyvale High School. He serves at KNTV – NBC Bay Area as an evening news reporter, appearing on the 5, 6, and 11 PM newscasts. He also serves as a host of “Asian Pacific America” on KNTV, airing on weekday Sunday mornings at 5:30 AM, and COZI TV at 6 PM. In this show, he covers community accolades, Asian newsmakers, and youth perspectives. He started his broadcasting career at KNTV, therefore this is his return.
While he was studying at DeAnza College, he won a competition for journalism and got a chance to work at NBC Bay Area. He says this was the beginning of his career in broadcasting. After the internship, he started working part-time there. Eventually, he became the 1st Asian-American journalist at the station, which made him one of the few Bay Area TV reporters with this achievement.
When Handa was only 22 years old, he filmed, created, and edited a 5-part docu-series about gangs. This series won an award from the Peninsula Press Club for being the best documentary news series. He also played a part in starting KNTV’s 1st weekend newscast.
Handa’s most unforgettable moments of his career were covering the 49ers’ Super Bowl win, flying with the Blue Angels, going on a rescue at the ocean with the Air National Guard, covering the Maverick’s surf contests from a boat, making a five-part series about Alaska, and covering the visit of Prince Philip and the Queen of England to Hewlett Packard. Handa has got to interview many important people over the years of his career, including the Dalai Lama, President Jimmy Carter, Henry Kissinger, Cesar Chavez who started the UFW, and Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Before Handa re-joined KNTV, he worked for KTVU in Oakland, California as a News Reporter for 16 years. He has also worked for KPIX in San Francisco, CA as a fill-in anchor and news reporter, and at KQED-TV in San Francisco, California as a reporter and documentary producer.
Besides working on TV, Handa is also actively involved in numerous Bay Area organizations such as Yu-Ai Kai Japanese American Community Senior Service, Self-help for the Elderly, AAJA, AACI – Asian Americans for Community Involvement, and KIMOCHI.
Robert Handa Awards and Honors
Over the years of his career, he has won many awards and honors for his remarkable work as a reporter and anchor. In the years 2015 and 2016, the Associated Press TV and Radio Association voted him “Reporter of The Year”. He was also honored with an award for his reporting on a story about a delayed building of a $300 M expansion at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center.
Handa also holds a number of national journalism awards. He won 2 important prizes from AAJA – the Asian American Journalists Association. NABJ – the National Association of Black Journalists has also honored Handa with a 1st-place award. He got a number of Emmy Awards, including one for his great work in investigative reporting. He also received an award from the Associated Press for making the best documentary. In the year 2010, he was honored and added to the AAJA’s Honor Roll of Pioneers in Journalism.
Robert Handa KNTV – NBC Bay Area
Handa is working at KNTV where he works alongside other famous KNTV meteorologists, anchors, and reporters including;
- Marianne Favro
- Kari Hall
- Mike Inouye
- Velena Jones
- Kira Klapper
- Rob Mayeda
- Scott McGrew
- Jeff Ranieri
- Kris Sanchez
- Damian Trujillo
Robert Handa Social Media Platforms
He is active on his social media accounts and is often seen posting on his Instagram and Twitter. He has over 1.5K followers on Instagram.