Dini Petty

Dini Petty (born January 15, 1945) is a Canadian television and radio host. At 22, wearing a trademark pink jumpsuit and working for Toronto radio station CKEY, she became the first female traffic reporter to pilot her own helicopter. She clocked 5,000 hours as pilot-in-command of a Hughes 300.

Three people sitting up on the back seat of a corvette, most likely participating in a parade or procession.
Dini Petty, left, beside fellow broadcasters J D Roberts and Jeanne Beker in a parade in March 1982.
Dini Petty
Born15 January 1945
Kingston upon Thames, Greater London, England, UK
OccupationHelicopter Pilot, TV & Radio Host, Author
GenreChildren's Literature

Later, at Citytv Toronto, she worked as a writer, reporter and co-anchor, with Gord Martineau, of evening newscast CityPulse at 6.[1] There she also hosted an afternoon program, Sweet City Woman. Later, on Citytv's daily talk show CityLine, Petty established herself as one of Canada's foremost television talk show hosts.[2][3] She left her evening news anchor position to concentrate on CityLine. From May 1987 to 1989, Petty also anchored Citytv's short-lived 5:30 p.m. news and current affairs program CityWide.

In 1989, Petty moved to CFTO and the Baton Broadcasting System.[4] Her popular hour-long general interest talk show, The Dini Petty Show, aired until 1999.[2][3]

In the 2000s, Petty hosted Weekends with Dini Petty, a syndicated weekly radio program focused on health and wellness for baby boomers. Sheila Copps succeeded her as host of Weekends.

In August and September 2010, Petty returned to guest-host several episodes of Cityline while host, Tracy Moore, was on maternity leave.

In 2016, Petty relaunched a product called Luuup Litter Box, partially through using a Kickstarter platform.[5]

Personal life

Petty is the daughter of Gordon Petty, a film producer, and Molly, a Scottish war bride.[2] Molly Petty ran a talent and modeling agency, Producers' Services in Toronto.[2] In 1980, a documentary camera followed her pregnancy and the birth of her son Nicholas.[6] She also has a daughter, Samantha.

Publications

Petty has written a children's book, The Queen, the Bear, and the Bumblebee, published in 2000.[7] Joanne Findon (professor of English literature at Trent University, Ontario)[8] described the book as "a charming fable about the value of being yourself and recognizing your own strengths."[9] Publishers Weekly was less flattering: "Despite a bumblebee protagonist, there's little to buzz about in this didactic picture book."[10] In 2014, the book was staged at a theatre at the Banff Centre.[11]

References
  1. "CITYPULSE: Tabloid TV news". Chatelaine. Vol. 58, no. 11. November 1985. p. 12. ISSN 0009-1995. 1715423051 – via Proquest.
  2. McCabe, Nora (February 1990). "Dini's dynamite! As her new morning talk show wins raves I across the country host Dini Petty--bright, funny and down-to-earth--proves it helps to have the common touch to queen it on daytime TV". Chatelaine. Vol. 63, no. 2. pp. 44–46, 48. ISSN 0009-1995. 1715432129 – via Proquest.
  3. Zerbisias, Antonia (1989-12-14). "Champions of breakfast fight for early TV audience". Toronto Star. Toronto, Ont., Canada. pp. C4. ISSN 0319-0781. 436118877 – via Proquest.
  4. Zarzour, Kim (1990-01-18). "Dini Petty Stronger than ever Fame has cost her several marriages along with her privacy and safety but the girl with the pink helicopter is flying high with a new TV show". Toronto Star. Toronto, Ont., Canada. pp. L1. ISSN 0319-0781. 436114913 – via Proquest.
  5. "Former TV host Dini Petty is starting a business again … at 71". The Globe and Mail. March 9, 2016. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
  6. Bot, Ellen (1987-03-05). "Petty's style more sophisticated than in her helicopter pilot days". Toronto Star. Toronto, Ont., Canada. pp. B7. ISSN 0319-0781. 435562142. Retrieved 2023-08-27 – via Proquest.
  7. "The Queen, the Bear and the Bumblebee (First Edition)". www.isbns.net. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  8. "English M.A. (Public Texts) Faculty". www.trentu.ca. Trent University. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  9. "Reviews: The Queen, the Bear and the Bumblebee". www.quillandquire.com. Quill and Quire. December 2000. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  10. "The Queen, the Bear and the Bumblebee". www.publishersweekly.com. PWxyz LLC. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  11. "Dini Petty enters her 70s, still flying high". The Star. January 15, 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
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