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.
Dini Petty, left, beside fellow broadcasters J D Roberts and Jeanne Beker in a parade in March 1982.
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 showCityLine, 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 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]
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.
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]
^"CITYPULSE: Tabloid TV news". Chatelaine. Vol. 58, no. 11. November 1985. p. 12. ISSN0009-1995. 1715423051 – via Proquest.
^ abcdMcCabe, 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. ISSN0009-1995. 1715432129 – via Proquest.
^ abZerbisias, Antonia (1989-12-14). "Champions of breakfast fight for early TV audience". Toronto Star. Toronto, Ont., Canada. pp. C4. ISSN0319-0781. 436118877 – via Proquest.
^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. ISSN0319-0781. 436114913 – via Proquest.
