{{Short description|Canadian television and radio host (born 1945)}} {{Infobox writer <!-- for more information see :Template:Infobox writer/doc --> | name = Dini Petty | image = | caption = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1945|1|15|mf=y}} | birth_place = Kingston upon Thames, Greater London, England, UK | death_date = | occupation = Helicopter Pilot, TV & Radio Host, Author | genre = Children's Literature }}

'''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. [[File:Dini Petty, J D Roberts, Jeanne Beker - City TV.jpg|alt=Three people sitting up on the back seat of a corvette, most likely participating in a parade or procession.|thumb|Petty, left, beside fellow Citytv personalities J. D. Roberts and Jeanne Beker at a parade in Toronto during March 1982.]] Later, at Citytv Toronto, she worked as a writer, reporter and co-anchor, with Gord Martineau, of evening newscast City''Pulse'''' at 6''.<ref>{{Cite news |date=November 1985 |title=CITYPULSE: Tabloid TV news |volume=58 |pages=12 |work=Chatelaine |issue=11 |issn=0009-1995 |id={{ProQuest|1715423051}} }}</ref> 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.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Zerbisias |first=Antonia |date=1989-12-14 |title=Champions of breakfast fight for early TV audience |pages=C4 |work=Toronto Star |location=Toronto, Ont., Canada |issn=0319-0781 |id={{ProQuest|436118877}} }}</ref> 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&nbsp;p.m. news and current affairs program ''CityWide''.

In 1989, Petty moved to CFTO and the Baton Broadcasting System.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Zarzour |first=Kim |date=1990-01-18 |title=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 |pages=L1 |work=Toronto Star |location=Toronto, Ont., Canada |issn=0319-0781 |id={{ProQuest|436114913}} }}</ref> Her popular hour-long general interest talk show, ''The Dini Petty Show'', aired until 1999.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />

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.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/retirement/retire-working-in-retirement/former-tv-host-dini-petty-is-starting-a-business-again-at-71/article29073404/|publisher=The Globe and Mail |title=Former TV host Dini Petty is starting a business again ... at 71|date=March 9, 2016 |accessdate=20 July 2017 }}</ref>

==Personal life== Petty is the daughter of Gordon Petty, a film producer, and Molly, a Scottish war bride.<ref name=":0" /> Molly Petty ran a talent and modeling agency, Producers' Services in Toronto.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=McCabe |first=Nora |date=February 1990 |title=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 |volume=63 |pages=44–46, 48 |work=Chatelaine |issue=2 |issn=0009-1995 |id={{ProQuest|1715432129}} }}</ref> In 1980, a documentary camera followed her pregnancy and the birth of her son Nicholas.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bot |first=Ellen |date=1987-03-05 |title=Petty's style more sophisticated than in her helicopter pilot days |pages=B7 |work=Toronto Star |location=Toronto, Ont., Canada |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/435562142 |accessdate=2023-08-27 |issn=0319-0781 |id={{ProQuest|435562142}} }}</ref> She also has a daughter, Samantha.

==Publications== Petty has written a children's book, ''The Queen, the Bear, and the Bumblebee'', published in 2000.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.isbns.net/isbn/9781552851517|website=www.isbns.net |title=The Queen, the Bear and the Bumblebee (First Edition) |accessdate=2 February 2015}}</ref> Joanne Findon (professor of English literature at Trent University, Ontario)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.trentu.ca/englishma/faculty.php|website=www.trentu.ca|title=English M.A. (Public Texts) Faculty|publisher=Trent University |accessdate=2 February 2015 }}</ref> described the book as "a charming fable about the value of being yourself and recognizing your own strengths."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.quillandquire.com/review/the-queen-the-bear-and-the-bumblebee/|website=www.quillandquire.com |title=Reviews: The Queen, the Bear and the Bumblebee|date=December 2000 |publisher=Quill and Quire |accessdate=2 February 2015 }}</ref> Publishers Weekly was less flattering: "Despite a bumblebee protagonist, there's little to buzz about in this didactic picture book."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-58270-036-6 |website=www.publishersweekly.com |title=The Queen, the Bear and the Bumblebee |publisher=PWxyz LLC |accessdate=12 July 2015 }}</ref> In 2014, the book was staged at a theatre at the Banff Centre.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.thestar.com/life/2015/01/15/dini_petty_enters_her_70s_still_flying_high.html|work=The Star |title=Dini Petty enters her 70s, still flying high|date=January 15, 2015 |accessdate=20 July 2017 }}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== {{Portal|Children's literature}} * {{IMDb name|id=0678781|name=Dini Petty}} * [https://atom.library.yorku.ca/index.php/dini-petty-fonds Clara Thomas Archives and Special Collections, York University] – Archival assets from the ''Dini Petty'' fonds. * [http://www.dinipetty.com/ dinipetty.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170730085356/http://www.dinipetty.com/ |date=2017-07-30 }}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Petty, Dini}} Category:1945 births Category:Living people Category:Canadian television talk show hosts Category:Canadian radio personalities Category:Canadian children's writers Category:Canadian aviators Category:Writers from Toronto Category:People from Kingston upon Thames Category:Canadian women television personalities Category:CTV Television Network people Category:Citytv people Category:Canadian women radio personalities