IN THIS ISSUE

Vol. 14, No. 38, March 25, 2002

The Dori Monson Show!
Thanks to Laptop Reporter Mark Hough

Dori Monson
Dori Monson and “the letter”

Dori Monson, KIRO710 talk show personality, brought his show to the BBRC Friday. Dori grew up in Ballard, is a UW grad, has a wife and three daughters, and is an avid basketball player and coach. He volunteers at Children’s Hospital and Harborview and likes The Simpsons.

Dori lamented that he is now 40 years old. “I got a pedicure for my birthday and a new waffle iron. I went from a 39-year old man to a 70-year-old woman overnight!”

His topics for the morning are “Uniques and Evergreens.” Monson cited his “Uniques” as the areas in the news that interest him most. “I want my show (heard Monday through Friday, 12:00 noon-3:00 p.m. on KIRO710 AM) to be mostly entertaining, but I want to accomplish something, too. I’m interested in the political scene and want to engage my audience as well.”

Dori said the DUI law needs “toughening. We need to assure people that others are not driving with DUI convictions.”

He’s a vocal critic of Sound Transit, “which will cost $3,300 per inch!” And, he’s not too happy about King County Parks closures.

The latest legislative flap is the Great Senate Lunchroom Closure. With a $100 million retrofit of the State Capitol, the Senate dining room will be shut down during construction. A letter was circulated by Senator Don Benton {R} of Vancouver with signatures of 36 senators. Dori read the letter. He is suggesting on his show that we pass an initiative to have a separate dining pad and get corporate sponsors like Dick’s Drive In. “It could be known as ‘Dick’s Senate Dining Room.’”

Dori explained that he has “evergreen topics on my show. These are designed to share with my audience about living life with passion. Goal setting is one of the great motivating exercises a person can take. I made a lifetime goals list. Out of that came my Summertime Adventure Series, a tour based on that list. I was able to hit against a major league pitcher, go hang gliding, and bungi jumping at the B.C. Bungi Zone.” In each of these events, Dori took his microphone with him. He played an audio clip of his narration of the bungi jump in progress. Very exhilarating!

Andrews, Mix, Monson
Dori and the nuns, “Sister” Jenny (L) and “Sister” Johnny
Andrews, Mix
“Sister” Jenny (L) and “Sister” Johnny

Next, Dori was interrupted by two nuns who wandered through the entrance. “You’re going face-to-face with the nuns, Dori.” With John Mix and Jennie Andrews posing as Sisters, Dori was asked how he got the connection with the nuns? The answer was: “When I was a sportscaster, I looked for some new angles to bring sports onto my show. I found a couple of nuns that liked football and invited them to join me each Friday where we go ‘One-on-One with the Nuns.’” Sisters John and Jenny excused themselves, telling Dori they had to catch the 8:40 Light Rail.

In Q & A, Dori was asked about his relationship with County Executive Ron Sims.
Answer: When asked to appear on Dori’s show, Sims was reported to reply “Not today, not ever (will he come on Dori’s Show).” Hence, his nickname: Ron “Not Now, Not Ever” Sims.

As an afterthought on the Senate dining room letter, Dori observed that “the scary part is that several senators said they signed it without reading it.” Nuff said.

Thanks to Jeff Cashman for his introduction.

Mr. Monson received a certificate for his presentation, showing that a donation of 700 pounds of food has been made to Rotary First Harvest in his name.