SEATTLE — Gee Scott and Urusla Reutin host the 9:00 a.m.-noon hour on KIRO Radio 97.3, a slot that hasn't been the same since they took over two years ago.
"Gee and Ursula have a reputation. They are tough and intimidating, but they are fair and kind. They can mix seriousness with humor," explained Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, who appears on the show monthly.
Gee jokes that Ursula put her career on the line to work him. And perhaps that's a bit of truth in jest.
Ursula is an award-winning journalist, with 30 years experience at KIRO Radio.
One day her son had an idea, "Why not host a show with Gee?"
"I'm a journalist at heart. A talk show? Give opinions? Who wants to hear my opinion?" Reutin explained.
And then, the pairing with Gee was unconventional. His experience at KIRO started with a car detailing job.
"I was so excited! Afterwards, I took pictures of the KIRO SUV and sent them to a friend. 'Look where I am,'" Scott shared.
Gee was known for his car detailing work, especially in the Seahawks community. But he struggled.
"I lived in my car in 2009, did that for almost six weeks," Scott said. "I was able to change my situation because someone gave me an opportunity and a place to live."
Then, it was another opportunity with former Seahawk Marcus Trufant that got him his first gig inside the radio station, a show on 710 called "The Barbershop," which won a Best of Western Washington Award.
The rest is history.
"I have a perspective not only as a black man, but like I know what it feels like to be homeless. I know what that feels like to live paycheck to paycheck," Scott explained.
So not only would Gee and Ursula show up differently, but they decided the show itself needed to be different too.
"This was going to be a show that reflects who we are. An anecdote for divisive times we live in today," Reutin said. "We weren't going to name call. We weren't going to say everyone on the left and on the right, finding ways to divide us even further."
Leading the charge as producer and on-air contributor of the "Gee and Ursula Show" is Andrew Lanier, known on-air as Chef because of his prior profession.
They all admit convincing audiences to embrace something new wasn't easy. But slowly, things began to change.
And in two years, they went from hovering in the top 10 to finally ranking #1.
And they did so while sticking to their values.
"It gives me a lot of hope. So much of what we want in life is. We want the same things, we just might disagree on how to go about it," Reutin shared.
"It solidified our opinion and approach and reminds us to keep going," Scott said.
A breath of fresh air from an unconventional pair modeling for us what's possible.
Gee and Ursula airs weekdays from 9:00 a.m-noon and the show can also be found on podcast streaming platforms.
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