Kaity Tong Biography
Kaity Tong is a Chinese-born American Emmy Award-Winning broadcast journalist working as a Weekend news anchor and reporter for PIX11 in New York. She is one of the most popular local news anchors in New York and you can watch her at 5 and 10 am on weekends.
Education
Born in China, Tong became a United States citizen in 1985 and grew up in Washington. She attended and graduated from Bryn Mawr College on an academic scholarship. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English Literature. Kaity was accepted into the doctoral program of Stanford University in Chinese and Japanese literature, and she intended to be an instructor in English literature. However, while there, she began her broadcasting career, getting what she thought would be a summer job as morning editor and producer for KPIX.
Career
From 1976 to 1979 Tong served KPIX-TV in San Francisco as a reporter. Originally hired as a writer for the station, Tong was asked to do an on-air test and was immediately promoted to street reporter. In December 1979, Tong became co-anchor of the 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts on KCRA-TV in Sacramento, California. After a while, Tong became the number one-rated out of all the television news personalities in Sacramento.
In 1981, Tong moved to WABC-TV in New York City, and two years later she became co-anchor of the station’s 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts. Later on, Kaity moved to the 6 p.m. newscast, rotating the anchor chair with John Johnson alongside Bill Beutel after Roger Grimsby was fired in 1986.
Besides her professional work, Kaity has appeared in films and movies. In 1984, Tong appeared as herself, reporting on the defection of the Soviet circus performer played by Robin Williams in the feature film Moscow on the Hudson. Additionally, she played a newscaster in Wolf, City Hall, Marci X, Night Falls on Manhattan, and the 2004 remake of The Manchurian Candidate.
In 1991 Kaity was fired from WABC-TV and was replaced by Susan Roesgen, who came from a small Midwestern station and who never adjusted to New York, lasting only a year on WABC-TV. Reasons behind her firing suggested that Tong’s Chinese-American background was the reason. Other supporters of Tong cited her age, which was over 40 at the time, as a main reason for her firing. Station management stated that Tong was released due to her high salary.
Return to WPIX (PIX11)
In early 1992, Tong joined WPIX (PIX11) as the station’s anchor and has been working there ever since. She has since been a weekend anchor for the station. In 2010, Tong was involved in a lawsuit by former news director Karen Scott against WPIX for age discrimination when Scott and other veteran broadcast personnel lost their jobs, later testifying in court.
In January 2016, Tong returned to weekdays, co-anchoring a new 6:30 p.m. newscast alongside Brenda Blackmon. However, in September 2016, the newscast was canceled and Tong was moved back to weekends. Despite the controversies and allegations, Tong’s work ethic is still the same, and serving the people is her top priority.
At PIX11, Tong works alongside;
- Alex Lee
- Shirley Chan
- Kirstin Cole
- John Muller
- Stacy-Ann Gooden
- Irv Gikofsky
- Hazel Sanchez
- Marysol Castro
Awards and Recognitions
After receiving the Exceptional Achievement Award from The Women’s Project Tong went on to become the first woman to be honored by Rotary International with its Paul Harris Fellowship. Furthermore, the New York Women’s Agenda honored her with a Star award. Her excellence in communication has been recognized by the Chinese America Arts Council.
Additionally, Tong received a Distinguished Woman award from the Chinese-American Planning Council and a Champion of Excellence Award from the Organization of Chinese Americans. Tong also received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor for her work. In 2018, the New York Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences awarded Tong the Governor’s Emmy Award.
Tong has received several Emmy Awards over the years, including Outstanding Event Coverage for 9/11 America Remembers in 2003. Tong’s name has inspired many first-generation Chinese-American parents to name their New York-born children after her. However, it is often anglicized as Katie.
Parents | Family
Tong was born and brought up in Qingdao, China, and grew up in Washington, DC, United States. Her father and mother anglicized their names to George and Anita Tong. Tong officially became a United States citizen in 1985. Unfortunately, information concerning her siblings has not yet been verified, and we will therefore not talk about them for now.
Kaity Tong Age
Tong is 76 years old as of 2023, she was born on July 23, 1947, in Qingdao, China, and she celebrates her birthday on July 23 every year.
Husband/Divorce
Tong has been married and divorced twice. She was first married to Robert Long and they were blessed with a son named Philip Long. After their divorce, she married photographer Patrick Callahan but later got divorced.
Kaity Tong Lung Cancer
On December 16, 2023, Tong shared a post on her Instagram, and on the post, we got to know that she had been diagnosed with stage 1 Lung Cancer. In the post, she added that she had surgery to remove the tumor at Memorial Sloan Kettering. She spent most of her December 2023 recovering and was back in action by January 2024. Lung is currently in good health and cancer-free.
Kaity Tong Salary
Tong’s salary ranges between $20,000 and $55,000.
Net Worth
Tong has an estimated net worth of between $1 Million and $5 Million. Her primary source of income is working as a journalist.
Social Media Platforms
Tong is very active on social media i.e. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc. She has over 11k followers on Instagram, over 27k followers on Facebook, and 11.9k followers on Twitter.
Kaity Tong Height
Tong stands at an approximate height of 5 feet 6 inches tall.
6 Quick Facts About Kaity
- Age: 76 years old as of 2023
- Marital Status: Divorced
- Net Worth: Between $1 Million and $5 Million
- Salary: Between $20, 000 and $50, 000
- Nationality: American
- Height: 5 feet 6 inches
Leave a Reply