Kaity Tong

Kaity Tong
Kaity Tong
Born Qingdao, PRC
Education Bryn Mawr College (B.A. English Literature)
Stanford University (Masters in Chinese and Japanese studies)
Occupation American television journalist/news anchor
Family George and Anita Tong (parents)
Spouse(s) Robert Long (divorced)
Children Philip Long[1]

Kaity Tong is a Chinese-born American broadcast journalist who has been a television news anchor in New York City since 1981.

Born in Qingdao in the Peoples Republic of China to George and Anita Tong,[2] Tong came to the United States with her family at age four. Growing up in Washington D.C., Tong was inspired to become a journalist by her great-uncle Hollington K. Tong, an Ambassador to the U.S. from Nationalist China as well as an acclaimed author.[3] Her mother, Anita Tong, worked for the Voice of America as a broadcaster and producer in Washington D.C.[3] After graduating with honors on an academic scholarship from Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania with a BA in English Literature, Tong was accepted to the Doctoral program of Stanford University in Chinese and Japanese Literature and was a Ph.D. candidate in those disciplines.[3] She had intended to be an instructor in English Literature. However, while at Stanford, Tong began her broadcasting career, getting what she thought would be a summer job as morning editor and producer for KPIX-TV All-News Radio in San Francisco. The summer job turned into a year-long stint at the top all-news radio station in San Francisco.[4] Tong managed to complete her masters in Asian Studies, but was sidetracked by the news business, and never completed her doctoral dissertation.

Contents

Television reporting career

She began her television career as a reporter for KPIX-TV in San Francisco, where she worked from 1976 to 1979. Originally hired as a writer for the station, Tong was asked to do an air-test and was promoted on the spot to a street reporter, where her first on-air story was a report on the “new” carts that carried people around the airport. In December 1979 she became co-anchor of the 5 and 11 p.m. newscasts on KCRA-TV in Sacramento where she soon became number one rated out of all the television news personalities in Sacramento.[4] Referring to the difficulties of having a family and career she said at the time:

"Anchoring is fun. At one time I wanted to be a network reporter, but now I think that is too difficult a life. One of these days I want to have a baby."
The Modesto Bee March 25, 1980

In 1981, she moved to WABC-TV in New York City. Within two years, she became co-anchor of the station's 5 and 11 p.m. newscasts, first with co-host Tom Snyder from 1983[5] to 1984, and with Ernie Anastos from 1984 to 1986. She was then moved to the 6 p.m. newscast, rotating the anchor chair with John Johnson alongside Bill Beutel after Roger Grimsby was fired in 1986,[6] while still co-anchoring the 11 p.m. Eyewitness News with Anastos until he left for WCBS in 1989. Eventually Tong's sole anchor role was the 11 p.m. news, as Beutel became solo anchor of the 6 p.m. broadcast. The two continued as the anchor team for the 11 p.m. newscast.

In 1984, she appeared as herself, reporting on the defection of the Soviet circus clown played by Robin Williams in the film Moscow on the Hudson. She has also played a newscaster in Wolf, Spider-Man, Lost Souls, City Hall, Marci X, Night Falls on Manhattan and the 2004 remake of The Manchurian Candidate.

She is one of the first high-profile Asian Americans in local television, and is known for being quick on her feet, an articulate, pleasant and professional anchor. Her firing from WABC-TV in 1991 caused considerable outrage, especially since she was replaced by Susan Roesgen, who came from a small Midwestern station and who never adjusted to New York, lasting for only a year on WABC-TV. A "Coalition of Asian-American New Yorkers" suggested that Tong's Chinese-American background was the reason.[3] Other "Tong Supporters" cited her age at the time 40, as behind Tong's firing; still others among her colleges in the newsroom speculated that it may have been the hour long dinner breaks the by then single mother took with her then four year old son as a partial factor.[3] Station Management stated that Tong was released due to her high salary which was $750,000 per anum at the time[3] (the equivalent to $1,193,281 in 2010[7]). Capitol Cities/ABC chairman Thomas Murphy said it was "strictly a business decision".[3] According to Tong her direct boss Channel 7 Vice President and General Manager Walter Liss acknowledged that Tong's news cast at 11pm was had the No.1 rank in that timeslot but he wanted "...a much bigger No.1" and had a vision of what the ideal look of how television should be in the 1990s. Tong at the time declined to repeat specifically what Liss's vision was other to say "I am trying hard to take the high road in all of this.".[8]

In early 1992, Tong joined WPIX as the station's top female anchor and has been there ever since. She co-anchored the station's 10 p.m. newscast with Marvin Scott from 1992 to 1994, with Jack Cafferty from 1994 to 1998, and with Jim Watkins from 1998 to 2010.[9] She is currently weekend anchor for the station.

Accolades

Tong joins Gloria Steinem and the late Beverly Sills in receiving the “Exceptional Achievement Award” from The Women’s Project and was the first woman honored by Rotary International with its “Paul Harris Fellowship”. She was also honored with a “Star” award by the New York Women’s Agenda.

Tong was recognized by the Chinese America Arts Council for her excellence in communication. She has received a “Distinguished Woman” award from the Chinese American Planning Council and a Champion of Excellence Award from the Organization of Chinese Americans. A naturalized citizen, Tong is especially proud to have received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor for her work.

Personal life

She is actively involved with the Children’s Museum of Manhattan, the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, the League for the Hard of Hearing, CACF, and Asian American Journalists Association.

Kaity Tong has a son, Philip Long, from her first marriage to Robert Long, who was the news director and a vice-president at Los Angeles's KNBC-TV until September 25, 2009 after a six year term starting on August 18, 2003.[1][10]

She later married photographer Patrick Callahan.[11]

References

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

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