Kaity Tong Biography
Kaity Tong is an American journalist serving as a correspondent for the Emmy Award-winning PIX 11 News and can be seen providing newscasts for the station at 5 and 10 on weekends. Tong is one of the most well-liked local news anchors in the New York market. She is renowned for her professionalism, friendliness, and humor.
Kaity Tong Education
Tong earned an honors BA in English Literature on a scholarship from Bryn Mawr College, but she had no idea what she wanted to do with her life. So, she searched for the longest graduate program she could find to continue her education. She was delighted to be accepted into the doctoral program in Chinese and Japanese studies at Stanford University.
Kaity Tong Career
Tong is currently a contributor to PIX11 news. Kaity accidentally started her broadcasting career while she was a student at Stanford when she accepted a position she believed would merely be a summer job as the morning editor and producer for KCBS All-News Radio in San Francisco. The summer employment at the leading all-news radio station in San Francisco transformed into a year-long assignment after graduating with honors on an academic scholarship from Bryn Mawr College. Kaity succeeded in finishing her Masters’ degree in Asian Studies, but the news industry kept her from finishing her doctoral dissertation.
She started working in television as a reporter for San Francisco’s KPIX-TV. Kaity was initially hired as a writer for the station, but after being requested to take an on-air test, she was immediately elevated to a street reporter. Her first report concerned the “new” carts that were used to transport passengers throughout the airport. Soon after that, Kaity was hired to co-anchor the top-rated newscasts at 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Sacramento, California’s KCRA-TV, an NBC affiliate. During her time at KCRA, the Sacramento City Council, the California State Legislature, and the United Way all recognized her civic engagement and community service.
Kaity went to New York two years later after being hired by WABC-TV. She started off as a general correspondent and co-anchor of the “Weekend News Edition” before taking over as co-anchor of the 5 o’clock and 11 o’clock newscasts. At WABC, Kaity collaborated with seasoned journalists Tom Snyder, Bill Beutel, and Roger Grimsby.
Kaity Tong WPIX
Kaity joined WPIX after working for 10 years at WABC’s “Eyewitness News,” where she co-anchored the 10 p.m. news for almost 20 years. Tong was the first woman to receive Rotary International’s “Paul Harris Fellowship,” joining Gloria Steinem and Beverly Sills in winning the organization’s “Exceptional Achievement Award.” Additionally, she received a “Star” award from the New York Women’s Agenda.
The Chinese America Arts Council has honored Kaity for her superior communication skills. She has won the Champion of Excellence Award from the Organization of Chinese Americans as well as the Chinese-American Planning Council’s “Distinguished Woman” award. Kaity, a citizen by naturalization, is especially pleased to have been awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor for her efforts. Recently, she received recognition from the well-known website Fabulous Over Fifty.
Kaity Tong Age
Tong was born on July 23, 1947,Qingdao, China. She is 74 years old as of 2022. Kaity celebrates her birthday on July 23 every year.
Kaity Tong Family
Tong, who was born in China, migrated to the United States with her family when she was four years old. She was raised in Washington, D.C., and was encouraged to pursue a career in journalism by both her mother, a respected broadcaster and producer for the Voice of America, and her great-uncle, Hollington K. Tong, who was both the ambassador of Nationalist China to the United States and a renowned author.
Kaity Tong Husband
Tong was previously married to Robert Long, a former news director and vice-president of Los Angeles’s KNBC-TV until September 25, 2009. They together have a son. Later, she got hitched to photojournalist Patrick Callahan, and they got divorced.
Kaity Tong Salary
Tong receives an average salary of $75,000 annually serving as a PIX11 news correspondent.
Kaity Tong’s Net Worth
Tong has an estimated net worth of $1 million which she has accumulated throughout her career as a journalist.
Kaity Tong Advocacy
Tong is actively associated with a number of organizations, including Plate to Plate, the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families, the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, the League for the Hard of Hearing, the China AIDS Fund, and the Children’s Museum of Manhattan.