Film Forum

Legendary news anchor Kaity Tong was born in China, and came to the United States at age four. She grew up in Washington, D.C., and was inspired to become a journalist by her great-uncle, Hollington K. Tong, who was Ambassador to the U.S. from Nationalist China, as well as an acclaimed writer, and by her mother, who was a top broadcaster and producer for the Voice of America. After graduating with honors on an academic scholarship from Bryn Mawr College with a BA in English Literature, she was accepted to Stanford University’s doctoral program in Chinese and Japanese studies. While at Stanford, she got a summer job as morning editor and producer for KCBS All-News Radio in San Francisco, which turned into a year-long stint at the top all-news radio station in San Francisco. Kaity completed her Masters in Asian Studies, but was sidetracked by the news business, and never completed her doctoral dissertation. She began her television career as a reporter for KPIX-TV in San Francisco. Shortly after that, Kaity was hired as the co-anchor on KCRA-TV, the NBC affiliate in Sacramento, CA. Two years later, Kaity was recruited by WABC-TV in New York, where she worked alongside news veterans Roger Grimsby, Bill Beutel, and Tom Snyder. After 10 years at WABC’s Eyewitness News, Kaity joined WPIX, where she co-anchored the 10 o’clock news for nearly 20 years. Kaity joined Gloria Steinem and 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.” Kaity has been 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, Kaity is especially proud to have received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor for her work.

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