PIX11 news anchor Kaity Tong announced her retirement on Tuesday night, concluding a career of more than six decades that garnered numerous awards.
Tong, who has been with PIX11 since 1992, will anchor her final broadcast on Aug. 30, the station announced. PIX11 Managing Editor Patrick Mason described Tong as "journalist, anchor, icon, legend, friend, mentor," adding that she has been a "powerhouse name in an industry that can change in a New York minute."
Born in China, Tong moved to the United States at age 4. She initially pursued a career as a college professor and began her media career in radio in San Francisco in the 1970s as a morning editor and producer. This led to a year-long employment, during which she deferred her doctoral studies in Chinese and Japanese.
She transitioned to television in 1976 as a writer for KPIX-TV in San Francisco, where she was soon asked to report on air. After a period at KCRA in Sacramento, Tong moved to New York City in 1981 to become a correspondent and weekend co-anchor for WABC. Within two years, she was named co-anchor for the station's 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts.
In 1991, Tong joined WPIX, becoming the station's top female anchor and anchoring the weekday 10 p.m. news. She later moved to weekend broadcasts, anchoring the 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. shows.
Throughout her career, Tong received multiple accolades. She has won several Emmy Awards, including for Outstanding Event Coverage for the 2003 “9/11 America Remembers.” She was named Best Newscaster in Local Television News by New York Press Magazine in 2008 and received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 1992 and the New York Women’s Agenda Star Award in 1993. In October 2025, she was inducted into the New York State Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame.
In 2023, Tong disclosed her diagnosis of Stage 1 lung cancer, undergoing successful surgery and being declared cancer-free. She is divorced and has a son, Phillip.