End of an Era in the Big Apple

After more than three decades at WPIX and nearly 50 years in local television, legendary New York City news anchor Kaity Tong has officially announced her retirement.

Tong, 79, has been a fixture on New York airwaves since joining WABC back in 1981, before jumping to WPIX in 1992. Over the last 30-plus years, she anchored virtually every major newscast slot at the station, surviving endless set redesigns, format shifts, management overhauls, and budget cuts while remaining one of the most recognizable and respected voices in Market #1.

WPIX, of course, is owned by Nexstar Media Group—a company not exactly known for paying top dollar for veteran anchor salaries these days. While station suits will undoubtedly shower Tong with lip-service tributes on her way out the door, her departure marks yet another loss of deep local institutional knowledge for Nexstar’s flagship New York property.

No exact final airdate has been announced yet, but when Tong signs off for the last time, PIX11 loses the last true link to the golden era of New York local news.

H/T NY Post