Scott Tong is the new co-host of NPR and WBUR’s Here & Now, the midday news program distributed on 477 NPR stations. Tong makes his on-air debut August 9th. He replaces senior editor Peter O’Dowd, who was filling. O’dowd will continue to work at Here & Now and continue to fill-in.
Tong joins Here & Now after 16 years at Marketplace. He was the China bureau chief in Shanghai from 2006 until 2010. Since then, he’s been a senior correspondent and has reported from more than a dozen countries — from refugee camps in East Africa to shoe factories in eastern China. As part of Marketplace’s Sustainability desk he has covered the global economy, energy and the environment — and done stories on everything from hacking and fracking, to climate and water, Hollywood in China, Huawe driverless cars and tech spying.
“I am thrilled and excited that Scott is joining our host lineup,” said Carline Watson, executive producer of Here & Now. “The depth of his journalism, his extensive reporting experience and his willingness to be a guide for the listener will complete our already outstanding team comprised of Tonya Mosley and Robin Young.”
“As I child, I learned a Chinese fable about a frog in a well: deep underground, this critter only sees a tiny patch of blue above and assumes that’s the whole sky. Until of course the frog comes to the surface. Marketplace gave me the opportunity to explore the great skies of the world — in Nairobi, Caracas, Shanghai, Manila — and tell stories about them; for that I will always be thankful,” said Tong. “Now, I’m excited to join Robin, Tonya and the WBUR/NPR team at Here & Now to tell timely stories with the program’s signature context and thoughtfulness.”
