Last Updated on: 10th May 2025, 02:00 pm
Wendy Tokuda is a retired American television journalist renowned for her impactful reporting and anchoring career, particularly in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Born in Seattle in 1950, Tokuda was the fourth of five children. Her parents, George and Tama, met at the Minidoka internment camp during World War II, where Japanese Americans were forcibly relocated. After graduating from Cleveland High School, Tokuda attended Whitman College for a year before transferring to the University of Washington, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in political science .(jackienared, Goldsea Text)
Tokuda began her television career at KING-TV in Seattle in 1974, initially working as a secretary in Public Affairs before becoming a news reporter in 1975. In 1978, she joined KPIX in San Francisco as a reporter and anchor, where she became part of a legendary anchor team with Dave McElhatton, creating appointment television in the Bay Area for over a decade .(NATAS SF/NorCal)
In the early 1990s, Tokuda moved to Los Angeles to work at KNBC, where she co-anchored the 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts. She returned to the Bay Area in 1997, joining KRON-TV as co-anchor for the 4 p.m. newscast. Tokuda returned to KPIX in 2007, where she focused on special projects, including the acclaimed “Students Rising Above” series, which profiled low-income high school students aspiring to attend college. This series earned her a Peabody Award, a national Emmy Award, and the Sigma Delta Chi Award .(San Francisco Symphony)
Tokuda retired from KPIX on August 19, 2016.
Tokuda’s daughter, Maggie Tokuda-Hall, is an accomplished American novelist and children’s book writer. Her brother, Kip Tokuda, served as a Washington State Representative .
Co-authored with her husband, Richard Hall, Tokuda wrote several children’s books, including Humphrey the Lost Whale (1986), Shiro in Love (1989), and Sampson the Hot Tub Bear (1998) .
Post-retirement, Tokuda has developed a passion for environmental restoration and gardening. She is actively involved in community efforts to promote sustainable agriculture and has been featured in local publications discussing her gardening projects .(Nichibei)