WHYY reporter Tom MacDonald is a lifelong Philadelphia-area resident who has worked in the region since the mid-1980s. Tom started in commercial radio covering the MOVE standoff with police for WFIL-AM. He was also City Hall Bureau Chief, covering government and politics for more than a decade, for WWDB-FM.
Tom has been heard on numerous stations in the region during the decade he worked for Metro Traffic, doing news, traffic, and weather.
Tom has also been heard nationally, filing reports for NPR, ABC News Radio, NBC Radio, and CBS Radio.
He has won the Associated Press award for his coverage of the protests of the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia and a Religious Communicators award for a post-9/11 documentary he did with the late Peter Jennings.
More from the Contributor
SEPTA says El ridership up, repairs still in process
More riders were crowding onto SEPTA Market Frankford El cars Tuesday than Monday. With dozens of cars sidelined for inspec ...
9 years ago
Listen
PAL Day at City Hall brings youth to seat of Philadelphia government
Philadelphia school students shadowed city officials Monday during a program run by the police department. Known as PAL Day at Cit ...
9 years ago
Listen
State Senator says two-year budgets are recipe for fixing financial gridlock
A Pennsylvania legislator says since it’s been taking so long to put state budgets together, lawmakers should craft ones that ...
9 years ago
Philly pro cycling race down, but not completely out yet
Philadelphia’s international bike race has been canceled, but supporters are trying to revive it yet again. Mayor Jim ...
9 years ago
Listen
Kenney says he respects The Office of the President, doesn’t understand Trump
Mayor Jim Kenney says he was never asked to greet President Trump at the airport, as city officials have been asked to do in the past for ...
9 years ago
Listen
Council to hold hearing on planned Trump budget cuts
Philadelphia City Council will soon hold a hearing on the “worst-case scenario” if all the budget cuts being proposed by the ...
9 years ago
Listen
GOP leaders convene in Philadelphia
The nation’s Top Republican leaders are in Philadlephia for a retreat. President Donald Trump has touched down and is ...
9 years ago
Listen
Bus tour and ‘blackout’ rally for ACA ahead of Trump visit to Philly
When President Donald Trump arrives to speak at a Republican retreat in Philadelphia, he will get an earful from protesters trying to pre ...
9 years ago
Listen
Mayor Kenney urging protesters at RNC retreat to be peaceful
A Republican Congressional retreat will be held in Philadelphia over the next few days (Weds-Fri). The mayor is urging peaceful protests. ...
9 years ago
Listen
What would it take to entice more Philly jurors to show up?
A new group will brainstorm how to convince more Philadelphians to show up for jury duty. In 2016, 42 percent of those mailed a summ ...
9 years ago
Listen
Human Relations Commission sending testers to root out discrimination at LGBTQ bars
Philadelphia’s Human Relations Commission is trying to crack down on discrimination in the Gayborhood — an area of the city that ...
9 years ago
Listen
Sen. Casey says time to focus on infrastructure
A U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania is pushing President Donald Trump to get moving on a major campaign promise — to rebuild in the nation ...
9 years ago
Listen