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
Papal event organizers distributing more tickets
Now that we know there are tickets necessary for the prime spots to view the papal Mass in Philadelphia … how will they be distribu ...
10 years ago
Listen
Center City hotel targeting workers instead of papal pilgrims
A Center City hotel is offering rooms for the papal weekend to workers. The hotel manger says some visitors are dropping re ...
10 years ago
Listen
Philly papal events now will be ticketed [updated]
To get a prime seat at the Mass to be celebrated by Pope Francis Sept. 27 on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, you’re going to need a ...
10 years ago
Listen
Nutter chides media over papal coverage
Philadelphia’s mayor is sending a strong message to the media about negative stories regarding the pope’s visit. Mayor ...
10 years ago
Listen
World Meeting of Families hosting mayoral forum
A small, international group of mayors will gather in Philadelphia as part of the World Meeting of Families at the end of September. ...
10 years ago
Listen
What is the World Meeting of Families? We break it down
What, exactly, is the World Meeting of Families? As you may have heard, Pope Francis is coming to town at the end of ...
10 years ago
Listen
#OpeninPHL gathering steam as it ushers businesses aboard papal bandwagon
The #OpeninPHL campaign is gathering steam. Businesses are putting up posters to send out a message. As a band played Monday ...
10 years ago
Listen
$3 million grant means art for parks’ sake in Philly
The Philadelphia park system has won a $3 million grant to integrate more arts into the city’s parks. The Fairmount Pa ...
10 years ago
Listen
Lawmaker wants to eliminate New Jersey jughandles
A New Jersey lawmaker wants to ban a road feature that’s almost synonymous with the Garden State. Jughandles, those ri ...
10 years ago
Listen
via ShutterStock) " title="shutterstock_286610153" width="1" height="1"/>Photo via ShutterStock) " title="shutterstock_286610153" width="1" height="1"/>
Still rooms at Philly inns for papal visit
You might be amazed, but hotel rooms are still available if you want to come into Philadelphia for the papal visit. Ed Gros ...
10 years ago
Lights spread along North Broad Street as part of streetscape improvement
Towering new lights are part of ongoing streetscape improvements in North Philadelphia. Although they may appear incomplete by day, by ni ...
10 years ago
Listen
via ShutterStock) " title="shutterstock_235339363" width="1" height="1"/>Photo via ShutterStock) " title="shutterstock_235339363" width="1" height="1"/>
Homebuilder says business is getting better
As the rate of home sales in the region climbs slowly, the locally headquartered builder Toll Brothers is seeing a strong uptick in housi ...
10 years ago
Listen