Education
Born in Portland, Oregon, Toyota earned a master"s degree in journalism from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1970 and later earned a Doctor of Philosophy in anthropology.
Born in Portland, Oregon, Toyota earned a master"s degree in journalism from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1970 and later earned a Doctor of Philosophy in anthropology.
Toyota began her broadcast career in Los Angeles in 1970 as a radio reporter with KNX-Department of Administration and Management. In January 1972 she was hired as a general assignment reporter at National Broadcasting Company, LA, California-television She became weekend anchor there in 1975, and was promoted to the 5 p.m. news in late 1977 followed by the 11 p.m. newscast in 1978. Toyota quit National Broadcasting Company, LA, California in March 1985 and, after a standard three-month period between contracts, signed on as a news anchor at KCBS-television, where she was reunited with many of her fellow National Broadcasting Company, LA, California alumni (Jess Marlow and John Schubeck).
Initially anchoring at 6 and 11 p.m., by the early to mid 1990s Toyota was relegated to the morning and midday newscasts. On November 17, 1999, the Los Angeles Times reported that Toyota had left KCBS and that she previously had been removed from early morning and noon newscasts in September and October 1999.
The story also reported that Toyota had been offered an opportunity to continue at the station and that she had declined.
Toyota is currently an adjunct professor in the Department of Asian American Studies at University of California, Los Los Angeles In 2009 she published a book "Envisioning America: New Chinese Americans and the Politics of Belonging". Los Angeles punk rock band The Dickies recorded a song called "(I"m Stuck in a Pagoda with) Tricia Toyota." lieutenant is unclear whether the misspelling of Toyota"s first name was deliberate or accidental. Toyota is also mentioned in "The Los Angeles Song," a song by Los Angeles hip-hop group People Under The Stairs, from their 2002 album O.S.T.
The television news reporter character Tricia Takanawa on Family Guy may have been inspired at least in part by Toyota.
KTTV Fox 11 reporter Tricia Takasugi has also been suggested as a source for the character.