CBS News shuts down Tokyo bureau

CBS News closed its bureau in Tokyo, Japan the week of April 1, 2024.

Three staffers reportedly were quietly laid off, though that figure may not have included local staffers. 

The network did not lay off Liz Palmer, a correspondent based in the city.

The network has a bureau in Beijing, China, but that only includes a single staffer charged with serving as a producer and videographer. Palmer frequently travels to the city to report as needed, according to sources.

CBS News pointed out that the network will still have a presence on the continent thanks to the Beijing office and that it also has a partnership with BBC News that it can use to draw coverage from the region.

Closing the bureau is being classified as a cost-saving move by CBS insiders, though it’s not immediately clear how much the network will save. Shuttering bureaus has been a popular strategy to save money as news organizations face tighter budgets.

As part of an earlier staff reduction, CBS cut 20 positions from its news division with close to 800 losing through jobs across its parent company Paramount Global, which is now reportedly reading to be sold at a potential value of upwards of $38.8 billion — a transaction that is also almost surely likely to make the already wealthy potential dealmakers and richer.

Having numerous bureaus around the world was once considered a hallmark of a global news organization and each was typically staffed by at least one correspondent plus support staff such as producers, videographers and technicians. Bureaus would also often be equipped with a minimal studio setup to allow for live or taped reports or provide a place for local guests to be brought in to appear on network broadcasts.

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TV news bureaus also need equipment that make it possible for it to send video via satellite or fiber lines as well as a reliable connection to the network’s overall computer system.

Salaries are obviously an expense of maintaining every bureau, as is the rent on the space needed for workspaces, technical space and production, though it’s not uncommon for networks to lease space in office buildings rather than building out a full standalone broadcast facility.

As international bureaus dwindle in numbers, there is concern that foreign news will become less prominent on U.S. broadcasts, though partnerships with other organizations can often help fill in the gaps. Networks can still rely on freelance journalists based in certain parts of the world to file reports as needed.

There is also the option to dispatch crews from a nearby bureau when a story needs to be covered elsewhere, which has long been the practice because it’s traditionally only been cost-effective to have bureaus in major cities or regional hubs.

For example, London is commonly used as a hub of operations for international operations of network news divisions because it is comparatively closer to much of the world than the U.S., meaning its easier to dispatch crews as needed.