NPR: ABC Takes Bold Step into Brave New Digital World

ABC Takes Bold Step into Brave New Digital World

ABC News is taking a bold step into a new kind of reporting. The trend has been for TV news operations to cut back foreign bureaus, relying on freelancers and others to provide coverage from overseas. But technology has changed the game.

On Wednesday, ABC announced it was creating seven one-person foreign bureaus. It's the largest expansion of ABC News' international reporting in two decades. The Hollywood Reporter says these mini-bureaus, "staffed by a reporter-producer with the latest in hand-held digital technology, cost a fraction of what it takes to run a full-time bureau." They will be opened in Seoul; Rio de Janeiro; Dubai; New Delhi and Mumbai, India; Jakarta, Indonesia; and Nairobi, Kenya.

The reporters will file for both TV and ABCNews.com.

While smaller media operations have been using technology to get by with fewer people for years, ABC is the first big one to try it on a broad scale. The chief of the network's London bureau says it's possible because of the explosion in technology that's affordable and hand-held.

The cheaper setup (the seven mini-bureaus will cost as much as the old fully staffed Paris bureau did) also allows ABC to report from places where it couldn't afford to otherwise.

However, handling reporting, recording and producing is a lot to put on one person's shoulders. Can one reporter turn in stories of the same quality as the ones put together by an entire bureau? As a viewer, do you think this a good move by ABC?

11:41 AM ET | 10- 4-2007 | permalink

Comments (Send a comment)

There is always a potential to improve upon the media and it's ability to bring the news from around the world. Having one or thirty qualified reporters to present the stories, will depend upon the commitment to quality of the bureau.
Kudos to ABC for "trying" the fresh approach.

Sent by Scott Zickefoose | 12:44 PM ET | 10-04-2007

It will be very difficult for one person to handle, but this is where the one person bureau can utilize other freelance services offered by many small audio & video studios that exist today. I for one have a fully equipped audio/ video studio. I've done a great deal of post production work for small to mid-size video studios & the clients were very happy with the quality of service they received.

I feel if the work load is too much for a one person bureau, then they can out-source some of the work to small to mid-level audio & video studios. I would love to work on some of the news broadcast. Many small/ mid level studios have extremely reasonable rates with flexible hours. With available technology becoming more available, small & mid-level studios can produce to-level work much like the majors. The great benefit to working with small boutique studios is that they can adjust to large fluctuation's that occur in the news media world.

I feel that the one person bureau is possible, but they should consider working with small to mid-size studios to get the same hi-level quality as their full staffed counterparts. It could be a match made in Heaven.

Sent by Dave of Ellis Island Music & Sound, Miami FL | 12:45 PM ET | 10-04-2007

And they just closed their Jerusalem bureau...what kind of comittment does that show to foreign news?

Sent by Mara | 1:37 PM ET | 10-04-2007

For good or bad this is simply the trend for all news organizations. Print and broadcast are all scrambling to corral costs but still provide services that not only feed their core products but also their multi-media needs. Like many media jobs--not just reporting--many tasks using digital technology can be funneled to one or fewer people, thus eliminating jobs, but we're still not certain about the quality.

Sent by Carlos | 9:43 AM ET | 10-06-2007

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