With dozens of U.S. TV news journalists now on the ground in Japan, the bosses back home are becoming increasingly concerned about the potential for radiation poisoning due to the deteriorating conditions at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

ABC’s David Muir, who was in the area of the plant yesterday and moved south after the explosion. During “Nightline” he held up a radiation meter which was not detecting anything out of the ordinary. This morning, that changed Diane Sawyer and her crew began heading back to Tokyo, explaining to George Stephanopoulos on “GMA” that radiation levels had increased through the day. “We came down this highway, the 7 1/2 hour trip,” said Sawyer. “We’re about midway through it now.” Correspondent Clarissa Ward has also moved out of the area. Her Japanese translator left the ABC News team yesterday, fearing radiation poisoning.

Weather becomes an important factor in this story as correspondents and crews watch the wind while covering the story.

“We are closely monitoring the situation, moment by moment,” David Verdi, VP of worldwide news gathering for NBC News tells TVNewser. “We are constantly consulting with our experts and tracking the wind patterns.” In addition to Lester Holt (right), Ann Curry, Chris Jansing, Ian Williams and Lee Cowan are covering for NBC/MSNBC.

CBS’s Harry Smith was in Northern Japan this morning for “The Early Show,” but he and all other CBS staffers have left. “We have moved our teams out of Sendai, Japan and we continue to reassess deployments, as the situation warrants,” says CBS News VP Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews.

CNN has 12 on-air and dozens more off-air staffers in Japan. Anderson Cooper has left the area of the nuclear plant and is heading north and will anchor from Akita, Japan, north of Sendai. “The situation is under constant review and the safety and well-being of our reporters in the field is our top priority,” says a spokesperson.

Fox News says it is constantly evaluating the situation, and has pulled its correspondents back to Tokyo. Shepard Smith, Adam Housley and Greg Palkot are in Tokyo, while David Piper is at Yokota airbase.

Fox News anchor Shepard Smith is heading to Japan and is expected to be in place for his 3pmET show tomorrow, which will be 4am Tuesday morning in Tokyo. Last night, Fox News correspondent Greg Palkot reported from Mito, Japan — his first on-air report since being attacked while covering protests in Egypt last month. He was back on FOX News Sunday this morning.

Fox News is going into overdrive tonight in primetime. There will be two-hour editions of “Fox Report” and “Geraldo at Large.” Adam Housley is also on the scene for Fox and is Tweeting his experience between live shots:

Finishing our food and finally getting some sleep after basically being awake since Thursday Night.

Palkot’s report, after the jump…

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Christiane Amanpour is among the network anchors packing their bags and heading for Japan. Amanpour will host “This Week” from Tokyo on Sunday, the only Sunday show host to do so. ABC News says “World News” weekend anchor David Muir, and correspondent Clarissa Ward are also en route to Japan to report on the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami.

For NBC News Weekend “Today” and Weekend “Nightly News” anchor Lester Holt, is on his way as is “Today” news anchor Ann Curry. Correspondent Lee Cowan, and Ian Williams are in route as well.

For CBS News, anchor Harry Smith will lead coverage for the network. Correspondent Lucy Craft continues her reporting and correspondents Bill Whitaker and Charlie D’Agata are also en route.

For Fox News, correspondents Adam Housley, David Piper and Greg Palkot are en route.

And here’s who is going, or already there, for CNN.

But it’s Amanpour who gives real meaning to the term globetrotter.

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Before the vicious attack on CBS correspondent Lara Logan, a number of other western journalists were beaten by protesters, including Fox News correspondent Greg Palkot, who was hospitalized in Egypt.

Palkot spoke to TV Guide about Logan’s situation, and returning to work:

TV Guide Magazine: You’ve worked side by side with Lara Logan in Afghanistan. What was your reaction when you heard the news about how she was attacked?

Palkot: I feel for her. It was a tough crowd. Even in a crowd that is exultant, crazy things can happen. I haven’t had a chance to speak to her personally. I’ve been contacting people in the CBS family about her. From what I read, it appears that she’s improving.

TV Guide Magazine: How soon are you going back to work?

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Coming just a day after CBS revealed that Lara Logan was brutally attacked in Cairo, GQ published an interview with Fox News correspondent Greg Palkot, who was badly injured when pro-Mubarak thugs pummeled him and his cameraman, Olaf Wiig.

What were you thinking when you were first attacked?
That we were in trouble. That we were in deep trouble. Again, though: there were a few people in the crowd who did not think it was a great thing to kill foreigners out on the street in Cairo. So we were guided forward and protected by a few people in the crowd. And very shortly we saw what our goal would be and that was an Egyptian Army APC [armored personnel carrier] that was sitting in the middle of a plaza ahead of us.

Were you able to fight back?
I did my best but it’s tough because you’re getting it from all sides. You’re fending off the blows, you’re trying to figure out if somebody’s a friend of yours when they’re looking at you, and then the next minute they’re smashing you in the face.

Did you think about your family while this was happening?

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Fox News Channel correspondent Greg Palkot and his cameraman Olaf Wiig are safe, after being attacked by protesters in Egypt last Wednesday.

The duo were flown by Medivac from Cairo to London on Friday, and were released from the hospital there Saturday.

FNC’s John Roberts spoke to the two men in London on Sunday, their first interview since the attack:

Fox News Channel foreign correspondent Greg Palkot and FNC producer Olaf Wiig have been hospitalized in Cairo, Egypt after being attacked by protesters. Palkot was beaten badly and Wiig may have a broken jaw.

This isn’t the first time Wiig has seen trouble on the job. In 2006, Wiig was held hostage by gunmen on the Gaza Strip.

John Roberts reported from London today on the attack on the Fox team:

They were forced to leave their position when a Molotov cocktail was thrown at it, a large fire erupted. They were forced to flee. They ran out and ran right into the pro Mubarak crowd and were severely beaten and had to be taken to the hospital, spent the night in the hospital. The extent of their injuries was fairly grave, however, they have been released from the hospital.

This adds to a growing number of attacks on reporters in Egypt. Roberts’ video report on the FNC attack is after the jump…
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There is chaos in Egypt, as protesters are facing off against the police in a number of major cities, including Cairo and Alexandria. Egyptian President Mubarak has instituted a nationwide curfew, but it does not appear to be working.

The broadcast news divisions, as well as all three cable networks are covering the situation, with plans to continue coverage through the weekend.

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Tonight at 10pmET on Fox News, Geraldo Rivera anchors a special report titled “Pirates of the 21st Century,” with reports from Amy Kellogg, Greg Palkot and Martha MacCallum.

With at least 11 ships currently being held by pirates off the Somali coast including 200+ plus hostages, the special looks at how these modern-day pirates have turned their trade into a multimillion dollar, well-organized business.