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WBIR is getting a new set.


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Just went to the WBIR studio yesterday for a shadow with their chief meteorologist, Todd Howell, and a couple of engineers were telling me that they are working on a new set which should debut in a couple of months. They are making 2 giant rooms into one big set. The new weather center will take up a lot of space and the green screen or "Weather Wall" will be much bigger and will go all the way from the ceiling, continuing onto the ground. They have not said anything about it on TV or online, but I do know that they are going to put in the studio in the nexts couple of months. Couldn't get a photo of what they were working on, but here's a photo of their current studio which was finished around 2011 or so. (The background of the news desk was updated around 2018. It used to be more blue, now it's purple) Stay tuned.

wbir weather and set.PNG

wbir kitchen.PNG

wbir interview set.PNG

wbir tabler.PNG

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  • 3 months later...
38 minutes ago, TennTV1983 said:

Time lapse video of the set's construction. I know @EastTennesseeWXGeek said they were making two giant rooms into one big set, but I didn't know their studio was THAT big.

 

 

 

 

Wow, that really is a big studio.  And clearly they did move the old set out to build out the new one.    I checked on YouTube and turns out they must've used part of the old set as their temporary set-up.  The difference was barely noticeable, aside from a slight change to how they framed the shots.  

 

The picture of the Smoky Mtns. to the side of the new anchor desk is a nice touch, btw.

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You’d think with all the money they probably saved by replacing regular studio cameras and robotics for PTZ cameras they could spring for another one for the weather center.

 

Notice how the lens of this camera is peeking out from behind the prompter hood fabric:

 

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now I know these cars are good and all (we’ve had a debate already and there in wider use than we know) )but the at times tend to make scents look flat. I’m not sure when we look closely we would notice how things in the background blend in. This is a pet peeve of a a set designer (or two) I talked to. I imagine it has to do with the optics and the focal length of the sets. 
 

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Okay Im going to say. I really hate bricks and stacked stone on news sets. Its horrible. Its old fashioned. Its dark and its makes it look like they are broadcasting from an underground nuclear bomb shelter. The lame excuse of incorporating "local elements" on the set is the stupidest excuse for a lack of imagination. Especially since most cities have brick buildings or rocks of some sort. Yeah thats very local. Just stop please. I look at sets in Canada and around the world and ours was on the right track when we kicked out the dark wood and the dark lighting and they got bright and modern. Now in the past 2-3 years with this horrific "brick" trend we are going backwards.

 

Look at this bright and modern set for Berlin. Not its not perfect but geez it looks like its 2020 nearly, not 1972. Come on!!!412a9b8f-9677-464c-9165-f296d3dc5e12_rw_

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Some parts of the set remind me of WUSA's current set. (mostly the brick in the background). For the past couple of months, they have been making minor adjustments with the kitchen and interview area for Live at Five at Four. For the kitchen, they repainted it white and for the interview area, they changed the background of the photo. I think they want to give the studio a modern look, with an East Tennessee "Straight from the Heart" approach.

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