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Worst set EVER


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For the size of the market, the Quad Cities seems to be the leader in really bad sets...including the awful KLJB/INN

 

3748928762_38170db145_o.jpg

 

But then I remember the 4 years I spent watching this monstrosity on WTVA-Tupelo.

 

The awful vinyl banquette (which looks like it came out of an old Shoney's) is still there, at the edge of the "newsroom" though they don't use it very often anymore. The news desk sits approx 4 feet in front of it on a rotating platform, ostensibly to allow for different shots...but the banquette is invariably in every shot.

 

[YT]

[/YT]
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For the size of the market, the Quad Cities seems to be the leader in really bad sets...including the awful KLJB/INN

 

3748928762_38170db145_o.jpg

 

But then I remember the 4 years I spent watching this monstrosity on WTVA-Tupelo.

 

The awful vinyl banquette (which looks like it came out of an old Shoney's) is still there, at the edge of the "newsroom" though they don't use it very often anymore. The news desk sits approx 4 feet in front of it on a rotating platform, ostensibly to allow for different shots...but the banquette is invariably in every shot.

 

[YT]

[/YT]

 

KLJB actually has a pretty descent set now... so does WQAD... WQADs is the same set that KTXL uses...

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eNexGKzLK8&feature=related

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WCAU commissioned a very spartan wall-and-desk setup in 1990; basically it was part of their ongoing attempt to make the newscasts look as much like WPVI as possible. This set persisted until 1996... and while six years seems like nothing, keep in mind that this design endured several image changes, three newscast name changes, and an affiliation switch. Each time the set got a new coat of paint, and each coat of paint looked increasingly uglier.

 

WCAU set, original grey wall (1991):

 

WCAU set, repaint with large blue eyes and 10s (1992):

 

WCAU set, NewsCenter 10, only a few months before NBC (1995):

 

WCAU set, Switch to NBC and first News 10 (1995):

 

WCAU's set, circa 1996:

 

At the time, WCAU was also using a morning set that also looked considerably bizarre:

 

Both ugly sets were replaced with this much better one:

 

Here's the tragedy... the wall set replaced this beautiful design from 1985. It still looks incredibly sharp and for my money is one of the two or three best sets ever used in the Philadelphia area...

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San Diego

 

KUSI: nuff said. Same Set since 1996. the only tweaking they done to the set was replace the big broken hitachi big screen and add a smaller flatscreen back in 2007 and remove the 51 in the KUSI 9/51 after the digital switch

 

new9.jpg

 

Before

kusi07.jpg

 

After (notice no more 51 on the desk and the burnt out lights on the red panel under the world glass map)

connietalbot_06_10_2009_75.jpg

 

_filtered16.jpg

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The awful vinyl banquette (which looks like it came out of an old Shoney's) is still there, at the edge of the "newsroom" though they don't use it very often anymore. The news desk sits approx 4 feet in front of it on a rotating platform, ostensibly to allow for different shots...but the banquette is invariably in every shot.

 

One of the producers christened the banquette area 'Fernando's Hideaway', so it was (and probably still is) referred to 'Fernando's' on the rundown.

 

My favourite part is the sports desk right next to the video wall. I understand the concept, but it means the sports desk is in the background of every other news shot.

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  • 1 month later...

WVEC's new set. As had been discussed here, they held on to that 1996 set way too long only to commission a worse set (the '96 one wasn't necessarily bad as much as dated).

 

 

Since we're including old sets apparently, how about WTKR's rather cramped-looking set from the Eyewitness News days (1992-94)?

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSQjL57Mm7k

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WVEC's new set. As had been discussed here' date=' they held on to that 1996 set way too long only to commission a worse set (the '96 one wasn't necessarily bad as much as dated).[/quote']

 

That's the same set, they just repainted it and put in new backgrounds.

 

And I don't think it's even close to the worst set ever...

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For the size of the market, the Quad Cities seems to be the leader in really bad sets...including the awful KLJB/INN

 

3748928762_38170db145_o.jpg

 

But then I remember the 4 years I spent watching this monstrosity on WTVA-Tupelo.

 

The awful vinyl banquette (which looks like it came out of an old Shoney's) is still there, at the edge of the "newsroom" though they don't use it very often anymore. The news desk sits approx 4 feet in front of it on a rotating platform, ostensibly to allow for different shots...but the banquette is invariably in every shot.

 

[YT]

[/YT]

 

Ha!!! I remember the "Digital Information Center" at TVA. Couldn't put my finger on it, but you're right, TOTALLY looks like a Shoney's ripoff. Do they still use it?

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Ha!!! I remember the "Digital Information Center" at TVA. Couldn't put my finger on it, but you're right, TOTALLY looks like a Shoney's ripoff. Do they still use it?

 

When I left in June, they were. I had heard they were going to be getting a new set at some point, though.

 

The station premiered a new graphics package and logo and went HD in May, which is weird considering they were the last station in the market to even begin broadcasting/simulcasting over their digital signal in late 2008.

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As a side note...here's our (KFBB's) set. It's not bad for market 191. Fun fact: The background structure and platform date back to the 90s (perhaps even earlier) based on some photos hanging in the hallway. I don't know when this current looks premiered, though I would hazard a guess and say it was when the current "NewsChannel 5" era began.

 

The duratran in the background features the short-lived MNN (Montana News Network) logo, but the flat-screen is set such that it is covered up when on-air and a few generations back, the chromakey wall was where the "WeatherCenter" is now.

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As a side note...here's our (KFBB's) set. It's not bad for market 191. Fun fact: The background structure and platform date back to the 90s (perhaps even earlier) based on some photos hanging in the hallway. I don't know when this current looks premiered, though I would hazard a guess and say it was when the current "NewsChannel 5" era began.

 

The duratran in the background features the short-lived MNN (Montana News Network) logo, but the flat-screen is set such that it is covered up when on-air and a few generations back, the chromakey wall was where the "WeatherCenter" is now.

 

if they were smart enough, a flat screen would look good in front of the desk where the red square is sitting

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As a side note...here's our (KFBB's) set. It's not bad for market 191. Fun fact: The background structure and platform date back to the 90s (perhaps even earlier) based on some photos hanging in the hallway. I don't know when this current looks premiered, though I would hazard a guess and say it was when the current "NewsChannel 5" era began.

 

The duratran in the background features the short-lived MNN (Montana News Network) logo, but the flat-screen is set such that it is covered up when on-air and a few generations back, the chromakey wall was where the "WeatherCenter" is now.

 

Not bad at all! I've worked on sets in larger markets that looked waaaay worse.

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if they were smart enough, a flat screen would look good in front of the desk where the red square is sitting

 

I agree...but rarely do we have a shot of the desk where that section appears on screen...one of the drawbacks to a 2-camera operation.

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  • 2 weeks later...
KFBB still has a studio crew? What a concept. Our directors never have recovered from the loss of the camera ops.

 

We do...we call them the camera kids (seriously). I think the median age is like 18, the oldest I think is 20. All of them work part-time. Our 530 (soon to be our 6pm) is our "newscast of record" so the kids come in, do the show and go home. The two oldest ones come back to do the 10pm. They all do a pretty good job. They were tremendous during out week-long live broadcast from the State Fair back in July.

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That's cool. It used to be pretty much the same way at my station until we got the robotic cameras, which the director/td runs. Now, there is no one in the studio but the anchors. A floor director would be nice, but no.

 

Sorry to stray off topic everyone. Let the set bashing continue...

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