WATN/WLMT remodel

[Jterry 43]

 

Per WATN anchor John Paul, it looks as if they are in the process of getting a new set or at least some remodel of their current studio. 

[TexasTVNews 1378]

Here comes the Tegna set in a box.

[TennTV1983 806]

This looks to be more of a remodel/refresh being done considering they're still doing news in the studio (for now) from a makeshift area on the other side.

 

Removing the desk was step 1 in that process. Looking forward to seeing to what extent this makeover will actually go.

 

 

[tyrannical bastard 4028]

Whatever Tegna comes up with I'm sure will still be better then whatever they did in the final year of WPTY.

[MidwestTV 1240]

More photos

 

[tyrannical bastard 4028]

How long was this set used in Little Rock (when KLRT/KASN was their own entity) before it made its way to Memphis?

 

And reading more of Trevor Birchett's tweets, the old desk will be re-purposed by one of the high schools in Memphis for their communications program.

[TennTV1983 806]

18 minutes ago, tyrannical bastard said:

How long was this set used in Little Rock (when KLRT/KASN was their own entity) before it made its way to Memphis?

 

And reading more of Trevor Birchett's tweets, the old desk will be re-purposed by one of the high schools in Memphis for their communications program.

 

KLRT/KASN was on that set for about two years before the sale from Newport/Providence Equity to Nexstar was completed in 2013 and all operations got moved to KARK's studio space inside the Victory Building soon after. So that's a little over a decade of continuous use & re-use between KLRT/KASN and WATN/WLMT.

[MarkBRollins88_v2 350]

On 11/3/2021 at 10:32 AM, Jterry said:

 

Per WATN anchor John Paul, it looks as if they are in the process of getting a new set or at least some remodel of their current studio. 

Maybe someday the carbon copy of this set a couple markets to their west will finally get torn apart too. 

[tyrannical bastard 4028]

15 hours ago, MarkBRollins88_v2 said:

Maybe someday the carbon copy of this set a couple markets to their west will finally get torn apart too. 

It's strange they got KLRT's old set, while KLRT had a re-creation (or clone) made for their move-in with KARK.  I"m thinking the set had to be scaled down in order to fit, and a smaller version was necessary?

[ABC 7 Denver 1729]

6 hours ago, tyrannical bastard said:

It's strange they got KLRT's old set, while KLRT had a re-creation (or clone) made for their move-in with KARK.  I"m thinking the set had to be scaled down in order to fit, and a smaller version was necessary?

 

It could have also been logistics. KARK management wanted KLRT to hit the grown running and KARK management thought it was worth investing in a clone in order for a temporary set not to be used. Nexstar Corporate may have had a hand in this decision as well. There are a lot of different options. Scaling isn't the only one.

[tyrannical bastard 4028]

5 hours ago, ABC 7 Denver said:

 

It could have also been logistics. KARK management wanted KLRT wanted to hit the grown running and KARK management thought it was worth investing in a clone in order for a temporary set not to be used.

From what I can recall, this may have been what happened.  KLRT moved in with KARK without really missing a beat that February, giving crews the time to disassemble the old KLRT set, ship it up to Memphis and install it at the (then) new WATN studios.

 

Lots of other KLRT assets may have been used to including the control room equipment and even the studio cameras since they were no longer needed.  At the time they were relatively new since  KLRT went HD the year before the Newport breakup.   And Nexstar probably went "office space" on all of the old WPTY equipment (or just tossed it on the dumpster since it was all SD stuff)

[MarkBRollins88_v2 350]

11 hours ago, tyrannical bastard said:

It's strange they got KLRT's old set, while KLRT had a re-creation (or clone) made for their move-in with KARK.  I"m thinking the set had to be scaled down in order to fit, and a smaller version was necessary?

I’m talking about KOKI

[ScottSchell 370]

On 11/10/2021 at 9:58 PM, MarkBRollins88_v2 said:

I’m talking about KOKI

KOKI isn’t the only station to have the same set…. WIFR also has the set.

[Greggo 358]

WOAI/San Antonio had this set as well until they were acquired by Sinclair and moved in with sister station KABB. After collecting dust for a bit, Sinclair shipped the aging set to KFDM/Beaumont where it lives on. 

[MarkBRollins88_v2 350]

18 hours ago, Greggo said:

WOAI/San Antonio had this set as well until they were acquired by Sinclair and moved in with sister station KABB. After collecting dust for a bit, Sinclair shipped the aging set to KFDM/Beaumont where it lives on. 

In my opinion, the old set is better than that cheapass piece of cardboard Sinclair gave WOAI and called a set. 

[Sendir 194]

18 hours ago, MarkBRollins88_v2 said:

In my opinion, the old set is better than that cheapass piece of cardboard Sinclair gave WOAI and called a set. 

Lol. So true. 

[Sendir 194]

This is new. 

[MarkBRollins88_v2 350]

6 hours ago, Sendir said:

This is new. 

Acme brick can single-handedly thank Tegna set designers for keeping them in business. 

[24994J 5621]

35 minutes ago, MarkBRollins88_v2 said:

Acme brick can single-handedly thank Tegna set designers for keeping them in business. 

 

"Hey, remember when CBS This Morning did brick a decade ago? Now let's do it ourselves, FOREVER."

[nathannah 2496]

2 hours ago, MarkBRollins88_v2 said:

Acme brick can single-handedly thank Tegna set designers for keeping them in business. 

It's not even real brickwork; though the patterns can vary, the surface is just pre-cast panels that are flat as a board on the back and repeat on each panel. It looks like they got the 'economy brick' package there.

[tyrannical bastard 4028]

4 hours ago, MarkBRollins88_v2 said:

Acme brick can single-handedly thank Tegna set designers for keeping them in business. 

Or Z-Brick.  They're 1-inch brick veneers that you can glue to any wall.

[TennTV1983 806]

Bumping this thread. Per Trevor Birchett on Twitter, the entire studio is now being gutted. 

 

[MidwestTV 1240]

Here's hoping it's more inspired than thing at KXTV.

[NewsGuyTV 42]

Here's an update on WATN's studio renovation

 

https://twitter.com/weathertrevor/status/1555969798466686976?s=20&t=Gt_u0CCwXXCZViUYHQ2jsA

 

https://twitter.com/weathertrevor/status/1555968884439748609?s=20&t=Gt_u0CCwXXCZViUYHQ2jsA

[Justin Hill 42]

On 12/17/2021 at 5:29 PM, mrschimpf said:

It's not even real brickwork; though the patterns can vary, the surface is just pre-cast panels that are flat as a board on the back and repeat on each panel. It looks like they got the 'economy brick' package there.

Many Gray Television and Nexstar-owned stations also used that fake brick pattern in their set designs...