New/Updated WMAQ Set Coming Soon

[Gavin M. 94]

It’s really nice I hope they don’t always modify it like the previous set. The last set the first upgrades were fine to look like WNBC also the weather set update was fine. But besides that the old set was updated out of commission to where the set was good anymore. I hope it isn’t that way this time.

[NBC 5 Chicago 191]

https://www.facebook.com/PatrickFazioNBC5/videos/618968573186057

 

Here's a video of the complete set from Patrick Fazio's Facebook. 

[MidwestTV 1232]

Big upgrade. Not so claustrophobic. Confused as to why the desk is NBC Chicago when there's NBC 5 everywhere else, unless they decided to use the studio for more generic NBC News stuff.

[R.R. 90]

1 hour ago, MidwestTV said:

Big upgrade. Not so claustrophobic. Confused as to why the desk is NBC Chicago when there's NBC 5 everywhere else, unless they decided to use the studio for more generic NBC News stuff.

Actually around 2010-11 somewhere at that point they actually dropped the NBC 5 logo at the desk in both the newsroom as well as Studio 5 and just had the NBC peacock display Before they added the NBC 5 logo back at the desk in 2012

[24994J 5575]

4 minutes ago, R.R. said:

 

 

That was surely based on where GE was headed, with the abandoned block logo NBC [CITY], and a downplayed local brand. At one point, the anchors and reports would've simply signed off as "NBC News." Comcast had a different plan, and here we are today, with the channel number intact.

 

Was it as late at 2010/11, though? I feel like the standalone peacock appeared when the 2 sets were redone for HD, so late 2007/early '08.

[R.R. 90]

1 hour ago, 24994J said:

 

That was surely based on where GE was headed, with the abandoned block logo NBC [CITY], and a downplayed local brand. At one point, the anchors and reports would've simply signed off as "NBC News." Comcast had a different plan, and here we are today, with the channel number intact.

 

Was it as late at 2010/11, though? I feel like the standalone peacock appeared when the 2 sets were redone for HD, so late 2007/early '08.

When they did the HD look, in January of 2008 the desk was still Branded as “NBC5” with the “NBC5.com” link added under the logo when did gave the newsroom desk a facelift, then around late 08/early 09 it was changed to “NBC 5 News” as they changed the web link.

 

But Studio 5 initially had a standalone peacock logo in it’s first look.

[C Block 1566]

Looks nice. I would have liked to have seen them incorporate a little bit of the newsroom back into the studio the same way KNTV did with theirs, but it's still really nice. Great use of space.

 

Only true fault are those confidence monitors on the side of the anchor desk underneath the glass – those look awful and are useless.

[Spring Rubber 702]

6 hours ago, NBC 5 Chicago said:

https://www.facebook.com/PatrickFazioNBC5/videos/618968573186057

 

Here's a video of the complete set from Patrick Fazio's Facebook. 

Are they using that color scheme on the desk and the images on the video walls during the morning show?

[PTVNews 194]

9 hours ago, NBC 5 Chicago said:

https://www.facebook.com/PatrickFazioNBC5/videos/618968573186057

 

Here's a video of the complete set from Patrick Fazio's Facebook. 

 

I'm curious if anyone knows anything about those mic indicators on the camera monitors. I've never seen or heard of a system where talent in the studio can see which separate mics are on or not. Pretty cool!

[sfomspphl 490]

15 hours ago, 24994J said:

 

That was surely based on where GE was headed, with the abandoned block logo NBC [CITY], and a downplayed local brand. At one point, the anchors and reports would've simply signed off as "NBC News." Comcast had a different plan, and here we are today, with the channel number intact.

 

Was it as late at 2010/11, though? I feel like the standalone peacock appeared when the 2 sets were redone for HD, so late 2007/early '08.

 

CBS O&Os might want to do a post mortem on what went wrong with that NBC [CITY] experiment. 

[NBC 5 Chicago 191]

11 hours ago, Spring Rubber said:

Are they using that color scheme on the desk and the images on the video walls during the morning show?

 

Yes. The LED lights around the home base screen, desk, and behind the new monitor to the left are all orange/tan. The video screens use those images up until about 6am and they switch to the Michigan Ave cam.

[24994J 5575]

[NBC 5 Chicago 191]

We've got our first Breaking News look of the desk. 

 

[R.R. 90]

And Marion has given a grand tour of the set and some fun facts to it also

 

https://www.nbcchicago.com/top-videos-home/take-a-tour-of-the-new-nbc-chicago-news-studio/2940154/?amp=1

[MidwestTV 1232]

1 hour ago, NBC 5 Chicago said:

We've got our first Breaking News look of the desk. 

 

Love how dynamic the desk is, but those are some weird shadows in "Chicago." I wonder if they'll try to fix that. Makes it look like a blown up low quality jpg.

[Jase 1047]

On 9/14/2022 at 6:25 PM, MidwestTV said:

Love how dynamic the desk is, but those are some weird shadows in "Chicago." I wonder if they'll try to fix that. Makes it look like a blown up low quality jpg.

 

I could see them getting rid of 'Chicago' because it's not really needed. As Marion mentioned in her video, there are other elements representing the city, lake and state.  Plus, it doesn't change color it seems.

[nathannah 2428]

59 minutes ago, jase said:

 

I could see them getting rid of 'Chicago' because it's not really needed. As Marion mentioned in her video, there are other elements representing the city, lake and state.  Plus, it doesn't light up or change color it seems.

It feels like it's only there 'just in case' they can't do a national newscast at 30 Rock or Universal City so they needed to throw that on there just in case someone didn't know the set was in Chicago (which can be noted vocally, onscreen or in the background). Totally feels like some boardroom compromise made to get the light-up desk approved by corporate.

 

And ugggh, I remember the weird period in the late aughts and early teens where NBC tried to turn their local websites into Flash-heavy 'everything local' with that rude LOCALS ONLY. slogan and the news buried deep down (and given 'casual' prose) for a failed attempt at 'cool and with it!' blogging instead. And of course, pre-Facebook reactions and hideous logos like the infamous PacMan one they used for Chicago.

 

[MidwestTV 1232]

19 hours ago, mrschimpf said:

 

And ugggh, I remember the weird period in the late aughts and early teens where NBC tried to turn their local websites into Flash-heavy 'everything local' with that rude LOCALS ONLY. slogan and the news buried deep down (and given 'casual' prose) for a failed attempt at 'cool and with it!' blogging instead. And of course, pre-Facebook reactions and hideous logos like the infamous PacMan one they used for Chicago.

 

 

I didn't need to be reminded about this trauma today.

[brb588 102]

On 8/24/2022 at 6:48 AM, mouseboy33 said:

Well if it only took 2  weeks. I wouldnt expect any thing spectacular.  ....

How wrong this was. WMAQ did a spectacular job with a small space. So now WLS has the oldest set in market again. However, it still looks pretty good, I can't see them getting rid of it. Maybe update that monitor wall?

[NBC 5 Chicago 191]

17 minutes ago, brb588 said:

How wrong this was. WMAQ did a spectacular job with a small space. So now WLS has the oldest set in market again. However, it still looks pretty good, I can't see them getting rid of it. Maybe update that monitor wall?

 

They were on the temp set for 4 weeks. What I've noticed is sets in Chicago change around 10 years per station. WLS's is the oldest at 2015 however still modern. They've got a few more years on that set yet. 

[24994J 5575]

1 hour ago, brb588 said:

So now WLS has the oldest set in market again. However, it still looks pretty good, I can't see them getting rid of it. Maybe update that monitor wall?

 

With no audience for Windy City Weekend, and the 7pm newscasts using the talk show couch space, I think it would be in ABC7's interest to at least explore improvements to use the space better, or make the sets a little more cohesive in their look.

 

But that's for another thread.

[Jase 1047]

2 hours ago, brb588 said:

How wrong this was. WMAQ did a spectacular job with a small space. 

 

I think a few of us were very pessimistic about what the end result would be given the quick turnaround. To take, normally, 8-12 weeks worth of work down to 4 is very impressive. 

 

I would argue that this is the best set currently in the market.

[24994J 5575]

I think everyone's set serves them well, with no duds among them, but this is the big breath of fresh air WMAQ's visual aesthetic needed. Despite the screens remaining in the same spots, added set pieces made for a huge upgrade.

[mouseboy33 93]

12 hours ago, brb588 said:

How wrong this was. WMAQ did a spectacular job with a small space. So now WLS has the oldest set in market again. However, it still looks pretty good, I can't see them getting rid of it. Maybe update that monitor wall?

Exactly, it took much longer than the 2 weeks someone said it was going to. But looking that the WMAQ's track record lets see how long this look lasts before they start screwing around with it. We will see if the camera's revert back to the locked down still shots and they will eventually cut out the cross set shots.