lazynetjunkie 34 Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 I'm surprised nobody else here has mentioned this yet.. FOX Chicago is doing their newscasts from a temporary set in the newsroom now. The temporary set is not too bad for a temporary set. It's really just a collection made up of pieces they've already had laying around the studio jammed into the newsroom. I think it would have been nice if they would have just left out the small wall behind the anchors to fully expose the newsroom. However, I think a the such close up shots to the desks directly behind the anchors would be too close for comfort. The stand-up/interview set portion of the main studio is still being used for some stand-up reports They're getting their main studio ready for HD. Hopefully, they'll have full "Blyth FOX set in a can" too. Their previous set is the same set they've had since 1997 only remodeled/updated/modified every few years. They got the standard Blyth FOX O&O anchor desk and a cheap Blyth design remodel back in 2006 but it's still nothing compared to the full Blyth FOX O&O set in a can. The studio/set destruction & construction can be seen here: http://media.myfoxchicago.com/fox/webcam1.html Actually, I don't think you'll be seeing too much more from there. I think they might have turned off that camera now.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weeters 1811 Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 Thank God, the old remodeled set was hideous. The wood on the stuck-on RP screen didn't even match the look of the wood on the rest of the set. It will be interesting to see if they keep the desk or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jase 818 Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 This will mark the first time they are re-doing the entire news set/studio since they moved over there from the newsroom 10+ years ago. In addition to the HD upgrade, there are plans to add an additional studio and expand the newsroom. I'm not sure if that still the case, but they ran lighting tests months ago to see if their system could handle an additional studio. It's somewhat hard to tell, but they turn off/turn down the regular set of lights in the newsroom and use special "blue" ones in the back-ground during each newscast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weeters 1811 Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 I'm not sure if that still the case, but they ran lighting tests months ago to see if their system could handle an additional studio. It's somewhat hard to tell, but they turn off/turn down the regular set of lights in the newsroom and use special "blue" ones during each newscast. I thought they had fluorescent lights in the newsroom... That's about as low on power consumption as you can go, unless you went to LED. Care to elaborate on this? I'm very interested to see if you mean what I think you mean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazynetjunkie 34 Posted March 10, 2009 Author Share Posted March 10, 2009 I thought they had fluorescent lights in the newsroom... That's about as low on power consumption as you can go, unless you went to LED. Care to elaborate on this? I'm very interested to see if you mean what I think you mean. I don't know if this has anything to do with what you think he means; however, this is just off what I've seen in there and what I know. The newsroom's main lighting is fluorescent lighting. I don't remember if they were T12 or T8 bulbs, but really, they are low on power consumption and turning them off wouldn't make a difference whether their system could handle an additional studio. Like any other place or business that would expand, an additional studio would need more additional power than just turning off lights in the newsroom. The newsroom has an open ceiling, like the studio, with a lighting grid with some studio lights to make some better lighting around the newsroom and some various colored (mostly blue) spots for accent. Of course, there are the lights at the newsroom report desk for when they're doing reports from the newsroom which are only used when the newsroom is on-air. There are also a few mercury vapor lamps (warehouse/gym type lights) up there also used for newsroom lighting. The various colored spots were changed/moved around in there from time to time. I know for a while last year they turned off various lights for testing. For a while, only the fluorescents were on and then for a while, only the mercury vapors were on. I just thought they were trying to save on electricity because I know they need more than just turning off the newsroom lights to power an additional studio. This YouTube video would give you a better idea of the newsroom's ceiling: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jase 818 Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 The "blue" lights don't have anything to do with power consumption or them trying to save money or anything. It's more about using those lights to enhance the blue panels behind the anchors and make the set overall look better (I believe) and not too much different from their previous set (thus the recreation of certain parts). They are expected to be in the newsroom for a while (the word "months" was used during GDC yesterday). This could be why they didn't leave out the wall/plasma screen like they did before when they did a temporary move back into the newsroom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazynetjunkie 34 Posted March 10, 2009 Author Share Posted March 10, 2009 The more I look at it, I think they actually did paint some of the newsroom walls blue. The walls just look much more blue than what's coming from the lights. They've always had some blue accent lights in there. Of course, alot more were added for the temporary move to the newsroom. I just don't think the lighting guys were ever happy with the lighting in the newsroom before. When I was there early last year, they seemed to be in there at least a couple times a month to change/move those colored lights around. It's just weird to see everyone in the GDC all cramped up in there now. It's really not a very large newsroom. Mark Strehl sticking halfway off the side of the mini anchor desk is kind of funny though. The newsroom wall is right in front of the anchors with barely enough room for cameras. I'm surprised nobody that has walked/squeezed by there has knocked over a camera. As far as I found out, the only things from the old set itself being saved from the dumpster are the plasma TV's and the anchor desk. I'm pretty sure the furniture from the interview set is being saved too. However, I don't know if the anchor desk is going to be reused in the new set. It might just be saved for future/other use or shipped to another station that might want it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbs2worksforyou 35 Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 If anyone needed a brand new set, it's WFLD. All of their previous monstrosities were just too mishmashed and ugly. I hope they get rid of the current anchor desk too. AND I also hope they just call themselves "Fox Chicago" or "Fox News Chicago". I can't stand "Fox Chicago News". Whatever they decide, they better update the graphics to reflect it too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazynetjunkie 34 Posted March 10, 2009 Author Share Posted March 10, 2009 If anyone needed a brand new set, it's WFLD. All of their previous monstrosities were just too mishmashed and ugly. I hope they get rid of the current anchor desk too. AND I also hope they just call themselves "Fox Chicago" or "Fox News Chicago". I can't stand "Fox Chicago News". Whatever they decide, they better update the graphics to reflect it too! I'm pretty sure what we're going to get soon will really be nice. Management there now wants a more cleaned-up, sleek, modern look and is really going to let the money go for it this time. And I'm sure from where a certain new member of management just came from, they're really going to pretty-up the place. I have a feeling the FOX Chicago News title is going to stay for good this time around.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weeters 1811 Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 The end is near! There's a newsroom setup that's worse than WDJT! Also, is that plastic hanging in the space under the "FOX NEWS CHICAGO" sign? And the blue accent light thing is confirmed, those fluorescent lights are definitely off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Que 73 Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 Still looks better than the dark and small KDFW newsroom. Hopefully they get a modified or updated logo. I can't believe they are still using all that empty space in the blue background. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazynetjunkie 34 Posted March 14, 2009 Author Share Posted March 14, 2009 Something interesting.. In this YouTube video, watch the news tease starting at the 2:58 mark. Notice the reflection on the anchor desk in the newsroom. The giant Roman numeral clock on the wall is still up there after all these years as you can see in the photo in WITI6fan's post. By the way, some good video of the temporary news room set can be seen here: http://www.myfoxchicago.com/subindex/good_day in the "Alderman Sandi Jackson-7th Ward" video. The assignment desk, seen behind the alderman, does kind of make a good backdrop. If you're wondering, that big plexi "FOX Chicago" sign (you can really only see the bottom red line on it in the video) hanging behind the assignment desk came from the actual old news set. It was used on the backdrop near each side of the set for the noon and evening news from 1999 until 2006. During the 2006 remodel, someone decided just to hang them in the newsroom instead of throwing them out. The window with the 5 little lights you see in the far back of the newsroom under the long "FOX News Chicago" lightbox across the top is the recently remodeled control room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jase 818 Posted March 14, 2009 Share Posted March 14, 2009 Another note about the clock is that it was originally on the wall where the control room is and when they redesigned/remodeled the newsroom into its current state, it was moved. I'm also surprised they kept the clock after all these years. If I'm not mistaken, it dates back to when they first added a weekday morning newscast (Good Day Chicago, 6-9 am, early 90s). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbs2worksforyou 35 Posted March 15, 2009 Share Posted March 15, 2009 Just watched that recent clip with Alderman Sandi Jackson.... Is it just me or does Jan Jeffcoat need to work on her non-regional diction? Listen to her say the word "past"...she totally sounds like a typical Chicagoan. Which isn't a bad thing, but I guess I've never heard any other Chicago anchors (even ones that have been here for a long time) have as thick of a Chicago-accent as her. Has anyone else noticed that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazynetjunkie 34 Posted March 16, 2009 Author Share Posted March 16, 2009 Just watched that recent clip with Alderman Sandi Jackson.... Is it just me or does Jan Jeffcoat need to work on her non-regional diction? Listen to her say the word "past"...she totally sounds like a typical Chicagoan. Which isn't a bad thing, but I guess I've never heard any other Chicago anchors (even ones that have been here for a long time) have as thick of a Chicago-accent as her. Has anyone else noticed that? A little but I don't think there's anything wrong with it. I don't reallly know if it has to do with Chicago or more to do with the accent from her Filipino side.. What I think is bad are some of those anchors in NYC.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brb588 85 Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 Anyone noticed that big tarp hanging behind the left anchor? I wonder why is that there... The anchor backgrounds are simply chintzy and should be removed. I guess they wouldn't be there if that ugly tarp wasn't there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazynetjunkie 34 Posted March 18, 2009 Author Share Posted March 18, 2009 Anyone noticed that big tarp hanging behind the left anchor? I wonder why is that there... The anchor backgrounds are simply chintzy and should be removed. I guess they wouldn't be there if that ugly tarp wasn't there. Well, they are working on the newsroom too.. It could be just covering some construction mess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weeters 1811 Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 That tarp has been there for at least a month: http://community.foxjox.com/_S5004079JPG/photo/2580836/8052.html?enlarge=true Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jase 818 Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 Work on the control room area has been happening for months now. There were panels right under the 'fox news chicago' lightbox that obviously have been removed and a large chunk of the wall (where the tarp is) has been cut out in front and on the side (where you can now see the hallway). They also made a temporary control room area (audio people, etc..) right in front where all the web site producers once work (don't know where they moved off to--maybe upstairs?). It's hard to say what the final outcome will be until everything is done. Like I said before, there are/were plans to expand the newsroom, so work in that section could be part of that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lpzml09 0 Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 Here's a picture of there studio building it from the ground up. I can't wait! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazynetjunkie 34 Posted March 19, 2009 Author Share Posted March 19, 2009 For those of you out of market that never saw how WFLD's set used to look like, here are some photos. The 3 photos below are of its most recent (2006-2009) look; however, before 2007, they didn't have the giant chroma key green screen you see in those photos yet. The old (1997-2007) weather center was still intact and there was only a very small green screen between the main news set and the old weather center. When "The Ten" came to be, the interview/multi-purpose set in the studio got a remodel and the old weather center was knocked out in favor for a huge chroma key green screen. The large green screen also better fits meteorologist Mark Strehl. More photos of the most recent look of the set can be seen: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jacenk/3253428267/ (this person has a few photos) Some photos of how the main set looked from 2000-2006 can be seen at: http://www.northpine.com/broadcast/captures/il/wfld.html A couple photos of how the main news set originally looked like when FX Group originally built it can be seen at: http://web.archive.org/web/20020108183659/www.fxgroup.tv/menu_bar-wfld.htm - Yes, if you are wondering, those are computer keyboards under those "FOX News" plexis on the set. For some odd reason, the set designer had the idea to originally decorate the set with computer keyboards at pointless locations around the set. The computer keyboards to nowhere remained around the set until around 1999/2000. FX Group claimed to me a while back that they didn't design the set, they only built it and they had no part in the design consisting of computer keyboards at random locations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brb588 85 Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 The large green screen also better fits meteorologist Mark Strehl. :rofl!: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Que 73 Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 So will WFLD get the full version of the FOX O&O set? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lpzml09 0 Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 From what I hear I think they will be getting a full O&O set which is going to take 2 to 3 months to complete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weeters 1811 Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 This is what's on the webcam right now! Looks like someone must have taken work home? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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