(Kansas City, Missouri)- After weeks of renovations, KSHB-TV, Kansas City’s NBC Action News station, will debut its long-awaited 4,300 square foot cutting-edge television studio on August 8, 2008 following NBC’s coverage of the 2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremony. The high-tech set, built for high definition, features a bold, bright look. The custom mobile anchor desk gives NBC Action News the versatility to broadcast with numerous looks and backgrounds. The new set maximizes every square foot of studio space and offers several positions for reporter stand-ups. This new innovative design gives NBC Action News the option to go live from anywhere on the set. Behind the anchor desk, eye-catching high resolutions photographs feature metro cityscapes that showcase many of Kansas City’s famous landmarks.
“This new, state-of-the-art, high definition news set will allow us to present news and severe weather information in a manner never before seen in Kansas City. It has a totally unique and striking look, loaded with the newest technology,” said Craig Allison, Vice President and General Manager for KSHB-TV and KMCI-TV.
Viewers will also notice the size of two sprawling NBC Action Weather Plus weather centers, stocked with 21 high definition monitors, including a massive 72-inch DLP screen. These working weather pods will be used for daily weather segments and provide the NBC Action Weather Plus team of meteorologists several locations from which to broadcast during severe weather events. In all, the weather center will take up nearly one-third of the entire set.
“I am proud of the entire set, but the weather area is especially exciting. I think it will continue to show why we are the weather leader in the market,” said Rick Iler, News Director at NBC Action News. “The new set will allow us to focus on severe weather coverage in high definition, and expands our capabilities to continue bringing the most accurate weather forecast every day. The huge weather center gives us the space and flexibility needed to deliver the best severe weather coverage to Kansas City viewers,” noted NBC Action News Chief Meteorologist Gary Lezak.
NBC Action News turned to the FX Group to spearhead this massive project. A broadcast television set and lighting design company considered to be the industry’s leader, FX Group has been building award-winning sets for over 20 years.
“This set is the most modern set being built in the broadcasting industry. Most sets like ours are only seen in the top ten markets,” added Iler.
About ScrippsThe E. W. Scripps Company (www.scripps.com) is a diverse, 130-year-old media enterprise with interests in broadcast television stations, newspaper publishing, and licensing and syndication. The company’s portfolio of locally focused media properties includes: 10 broadcast TV stations, with six ABC-affiliated stations, three NBC affiliates and one independent; daily and community newspapers in 15 markets and the Washington, D.C.-based Scripps Media Center, home of the Scripps Howard News Service; and United Media, the licensor and syndicator of Peanuts, Dilbert and approximately 150 other features and comics.