Paramount Global’s CBS station in Chicago will debut its new augmented-virtual reality news set during an afternoon newscast on Tuesday, the company announced this week.
The set at WBBM (Channel 2) will be utilized for the station’s weather forecasts first before rolling out more broadly across news products. The set covers more than 1,100 square feet of studio space, the company said.
The augmented-virtual reality set at WBBM joins several others that have been unveiled at CBS-owned stations across the country, including news outlets in San Francicso (KPIX, Channel 5), Philadelphia (KYW-TV, Channel 3), Denver (KCNC, Channel 4) and New York City (WCBS-TV, Channel 2).
“We are beyond excited to be the only station in Chicago delivering weather in an all-new AR/VR format. This technology is a game changer, offering our viewers a deeper, more engaging way to understand the weather,” Jennifer Lyons, the President and General Manager at WBBM-TV, said in a statement. “Whether it’s preparing for a winter storm or simply planning their day, our audience will benefit from an interactive and visually immersive experience that only AR/VR can provide. It’s about elevating the storytelling and giving our viewers what they need: Clear, concise information, using state-of-the-art technology, unlike anything they have seen when watching the news.”
The augmented-virtual reality studio at WBBM will allow news viewers to “isualize everything from storm paths and microclimates to temperature changes within the forecast while giving them the tools to make better-informed decisions about their daily lives,” a spokesperson for CBS News & Stations, the local broadcast division of CBS, said in a statement.
A CBS News & Stations executive affirmed the augmented-virtual reality studios launched at the network’s local TV stations is “just one example of how we are pioneering new ways to deliver the news that matters most to our audiences.”
“We constantly ask ourselves how we can enhance our storytelling and make it more dynamic, informative and relevant to people’s lives,” the executive said. “This AR/VR-driven weather format is just the beginning, and it reflects the mindset we bring to all of our journalism: we are committed to being ahead of the curve and delivering what our viewers want in the most engaging ways possible.”
A spokesperson for the network said additional CBS-owned stations will adopt the augmented-virtual reality studio approach in the coming months.
