Paramount is rolling out another augmented-virtual reality television news studio at one of its CBS-owned stations this week.
Viewers of WBZ (Channel 4) in Boston will be treated to the new AR/VR set when they tune in to the station’s local newscasts on Monday, a spokesperson for CBS News & Stations said by e-mail.
The set will debut at 5 p.m. local time and will initially be used for WBZ’s weather forecast segments, the spokesperson said. Eventually, that will expand to other areas of WBZ’s newscast, including sports reports.
The studio spans about 1,470 square feet, measuring 35 feet wide by 42 feet deep, and marks the 14th AR/VR installation across CBS-owned stations. The first set was installed at KPIX (Channel 5) in San Francisco three years ago, with similar sets rolling out at stations in places like Los Angeles, New York City, Sacramento, Miami, Atlanta, Chicago, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
The technology allows meteorologists and journalists to combine live presentation with three-dimensional visual environments, helping explain complex weather systems, severe storms and other stories with additional context, CBS said. The goal is to make information more visual, accessible and easier for viewers to understand across broadcast, streaming and digital platforms.
“At CBS Boston, our mission is to help viewers better understand the stories and weather conditions that affect their daily lives,” Johnny Green, the Regional President and General Manager of WBZ and New York-based sister station WCBS (Channel 2), said in a statement. “We have already been incorporating the technology in New York, and we have seen how it enhances our ability to explain complicated information in a way that is engaging, informative and easy to understand.”
“The expansion of AR/VR technology across CBS Television Stations reflects our continued investment in the future of local news,” CBS Television Stations President Jennifer MItchell said on Monday. “We are excited to bring this capability to CBS Boston and audiences throughout New England.”
CBS Boston said the technology will function as a storytelling tool rather than a replacement for traditional reporting: The new studio will be used to help meteorologists, anchors and reporters explain weather events, news stories and community issues through immersive visuals that appear inside the studio environment.
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