WPVI Gets New Studio, Graphics, AI Weather

Today at noon, ABC O&O WPVI Philadelphia (DMA 4) unveiled a new multifunctional studio, accented by a new graphics look.

“It’s pretty dramatic,” says President-GM Bernie Prazenica. “The depth of the video integration in our studio has increased in a big way. Visually, it’s just really eye-popping, but this update is more than cosmetic. The new set has great utility and allows us more versatility in our storytelling capabilities. We think our consumers will love the way this looks and feels.”

The new graphics will offer a most noticeable change to the Action News product. Prazenica said: “The graphics are contemporary, yet big and bold. They were designed with clarity being our paramount goal.”

In addition to a totally new graphics look, the weather presentation will have a new experience — augmented reality. The AccuWeather presentation will now be accompanied by 3D graphics created with technology from The Weather Company. The stations says it’s the first in Philadelphia to feature augmented reality weather graphics.

The new set, from Broadcast Design International, was built with 1,000 feet of steel, 1,500 pounds of acrylic, 29 sheets of laminate and 52 LED monitors. It took about four weeks to build and was constructed with environmentally friendly LED lighting.

The previous studio set was designed and launched in 2009, coinciding with the opening of the new WPVI building.