[TMD_24]

New reporting by Dylan Byers on how Licht wants CNN to have $900m profit at the end of the year through the changes he has made. He's also reporting that the Daytime changes will be happening in April.

puck.news 

Licht’s Big Number - Puck
Chris Licht expects to grow CNN’s profitability this year by $150 million, up to…
  Source: puck.news

[Newsroom]

New reporting by Dylan Byers on how Licht wants CNN to have $900m profit at the end of the year through the changes he has made. He's also reporting that the Daytime changes will be happening in April.

puck.news 

I read this earlier, Byers seems to be recycling stuff he's already written. I've not gleamed anything new from his recent essays on CNN.

[EastCoast]

First glimpses that set modifications are underway:

In NY the surround on the monitor cart in Studio 19Y has been removed. The workstations and decorative chairs have also been removed, although their replacement hardly feels camera worthy.

   
   

In DC Wolf Blitzer is broadcasting from the “B” side of the studio.

   

[ginnyfan]

Is that the New Day/QMB set? I didn't even know it was still used after New Day finished.

As for Wolf. I have no idea which set is which in DC. They all look the same and equally bad.

[Newsroom]

First glimpses that set modifications are underway:

In NY the surround on the monitor cart in Studio 19Y has been removed. The workstations and decorative chairs have also been removed, although their replacement hardly feels camera worthy.




In DC Wolf Blitzer is broadcasting from the “B” side of the studio.

I don't think they'll be using 19Y for the new daytime programming. I've a sneaky feeling they are remodelling the newsroom set. The 'live' shots are no longer live and haven't been for weeks upon weeks. 

19Y was supposedly earmarked for a fixed CNN This Morning set but clearly that's not happening anytime soon. With the show in a worse state than New Day ever was it's hardly surprising.

[oscillon]

Is that the New Day/QMB set? I didn't even know it was still used after New Day finished.

Same for me, thought they decamped for good to 21L (AC360 one, where Newsroom decamped) or 19Z (which apparently hosts nothing on weekdays prior to Erin Burnett Outfront).

As for Wolf. I have no idea which set is which in DC. They all look the same and equally bad.

They have this huge set in DC consisting of two parts, or studios. They usually make the full of it during the election coverage. The whole set appears to have quite interesting topology and configuration and it took me a while to figure it out, so I'll post it here for the sake of it.
 
On one end you have the curved videowall and a desk at which Wolf usually sits, as well as "CNN Washington" or "CNN Election Center" white shiny label. This is the A studio. To the viewers' left side of it you actually have an additional video wall and smaller touch-screens for the correspondents and John King to use.

On the other end you have three orthogonal videowalls (pi-shaped) with those fancy grey ornaments in between, as well as another desk for anchor and pundits. Welcome studio B. It was upgraded when CNN+ was about to unroll although grey ornaments and the central video wall pre-date 2022. This is where Jake's brief 9 PM slot was as well as Chris Wallace's show. Politics events (not only election, but Jan. 6 hearings etc.) are also sometimes covered from there.

A and B parts are connected on one side by yet another videowall, adjacent to both the curved wall of studio A and the left wall of the studio B triptich. The chief election anchor usually stands by this wall at the important moments of the coverage. It was more actively used several years ago as Wolf used to stand at it during some parts of The Situation Room.

Interestingly, the curved video wall of the A studio is not exactly opposed to the desk and three walls of the B studio, it is more sidelined to the right, if you are viewing it from B to A - remember this additional video wall and John King touchscreens area (see a pic below).

There are actually archived pieces of 2022 election coverage with Jake walking around the whole studio that give a good sense of how it is actually configured (if I'm allowed to post them here):

archive.org 

Election Night in America : CNNW : November 8, 2022 4:00pm-8:00pm PST : Free Bor…
Special coverage of the 2022 Midterm Elections. Anderson Cooper and Jake Tapper …
  Source: archive.org

archive.org 

Election Night in America : CNNW : November 8, 2022 4:00pm-8:00pm PST : Free Bor…
Special coverage of the 2022 Midterm Elections. Anderson Cooper and Jake Tapper …
  Source: archive.org

archive.org 

Election Night in America : CNNW : November 8, 2022 4:00pm-8:00pm PST : Free Bor…
Special coverage of the 2022 Midterm Elections. Anderson Cooper and Jake Tapper …
  Source: archive.org

archive.org 

Election Night in America : CNNW : November 8, 2022 4:00pm-8:00pm PST : Free Bor…
Special coverage of the 2022 Midterm Elections. Anderson Cooper and Jake Tapper …
  Source: archive.org

archive.org 

Election Night in America : CNNW : November 8, 2022 4:00pm-8:00pm PST : Free Bor…
Special coverage of the 2022 Midterm Elections. Anderson Cooper and Jake Tapper …
  Source: archive.org

It might be also useful to post some screenshots from them.

1. The "connecting" wall between studio A and studio B, to the left you can see the Situation Room wall (usually it is showing the Capitol view) and above it - a little part of "CNN Election center" white label.

2. Here is a wide shot of the studio. Kasie Hunt sits approximately where Wolf usually sits, Jake started walking from the "connecting" wall to the left of him towards Kasie. Behind Jake we can see two of the three orthogonal walls of studio B and the fancy grey ornament, as well as the desk and apparently Abby Phillip at it - that is the studio B.

3a. Studio B wide shot from its right (when facing it) part. The grey ornament seen between Abby Phillip and Dana Bash is the same ornament seen to the left of her in the previous picture (due to a very different viewing angle).

3b. For completeness - here is a very wide shot of the central and right parts of the studio B, with the symmetric grey ornament and the third videowall seen to the right of Chris Wallace (and the grey ornament from two previous screenshots is still seen at the very left part of the picture).

4. This is a blurred (camera moving quickly) but wide shot of the studio A, as Jake walks past Kasie at the curved TSR wall (CNN Election label in place of usual CNN Washington one is seen above the screen) and Boris Sanchez, who sits closer to this additional left wall, towards John King and the touch screens. Note the vast space to the left of the curved wall, filled with this additional video wall and touch screens - we don't see it this fully during TSR hours. This is, I think, what the view from directly opposite studio B desk looks like.

I'm not sure what is between the left part of studio A (John King touchscreens zone) and the right screen of Studio B, and thus opposite the "connecting" video wall, as I have not seent it on air. I believe there must be some kind of separation zone between two studios, as they are supposed to be able to be used independently of each other as well.

Anyway, it is interesting to see what they will make of studio A if it is indeed refurbished and how the new set will look in full.

[Newsroom]

Is that the New Day/QMB set? I didn't even know it was still used after New Day finished.

Same for me, thought they decamped for good to 21L (AC360 one, where Newsroom decamped) or 19Z (which apparently hosts nothing on weekdays prior to Erin Burnett Outfront).

As for Wolf. I have no idea which set is which in DC. They all look the same and equally bad.

They have this huge set in DC consisting of two parts, or studios. They usually make the full of it during the election coverage. The whole set appears to have quite interesting topology and configuration and it took me a while to figure it out, so I'll post it here for the sake of it.
 
On one end you have the curved videowall and a desk at which Wolf usually sits, as well as "CNN Washington" or "CNN Election Center" white shiny label. This is the A studio. To the viewers' left side of it you actually have an additional video wall and smaller touch-screens for the correspondents and John King to use.

On the other end you have three orthogonal videowalls (pi-shaped) with those fancy grey ornaments in between, as well as another desk for anchor and pundits. Welcome studio B. It was upgraded when CNN+ was about to unroll although grey ornaments and the central video wall pre-date 2022. This is where Jake's brief 9 PM slot was as well as Chris Wallace's show. Politics events (not only election, but Jan. 6 hearings etc.) are also sometimes covered from there.

A and B parts are connected on one side by yet another videowall, adjacent to both the curved wall of studio A and the left wall of the studio B triptich. The chief election anchor usually stands by this wall at the important moments of the coverage. It was more actively used several years ago as Wolf used to stand at it during some parts of The Situation Room.

Interestingly, the curved video wall of the A studio is not exactly opposed to the desk and three walls of the B studio, it is more sidelined to the right, if you are viewing it from B to A - remember this additional video wall and John King touchscreens area (see a pic below).

There are actually archived pieces of 2022 election coverage with Jake walking around the whole studio that give a good sense of how it is actually configured (if I'm allowed to post them here):

archive.org 
archive.org 
archive.org 
archive.org 
archive.org 

It might be also useful to post some screenshots from them.

1. The "connecting" wall between studio A and studio B, to the left you can see the Situation Room wall (usually it is showing the Capitol view) and above it - a little part of "CNN Election center" white label.

2. Here is a wide shot of the studio. Kasie Hunt sits approximately where Wolf usually sits, Jake started walking from the "connecting" wall to the left of him towards Kasie. Behind Jake we can see two of the three orthogonal walls of studio B and the fancy grey ornament, as well as the desk and apparently Abby Phillip at it - that is the studio B.

3a. Studio B wide shot from its right (when facing it) part. The grey ornament seen between Abby Phillip and Dana Bash is the same ornament seen to the left of her in the previous picture (due to a very different viewing angle).

3b. For completeness - here is a very wide shot of the central and right parts of the studio B, with the symmetric grey ornament and the third videowall seen to the right of Chris Wallace (and the grey ornament from two previous screenshots is still seen at the very left part of the picture).

4. This is a blurred (camera moving quickly) but wide shot of the studio A, as Jake walks past Kasie at the curved TSR wall (CNN Election label in place of usual CNN Washington one is seen above the screen) and Boris Sanchez, who sits closer to this additional left wall, towards John King and the touch screens. Note the vast space to the left of the curved wall, filled with this additional video wall and touch screens - we don't see it this fully during TSR hours. This is, I think, what the view from directly opposite studio B desk looks like.

I'm not sure what is between the left part of studio A (John King touchscreens zone) and the right screen of Studio B, and thus opposite the "connecting" video wall, as I have not seent it on air. I believe there must be some kind of separation zone between two studios, as they are supposed to be able to be used independently of each other as well.

Anyway, it is interesting to see what they will make of studio A if it is indeed refurbished and how the new set will look in full.

Thank you! That's a super interesting take on the Washington set up. I do suspect however that they'll utilise the Newsroom. 

You'll have noticed that when someone appears from the Newsroom that it too has undergone a huge makeover. It features newly installed glass panels, lots of new signage and appears to be ready for something other than the occasional static shot.

[EastCoast]

I’d like to believe that they would do something in the respective newsrooms, I just don’t see three anchors and guests/correspondents comfortably sitting in the space. I think we will see “on air workspaces” in both an updated Studio A/B and either 19Y or 19Z. If the reports of consolidating space in Hudson Yards are true, 17N, the Newsroom studio, is likely gone for good.

[Charles]

I would expect newsrooms to return. On Morning Joe and CBS This Morning, the anchors always sat in the round and in an active, newsroom-y space. That was always a hallmark of Chris Licht.

I hope we see less of that awful Washington studio. The weird virtual thing they do during The Lead looks awful. You can visibly see some pixelation and moiré on the stylized CNN logo in one of the fake 'wall' backdrops.

The DC studio looked nice when it got a big overhaul about a decade ago, but it doesn't look so sharp with all those video walls and giant desks shoehorned into it. The glass divider between the two spaces was cool, but we don't really even see much of that anymore.




Source: www.clickspringdesign.com 

CNN | Washington Studio - Clickspring Design
INNER WORKINGS EXPERTISE PROJECTS HEADLINES OUR TEAM CONTACT 中文网站 SEARCH CNN | W…
  Source: www.clickspringdesign.com

[ginnyfan]

I forgot how nice it looked originally, especially the red desk. They ruined it will all the basic desks they added and endless newswalls and gray plastic looking panels.