CNN originates coronavirus town hall from flexible Studio 19X

CNN produced a special “global town hall” Thursday, March 5, 2020 focused on providing facts about the growing coronavirus outbreaks.

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The special originated from Studio 19X in the network’s Hudson Yards NYC headquarters, a multipurpose space that has played host to other town halls produced by the network.

19X was designed as a flexible studio that can accomodate a studio audience.

The space has a circular riser with integrated floor video panels as well as movable video wall segments that can be configured in a variety of arrangements along with wild video panel columns, internally lit ceiling elements a variety of seating options for hosts.

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For the coronavirus panel, CNN started with hosts Anderson Cooper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta standing on the circular riser with a wide swath of video wall directly behind them displaying a gray and red world map design with the show’s “Coronavirus: Facts and Fears” logo above.

Other LED segments were used to display topical photographs, social media feeds and, when remote guests were brought in, live feeds of them that Cooper and Gupta could turn toward and, when shot wide, give the appearance of a “face to face” conversation.

For the town hall, CNN also added red splashes of light and turned the integrated LED reveal lines red to match.