Many areas of the country are headed into the snowy season and winter weather coverage is always a great wall to lure viewers.

There’s no better way to enhance your weather coverage than to report weather from outside, but you can consider taking your coverage beyond just live shots by assembling an outdoor weather studio.

Your outdoor weather studio can even be equipped with a chroma key wall. One option is to add a key wall against an outdoor wall of the station, or you can have a smaller, freestanding sign-like key wall built (just make sure it’s weighted down).

Even if you’re limited to how big the key wall can be, this can still be an effective solution since a smaller key wall, framed along with your talent, will allow the weather conditions to be visible on-air.

If your building’s design allows it, you may be able to shoot through an open or closed window, protecting your camera and monitor for on-air talent to reference while using the key wall. If this isn’t possible, a live truck or other vehicle can be used as a shelter.

Several stations around the country have gone to length of establishing permanent outdoor weather studios, including WNEP-TV in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Pa., which calls its “The Backyard.”

Says WNEP: “The reason the Meteorologists go outside is simple: that’s where the weather is happening! When it’s raining, they carry an umbrella. When it’s cold they wear a heavy coat, just as you would.”

NewscastTip is a weekly column with tips for your newscasts. The column is available every Friday in our e-mail newsletter and posted here the following Wednesday. Sign up for the newsletter to get it delivered directly to your in box every week.

Michael P. Hill is founder and publisher of NewscastStudio. Contact him with your own tips and feedback.