WNBC-TV’s former news studio in Rockefeller Center, 6B, will now play host to Jimmy Fallon’s new show debuting in March.
WNBC moved to a new studio upstairs last November as part of the station’s transformation to a local information hub that will support the upcoming 24 hour cable news channel as well as NBC 4 New York News and NBCNewYork.com.
Studio 6B, shown at right, was used for WNBC’s 6, 7 and 11 p.m. newscasts and featured a huge rear projection screen that, when it was installed, was quite innovative. Panoram Technologies, the company behind it, has an interesting case study on its Web site.
Unfortunately, WNBC never made very good use of this impressive - and no doubt expensive - feature of the studio. The vast majority of the time only a loop of the New York City skyline was projected onto the screen, making one wonder why a dura wasn’t a better (and cheaper) option.
It’s also interesting to note that WNBC maintained another set (with dura backgrounds) for its other shows. It really never made a whole lot of sense to have two sets, especially when one was equipped with the ability to instantly change backgrounds.
Unfortunately, we’re betting the RP screen in studio 6B is heading to the digital graveyard, though it would be nice to see NBC, which is facing financial challenges, find a way to reuse such an expensive feature on Fallon’s new set.
Studio 6B was used for all of WNBCs Newscast… It’s just there were three sets, one with the rear projection which was used which seemed like only at 11. There was the New York Nightly News set, and then the set used for Live at 5 and Today in New York with the backdrop.
I also feel that the projection screen was great, especially seeing a newscast and watching it change behind the anchors was very cool.
I feel that they’ve really taken a step down with their new studio….. it just doesn’t feel the same.
Well, I don’t know why you are criticizing them. I think having a backdrop that actually moves is better than a duratran. It served a purpose, to create the illusion of a window. It would have ruined it if there was anything else on the screen. It’s not as if they didn’t have a standup RP area, an interview area, and OTSs…