Edgy, modern sets forte at Blyth

nabpreviewicon.jpg Blyth Design is a small firm that creates sets with big impact.

With a portfolio stocked with work for Fox, Blyth’s style is hallmarked by liberal use of metals, backlit surfaces and bold shapes.

Blyth sets can be found at almost every major Fox O&O station in the county, as well as News Corporation’s flagship Fox News Channel. Though there are slight variations from station to station, the standard Fox O&O set features a trapezoid-shaped duratran opening behind the anchor desk, blurred monitor walls, thick beveled columns and curved tri-plasma arrays.
The modern look is complemented with light wood paneling and dimensional logos for a more traditional look. Together, these elements combine to create a high-energy, bold look for the fast-paced style that Fox stations are known for.

In addition to Fox, Blyth also created the old NBC WeatherPlus set at MSNBC’s now-closed studio in Secaucus, New Jersey. Also in New Jersey, Blyth engineered the two-person anchor desk MSNBC installed to replace the original one-person setup. Incorporating sharp metal surfaces and a sleek black desk surface, the desk’s backlit front was wired to instantly change color, including the fast flashing used during Keith Olbermann’s “Countdown” show.

The circular desk was designed to be used in a variety of ways, including traditional two-person anchoring and Don Imus’ now defunct radio simulcast. Anchor could be seated in multiple locations around the anchor desk, a unique configuration that was facilitated by integrating small LCD monitors into the desk’s surface that are both functional preview monitors for talent and seen behind anchors when shooting across the circle.

Different programming used different positions, and a nearby “sled” anchor desk could dock with the main set, all of this was made possible by the set’s existing rotating turntable.