Interactive newscast, weather center part of Express’ recent work

The Express Group’s design team creates eye-catching scenic solutions that make cost-effective use of a station’s budget.

The firm created a unique new set for WYOU-TV, the CBS affiliate in Scranton, Pa. to coincide with the station’s new interactive newscast format. The set includes a large interview-style area furnished with armchairs and a coffee table framed by a printed graphical background. Furniture can be quickly and easily rearranged to accommodate one or multiple guests who respond to viewers’ telephone and e-mail questions and comments. Wood paneling a dramatically lit structural column complete the look.

News headlines are delivered from a standing position behind an architect-style drawing board. A DLP monitor behind the table displays topical graphics and video. This area of the set is finished by modern accent lights.

Additional DLP monitors in the weather center provide more graphic and video display opportunities, while the area’s printed wall graphic is a cost-effective way to emulate the look of a high-cost monitor wall.

Meanwhile, at Phoenix’s ABC affiliate KNXV-TV, the Express Group created a large weather center that combines the traditional look of warm stonework with contemporary colors, surfaces and textures and highlighted with large format monitors. This set gives the station plenty of space for both preparing and presenting the latest weather news of the day, maximizing studio space.

Express Group’s work has also popped up in HD. Though installed before HD newscasts began, Las Vegas’ KLAS-TV has been using its Express Group-designed set for its high def news programming. The multiple-venue set includes wide spans of cityscape duras, warm woods and LCD arrays accented with textural lighting effects.