Raleigh station debuts updated downtown studio

WTVD, the ABC O&O that serves Raleigh and Durham, North Carolina, has transformed its downtown Raleigh bureau newsroom into a combined broadcast studio and workspace.

The station uses the windowed space, which sits on the first floor of a building on Fayetteville Street in downtown Raleigh, for its morning and noon newscasts, while other broadcasts continue to originate from the station’s studios in Durham.

Designed by FX Design Group, the Raleigh studio and newsroom uses a bright and airy look that creates a flexible environment for both work and broadcasting.

Rendering of the anchor desk and video wall. Courtesy of FX Design Group.

As is common with streetside studios, structural columns created challenges in the design — in this case, one of the most prominent ones in the suite was “hidden” using a vertical video panel, while the other is cleverly tucked behind an angled freestanding video wall. 

A curved, mobile anchor desk can be positioned in multiple locations throughout the studio space, taking advantage of a variety of backgrounds — including two separate video walls, the vertical column panel, a working newsroom background or a divider wall. 

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The newsroom space itself is blended with the rest of the look thanks to diagonal lighting effects, internally lit ceiling mounted towers, backlit panels and a logo gobo, in addition to the elements expected with a working newsroom, including glowing computer and television screens, desks, and staffers moving around.

In addition, a working weather center backs up against a wall of windows, giving forecasters an easy way to see real-time weather conditions. Additional frosted glass panels with angles and city names are placed in front of some of these windows to add depth and texture and create a slightly enclosed workspace. 

The weather area has its own curved presentation pod and workstation.

The space also includes a more casual interview area behind a wall with additional glass panels, with whitewashed faux brick walls, a video panel and station branding.