Chris Cuomo lands at new home with bold look

By Michael P. Hill October 4, 2022

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NewsNation debuted its latest new program, “Cuomo,” Oct. 3, 2022, featuring a bold take on the network’s existing look as well as a broader look at the network’s New York City studio.

As previously reported, the “Cuomo” logo features those five letters set in a sans serif font that appears to be close to Franklin Gothic or a similar typeface inside of two brackets, a common graphical motif for NewsNation and one that’s found in its primary logo and alluded to on its sets.

“Cuomo” is the latest in a series of NewsNation shows that drop the Proxima typeface found in the network logotype and insert graphics in favor of another typeface; “Banfield” uses a script font while “On Balance” and “Dan Abrams Live” use what appear to be slightly different condensed sans serifs. The now-canceled “Donlon Report” used what appeared to be Futura.

“Cuomo,” which is anchored by former CNN host Chris Cuomo, uses a bold black, red and white color palette.

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Elements from the show’s original graphics package are incorporated as well, including the use of staggered rectangular bands, diagonal hash marks, brackets and microtext.

Oversized versions of the letter “C” are used in the backgrounds as both a frame-like element in the open as well as suggested by offset and animated circles, an element that is used in much of the network’s morning newscasts.

The letter is also used — stylized as “[C]” — as an alternate logo and appears in the bug box in the lower right of the screen as well as other locations.

“Cuomo” also includes glitch-inspired animations combined with monochromatic photography and repeating text.

“Cuomo” is produced from Nexstar’s New York City studios that are co-located inside of WPIX, the station it acquired, along with WGN America (the network now known as NewsNation), when it bought Tribune’s broadcast assets in 2019.

“Dan Abrams Live” has been using part of the space for some time now, primarily a corner where two seamless LED video walls intersect. 

“Cuomo,” meanwhile, showcased additional parts of the space, including an additional seamless LED element suspended from the ceiling. 

This panel displayed both branded and topical graphics behind Cuomo. The show alternatively could use a one-shot of Cuomo against the corner LED walls, which used looser framing than a typical head-and-shoulders shot, capturing Cuomo at his standing-height desk.

In these shots, Cuomo was depicted in front of a multicolored cityscape with a repeating logo animation running along the bottom.

Wide views of the studio were also added in, including handheld camera shots that revealed an additional corner of the space featuring vertical metallic and glass accents, the latter of which are in the shape of upside-down “L”s. This corner also featured backlit walls and an additional video panel.

Because “Abrams” and “Cuomo” air back-to-back from the same space, the show have an in-studio handoff between each other, with Abrams moving into the corner at his sit-down desk.

To facilitate the transition, Cuomo moved to a standing position camera right of the suspended video array for his final block, a setup that included a tighter shot that incorporated the separate video panel and wall. 

The new studio, which is located inside the same facility as Nexstar’s other New York City operations, includes low ceilings which means that various lighting instruments hang down into the portions of the studio that appear on air, though the network appears to have embraced this as part of the look and does not attempt to hide them from viewers, especially in the wider shots during “Cuomo.”

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“Cuomo,” like much of NewsNation’s other primetime programming, does not use the network’s primary custom news music package but instead uses a custom theme composed by Stephen Arnold Music featuring a heavy beat mixed with guitar.

Cuomo was fired in CNN in late 2021 after it was revealed he allegedly provided crisis management advice to his brother, then-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, following sexual misconduct allegations brought against him. Andrew Cuomo denied any wrongdoing and Chris Cuomo defended his actions by saying he would always defend his family.

The departure was part of a larger upset at CNN that also lead to the resignations of CEO Jeff Zucker and marketing executive Allison Gollust after it was revealed the two had a consensual relationship but failed to disclose it as required by company policy.

CNN, meanwhile, has since installed new leadership and recently announced a plan to fill Cuomo’s former 9 p.m. eastern slot through the 2022 election period. It had been featuring guest anchors under the generic “CNN Tonight” banner.

Cuomo has a $125 million wrongful termination suit against CNN pending.

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