NewsNation blends projection mapping, LED video panels for Alabama debate

NewsNation hosted the fourth Republican primary debate for the 2024 election cycle live from the Frank Moody Music Building at the University of Alabama, using a stage that leveraged an array of LED panels and projection to envelop the concert hall in political and NewsNation branding.

The Dec. 6, 2023, debate was broadcast from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, which is home to the university known for its “Roll Tide” rally cry.

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The network set up three distinct venues: An outdoor venue used for pre- and post-debate analysis, a “spin room” position in the media center and the actual debate stage itself.

Inside the Moody building’s concert hall, the network brought in a curved LED video wall to wrap around the performance dais under the room’s striking Holtkamp organ.

Working with Z Space Creative, NewsNation also brought in seven LED towers for above the curved array, a format that ties into the highly vertical lines in organ pipes and structural supports on either side of the space.

The design features four lecterns for the qualifying candidates and a moderator desk with LED front and back- and edge-lit accents that were shifted red, white and blue for the occasion.

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That same color scheme was also used for uplighting various parts of the concert hall’s structure as well as the organ pipes, with lighting design from The Lighting Design Group’s Dennis Size.

NewsNation also leveraged projection mapping technology to add bright blue branding to the unique, curved fronts of the box-like balcony areas on either side of the auditorium. These included a mix of the NewsNation and debate logo along with its “News for all America” tagline. Animated American flag looks were also used.

The video wall installed behind the candidates displayed a blue background with repeating NewsNation logo, though it came across as surprisingly faint on camera.

A red ribbon about midway up the wall sporting a scrolling NewsNation and GOP elephant icon on repeat, though this mainly appeared in wide shots or when a single candidate leaned down on the lectern slightly.

The LED towers above featured patriotic American flag themed graphics, a look that was carried through to the on-screen graphics the network used.

These had a somewhat unique layout with the stacked NewsNation logo in the middle, dividing the word “Republican” and “Primary Debate” in half. On the far end of the light gray bar were hints of a rippling flag.

Perched above the blue box used for the logo, which periodically animated to the “NN” version, was a live bug along with four small star accents.

The network’s outdoor venue included a larger desk fronted with seamless LED and framed out by elements in the network’s trademark bracket shape, set up with a view of the campus’ Denny Chimes carillon tower in the distance. 

For analysis coverage outside of the debate itself, the NewsNation logo appeared as a bug in the lower left about the current time along with a stars-and-striped theme banner. The lower right featured a rotating selection of elements, including the NewsNation Decision Desk 24 co-branding, though the Decision Desk logo was not featured within the debate itself.

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NewsNation also had a setup inside the media center that it dubbed the “spin room,” a common configuration in debates and other high-profile political events.

This space featured a sea of monitors, presumably to provide journalists with a live feed of the debate but that could also be fed with the NewsNation debate logo.

Step-and-repeat style backgrounds feature alternating NewsNation, GOP, “The Megyn Kelly Show” and The Washington Free Beacon logos. The latter two outlets contributed moderators to the event, including former Fox star turned SiruisXM broadcaster Megyn Kelly herself and WFB editor-in-chief Eliana Johnson. NewsNation anchor Elizabeth Vargas rounded out the all-female panel. 

The “Kelly” and WFB logos also appeared on the far left and right of the on-stage LED video towers. 

Main photo courtesy of NewsNation.