Toned down version of ‘The Desk’ comes to revamped Texas morning news

KTVT, the CBS-owned station in Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas, relaunched its morning newscast June 8, 2024, with a toned-down version of the on-air assignment desk that one of its sister stations pioneered.

KCBS adopts ‘KCAL News’ as its new news branding

The station is drawing on the concept of “The Desk” first introduced at sister stations KCBS–KCAL in Los Angeles. 

For the launch, the station opted to set newcomer Ashley Moss (who shares a name with a CBS Sports broadcaster) up with a single camera amidst cubicles that appear mostly empty or unoccupied, at least during the morning news.

One of the frosted privacy panels that are part of the configuration appears to have been removed to allow a simulated wood slatted wall graphic to show up on camera off to one side.

Moss herself has both a laptop and larger monitor at her disposal at the actual on-camera position (KCBS-KCAL’s in-studio desk includes two workstations with multiple monitors).

The setup itself is not in the main studio as it is at KCBS-KCAL, so any interaction between Moss and the anchors can’t be face-to-face.

That said, there’s nothing that says “The Desk” has to be in the studio or be decked out with custom furnishings and scenery, though both of these factors certainly add a dynamic element to newscasts and could make all talent feel more like a team.

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That said, the station created its version of “The Desk” in a position that appears to be relatively sparse. Of course, there may be logistical reasons that prevented the station from having more flexibility on where it could add another semi-permanent live shot location.

The station did install the slatted background element — which could suggest that it will eventually get more of that look elsewhere.

While there’s been no public announcements on the status of the KTVT studio, it’s possible the station could eventually get a new set with in-studio setup for “The Desk” should the concept prove successful in the market. 

If having people behind Moss wasn’t desirable to keep the look simple, the shot perhaps could have been livened up with some additional monitors showing multiplexed feed views or even just static station or “The Desk” logos and branding on desktops. 

‘The Desk’ at KCBS-KCAL with custom-built desks and workstations and video wall background. 

The KCBS-KCAL in-studio “Desk” has a much sleeker on-air look thanks to the custom desks and seamless video wall installed behind it, which are both part of the overall studio redo. 

KTVT did not replace its current set as part of its morning news relaunch (though background panels have images been updated over the years) like KCBS-KCAL, KCNC in Denver or WBBM in Chicago.

So far, both the Los Angeles duopoly, which began branding as “KCAL News Los Angeles” in 2023, and the network’s stations in Denver and Chicago have both gotten new sets featuring slatted design elements, neither of the latter two use “The Desk” concept.

Other CBS-owned stations are also working on overhauled morning newscasts, though it’s not clear which ones might incorporate “The Desk” concept or get new sets.

As part of its launch, KTVT invited select viewers who took its morning newscast survey into the studio during the premiere. The station says the audience will not be a permanent fixture of the broadcast.

Meanwhile, Meagan Harris, the station’s vice president of news and creative content, also outlined other changes to the morning newscast in a LinkedIn post:

• Good News Unit: Based on survey feedback, viewers wanted to see more positive news vibes during the morning, so the station has created a team of people at the station who “actively look for good news” and each day features a segment.
• Education beat: Harris noted she was “surprised” to learn of interest in education news. The station has taken this information and assigned a reporter to the beat and is also exploring ways to make these types of stories more visually interesting. The beat is still ramping up but the station hopes to have it ready closer to the start of school in 2024.
• I-Team: Previously, investigative stories typically aired during the station’s evening broadcasts, but the survey indicated viewers wanted to see more of this in the morning, so the station is running more of this type of content during these hours.
• 7-Day: Also in response to viewer feedback, the station will now feature the 7-day board in every weather hit, rather than saving it for select ones. It has also taken note that viewers notice that forecasters frequently block the full graphic from being seen.
• Entertainment news: Despite many viewers indicating morning news should be an “essentials only,” many of these some respondents also ranked entertainment news high. “We created a short but fun segment with a wheel. Each day our team of producers and anchors pick a few entertainment stories. We put them in a virtual wheel and spin it live on-air. It adds some unpredictability and gives anchors a chance to have some fun,” Harris wrote.