Chicago CBS launches new brand showing its ‘love’ for the Windy City

Along with debuting an overhauled version of its windowed streetside studio, CBS News Chicago has launched a major update to its branding.

CBS News Chicago revitalizes its corner of the city with studio overhaul

“There was an evolutionary conversation, and when we landed there, everybody was immediately like ‘For the Love of Chicago’ — that’s it,” said Jennifer Lyons, president and general manager of CBS-owned WBBM.

CBS News Chicago revitalizes its corner of the city with studio overhaul

The station worked with both a third party and its internal resources on the rebranding strategy. It conducted research via viewer focus groups and discussions with internal teams, and ideas shifted naturally during these talks, which Lyons participated in.

Ultimately, the new brand concisely conveys the message of pride in the local market that drives the station and its local news operation.

“Our newsroom works hard for the City of Chicago,” said Lyons. “We love the Chicago area. We work hard for the community that we serve, and this is just an extension of the brand that already existed,” Lyons added. 

In addition to the new branding, WBBM also brought the distinctive six-pointed red stars from the city flag into its graphics package, based on a design created for all CBS-owned stations.

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The package typically tucks the stars under the logo, and so far, the new look has popped on everywhere, from the curved LED ribbon on the front of the anchor desk to the newscast opens and bug.

Despite migrating all of its owned stations to the same foundational look, CBS News and Station executives still made it a point to collaborate with local management to ensure each station could iterate to best reach its viewers.

“I can’t tell you what a great team to work for CBS is,” praised Lyons. “They understand each market is different, and the local market is super important to each station’s brand.”

Other examples of this are shifting the package to black and gold at KDKA in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and the new logo and distinctive teal shade at KYW in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. CBS has also allowed local stations to keep key parts of their legacy looks alongside the updated “CBS News (City or Region Name)” branding.

CBS Chicago’s update was perhaps a bit more subtle, but it also appears to be the first station in the group to add a new, non-logo graphical element to the package.

WBBM also launched a new image campaign tied into its new branding. The campaign is designed to showcase its dedication to the city and its viewers. It relies heavily on footage captured throughout the city using easy-to-recognize elements such as the famous ‘L’ cars.

There are also talent-centric spots showing the station’s news team in everyday outfits out and about the city.

A variation features talent taking advantage of local landmarks and natural resources to pursue their hobbies and interests.