KCAL News switches to virtual set for 10 a.m. newscast

KCAL, the independent arm of the CBS-owned duopoly in Los Angeles, presented its 10 a.m. newscast Aug. 11, 2025, entirely from its extended reality studio.

The shift, which morning anchor Chris Holmstrom promoted on social media as the first newscast in the market to be produced using its virtual set, will see the station leverage an existing studio it debuted in June 2025.

“It’s bold. It’s fresh. It’s never been done here before,” Holmstrom continued.

CBS-owned stations across the country have been in the process of installing the large virtual studio facilities, which typically include a chroma key volume accompanied by an array of specialized camera and tracking systems that make the TV magic happen.

In Los Angeles, the same news department produces news for both KCBS and KCAL, though both stations have branded on-air as “KCAL News” going back to early 2023. The CBS News Los Angeles name is used as well.

Before switching to using the 10 a.m. newscast from the space, the station had mainly used the space for weather and sports, using a similar arrangement to many of its sister stations.

At the network, CBS News 24/7 has used a virtual studio, produced from a similar studio it shares with New York’s WCBS, for its whip-around newscast “CBS News 24/7 Primetime.” The studio also makes appearances on “CBS Evening News.”

“Evening” originates from an LED volume in Studio 47 at the network’s New York headquarters, which itself uses virtual set extensions to create a structural look on-air. 

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CBS News has long produced “60 Minutes” using chroma key technology, albeit on a much smaller scale. “CBS News Sunday Morning” has also produced anchor intros from in front of a key wall, using a mix of 3D renderings and photographs of its real set.

Meanwhile, sister station KTVT in Dallas–Ft. Worth, Texas, produces most of its news content from its version of the green screen space, though it still maintains a small hard set that’s used on air. 

It’s not clear if KCAL News will begin to produce other newscasts from the virtual studio or perhaps eventually move to using it as its primary format at some point.

So far, CBS News and Stations has been actively building up a network of full AR and VR studios across the country faster and more extensively than any other station group, though there are others with similar setups.