‘CBS Evening News’ flips back to using LED volume as primary set

The “CBS Evening News” has switched back to using the large LED volume originally installed for the previous iteration of the broadcast.

The broadcast moved back to the volume in Studio 47 March 16, 2026.

It had been broadcasting from the same studio but with the anchor desk essentially flipped around so that the adjoining newsroom served as the background since the revamped broadcast debuted in January 2026.

Like the version of “Evening News” that debuted in January 2025 with John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois at the anchor desk, Tony Dokuopil sits in front of a series of virtual set extensions that form essentially all of the scenic elements in the space.

The Dickerson-DuBois era used a similar setup, including, like the current version, a real anchor desk. Dokoupil appears to have switched to using a curved glass-topped desk instead of the smaller one used in front of the newsroom.

The new VSEs create the illusion of a physical space behind Dokoupil that features a large camera center background with alcoves tucked behind it on both the camera right and camera left sides. 

That virtual center wall is framed with two strong vertical structures fronted with vertical blue panels sporting the broadcast logo.

Meanwhile, the camera right wall features a New York City skyline view, a simulated video wall and CBS eye logo panel. Smaller versions of this view also appear in the alcove areas.

The New York City skyline can is positioned to serve as a background behind in-studio guests but can also become a simulated video wall for video or graphics. 

On the opposite side, there is a large panel with the CBS eye logo and simulated video panels, including a vertical screen.

Similar looks are used, sometimes with an augmented reality video panel made to appear as if it’s sitting on the floor, in both VO shots and tosses to correspondents, the latter of whom are typically shown in the vertical segment.

Primary background

The default one-shot background is a blue-tinted night view world map accented with the lights of major metropolitan areas, similar to looks used in the second version of “Evening” under Norah O’Donnell introduced in 2022 and on the network’s FAST streamer.

Dokoupil typically appears centered in front of this background at the top of each read, including the start of the broadcast, before the camera makes a quick adjustment and a slightly blurry topical OTS graphic with headline beneath appears on the simulated video wall camera right.

These graphics get a blue wash that largely obscures most of the map with the exception of far camera left, creating a simple and clean look that echoes other elements of the broadcast’s on-air look, including the tease headlines.

The on-camera adjust and animated entrance of the topical graphic also have similarities to shooting approaches used during both versions of O’Donnell’s days at the desk, though the transition between the map background and story-specific look feels slightly more jarring and has decidedly less refinement.

Above this portion of the VSE is a simulated header element with the “CBS Evening News with Tony Dokoupil” wordmark spelled out with TT Norms used for “CBS” and the classic Didot for the remaining text.

Other LED volume designs

For special segments, “Evening” can remove the VSEs completely in favor of a more topical look, such as those used for coverage of Iran and a segment on trading irregularities shown in the NCS supercut.

These looks can optionally be accented with an AR screen and also showcase the LED video tiles that make up the floor.