WRAL News set merges award-winning storytelling with modern LED technology
WRAL’s new state of the art set debuted on October 31, 2019, at noon.
WRAL-TV and WRAZ/FOX 50, part of Capitol Broadcasting Company, launched a new set on October 31st starting with their Noon Newscast. The new set will house what is believed to be the largest local news LED installation in the country. Not one, but two, LED screen arrays will help the WRAL News and Weather teams present everything from breaking news to severe weather in a bigger, bolder way.
“News viewers today expect the anchors to be so much more than readers. They need to be explainers,” said Joel Davis, WRAL-TV/FOX 50 Vice President and General Manager. “This set will provide new ways to visually tell and explain stories. We wanted our anchors to have every option and opportunity to do this with a bold and energetic presentation. The new set contemporizes our look, but more importantly, allows us to give our viewers a better experience. WRAL has long been the market leading news source, but this will allow our team to take it to a new level.”
WRAL News Director, Rick Gall, spoke on how storytelling in the newsroom will be boosted to the next level. “We’ll now be able to showcase our news coverage in a wide variety of dynamic ways. The new set will enable us to better inform, explain, illustrate, and highlight the essence of the stories we’re reporting. We couldn’t be more excited about the possibilities ahead.”
With the launch of this new, state of the art set, WRAL’s newscasts will now be shot with 4K HDR technology, another market first for WRAL. The station is well-known within the industry as an innovative local news company, often “first to air” with new or emerging technologies. WRAL was the first television station in North Carolina with a news helicopter, the first in North Carolina with a satellite truck, the first in North Carolina with a Web site and aired the first commercial High Definition television broadcast in the United States.
WRAL Meteorologist Kat Campbell using the new 20′ x 11′ LED storytelling wall during severe weather coverage on October 31, 2019.
WRAL partnered with FX Design Group, industry leaders in set design and tech, to ensure that the new WRAL News set would enhance the outstanding journalism produced by the WRAL news team each day. “It’s exciting to once again collaborate with the innovative team at Capitol Broadcasting and WRAL-TV. Their drive to be pioneers in the delivery of television news allows us to bring the latest in scenic and lighting technology to their designs,” said Mack McLaughlin, FX Design Group Creative Director. “Our latest design is loaded with LED technology from the 20′ wide x 11′ high LED storytelling wall, to the LED color changing walls and LED studio lighting. Not only is this a design for the storytelling future, it is also environmentally friendly with lower electrical consumption and less waste from fluorescent and tungsten lamp replacements.”
Capitol Broadcasting Company COO Jimmy Goodmon sees the investment in this new set as an investment in serving the community. “Since we signed on the air in 1956, it has been our highest duty to serve and inform the public. We know our community expects the best from the WRAL News team and we take that trust seriously. The new set allows us to bring a fresh new experience to our viewers that not only makes us proud but is something that we hope makes our viewers proud to be part of the WRAL family, too. The community is at the heart of every decision we make, including this new space.”
Brian Shrader gives you a preview of the new WRAL News set on October 30th in the 5:30pm news.
Thanks to WRAL-TV for this capcom story & for these capcom photos.
