PIX11 moves onto new set with hints of NYC, packed with tech

Nexstar’s WPIX debuted a large new set that plays homage to New York City in subtle ways.

New PIX 11 graphics draw inspiration from angular logo

The new set is part of an overhaul of the station’s editorial and production facilities on the second floor of its 220 East 42nd Street building. Other updates include a new newsroom, control room and new graphics.

The new set, from FX Design Group, plays into the station’s “New York’s Very Own” tagline (adapted from sister station WGN’s longtime “Chicago’s Very Own” slogan), with nods to notable parts of the city ranging from below ground to soaring skyscrapers.

References to New York subway stations’ historic mosaics and tile work appear in various places throughout the space, typically as more of an accent, while strong backlit verticals outline the set’s structure while also drawing the eye upward, much like many of the towering buildings throughout the city.

One expanse uses 26 Phillips 65-inch LCD panels to create tbe illusion of floor-to-ceiling windows that can be filled with cityscapes and other looks.

In the center of this is a tower of 1.8mm seamless LED panels from Neoti, creating a separate graphical canvas directly behind the anchor two-shot in this position.

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This unit can be used to show another view of the city or topical or branded graphics.

The main anchor desk features a curved center fronted with 1.6mm curved Neoti panels and two small movable segments with vertical banding that can breakaway from the desk to be used as standalone lecterns.

The set is full of flexibility that allows the station to produce a variety of segments, ranging from hard news to lifestyle, as part of its heavily locally-produced programming schedule. Options include demonstration desks, a curved sofa or bar-style stools.

There are also numerous 1.5mm Neoti seamless panels used to create additional video wall venues throughout the space, including one in the middle of the weather center.

Forecasters can present from a long desk positioned in front of the video wall or, after the camera zooms in and booms up, step closer to the LED array to present the forecast in a more traditional style with the blocking showing nothing but the LED and graphics on it.

Despite looking like a traditional green screen setup, this shot is actually done in front of a seamless video wall in the center of the weather space.

Above the weather center is a 20-foot Neoti LED ticker that can be used to showcase current conditions from around the region in wide shots. Meanwhile, a backlit header element wraps around much of the set at the same level as the LED ribbon, reinforcing the structural outline of the space. 

The weather area also includes a column clad in LED panels that can be used to display, among other elements, vertical imagery such as the State of Liberty or Empire State Building.

Tucked off to one side of the weather presentation space is a workspace for forecasters, which includes multiple horizontal video walls and glass wall separating from the rest of the studio.

Additional technology includes a 98-inch Planar QE9850T touchscreen that can be used for traffic, both in standup-style or directly from camera left of the anchor desk’s primary position plus 49-inch and 86-inch eye candy panels, all of which were integrated by Digital Video Group.

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WPIX-TV

Overall, the new set is a significant update for PIX11, which had been using a rather small set that had been refreshed and tweaked numerous times over the years.

A TvOne Corio Master Scaler is used to handle the multipurpose video wall, allowing the station to showcase multiple content feeds and graphics.

Updated lighting from The Lighting Design Group completes the look, while camera robotics from Ross Video and CueScript teleprompters were also used in the new space.