In Week 3 of the 2025 NFL season, CBS Sports celebrated the 50th anniversary of its flagship program, “The NFL Today,” by transporting viewers back in time with a virtual retro-style set. This unique broadcast was filmed at the CBS Broadcast Center and incorporated design elements from the show’s early years, spanning from its debut in 1975 to 1980. J.P. LoMonaco, vice president of design for CBS Sports, explained to NCS that the aim was to recreate the nostalgic feel of the show’s original sets.
The virtual set, powered by Zero Density, featured a digital recreation of the on-screen information displays used in the early days of television. These displays, resembling old stadium scoreboards, used cutouts and slide-out panels to dynamically update team names and data. Frequently used elements were directly applied to the board's surface.
Adding to the nostalgic atmosphere, Brent Musburger, a co-host of “NFL Today” from 1975 to 1990, joined the current hosts and analysts James Brown, Bill Cowher, Nate Burleson, and Matt Ryan for the special anniversary show on Sept. 21, 2025.
The opening segment featured a vintage clip of a Jeep traversing rugged terrain, a nod to the show’s current sponsor, seamlessly blending past and present. The broadcast also included retro graphics and the original theme music, further enhancing the throwback experience. LoMonaco's team meticulously recreated the animated and insert graphics, drawing inspiration from the late 1970s aesthetics. While the rebuilds were in a modern 16:9 aspect ratio and broadcast in high definition, special “filters” were applied to achieve the desired vintage look.
Even the opening sequence was recreated, with names updated to reflect the current on-air talent and a “featuring” credit for Musburger. To complete the retro package, CBS also produced a production card in the classic style.