KCAL, the independent arm of the CBS-owned duopoly in Los Angeles, made a significant leap in television production. On August 11, 2025, they presented their 10 a.m. newscast entirely from their new extended reality studio. Morning anchor Chris Holmstrom announced this milestone on social media, highlighting it as the first such newscast in the Los Angeles market produced using a virtual set. “It’s bold. It’s fresh. It’s never been done here before,” Holmstrom stated.
This innovative shift utilizes an existing studio debuted in June 2025. The studio, a typical chroma key volume, is equipped with advanced camera and tracking systems. In Los Angeles, the same news department produces news for both KCBS and KCAL, branded on-air as “KCAL News” since early 2023. The "CBS News Los Angeles" name is also used. Before this transition, the studio primarily handled weather and sports segments, mirroring practices at other CBS stations.
CBS News is actively expanding its use of virtual studios. CBS News 24/7, for example, uses a virtual studio shared with New York’s WCBS for its “CBS News 24/7 Primetime” whip-around newscast and segments on “CBS Evening News.” The “CBS Evening News” originates from an LED volume in Studio 47 at the network’s New York headquarters, using virtual set extensions. CBS News has a history with chroma key technology, notably in productions like “60 Minutes” and anchor intros for “CBS News Sunday Morning.” KTVT in Dallas–Ft. Worth also utilizes a green screen space for most news content, retaining a smaller physical set.
While KCAL’s future use of the virtual studio is uncertain, CBS News and Stations are aggressively building a nationwide network of augmented and virtual reality studios—a faster and broader expansion than any other station group, although others possess similar setups.