CBS News and Stations have been actively introducing augmented reality and virtual technology across their group of owned stations, with KCNC joining the initiative in September 2023 following the summer debut of a new studio. This follows the implementation of similar technology at KPIX in San Francisco and KYW in Philadelphia, as well as the national program “CBS News 24/7,” launched in summer 2024.
NewscastStudio exclusively reported on the rollout in September 2023, where Jennifer Mitchell, president of CBS Television Stations, predicted an expansion of this technology throughout the group. She stated, “As we make decisions about building out new sets, about design, we are absolutely thinking about virtual versus a hundred percent hardscape. We can learn from that [KPIX] team and scale when the time is right.”
Technologically, the virtual environments are powered by Zero Density’s Reality solution, utilizing rendering from the Unreal Engine and integrating with Chyron Prime. At KCNC, the technology is currently being utilized for First Alert Weather broadcasts.
“There was great collaboration between CBS Colorado and CBS News and Stations,” said Eric Buckland, engineering manager at KCNC, highlighting their commitment to making this technology a reality in local markets with CBS-owned stations. KCNC emphasizes that the virtual studio is part of the First Alert Weather Center, complementing existing features such as First Alert Weather Trackers and the First Alert Weather Deck, which includes a snow board, wind meter, and rain gauge.