As KTLA Celebrates its 75th birthday, A new news set was builded.
The new studio is bright and feels much more bright. It's also distinctively SoCal. “We wanted a set that would better reflect Southern California,” explained Scott Altus, director of Creative Services at KTLA 5. “We wanted to give you the best possible environment to continue telling these great stories in a dynamic way,” explained Altus. The planning started in 2021, because the station owned by Nexstar wanted it to be a part of the celebration of it's 75th birthday. The new studio is one of the most high-tech news sets in Los Angeles, thanks to innovative screens and adaptive lighting that’s a big part of the set. The KTLA set was once part of the sound stage used for Warner Bros’ originals. The parent company Nexstar gave them the freedom to create the new set, And who did they choose to design the new set? It was created by local designer Jeff Hall of the JHD Group. Newscasts were moved to a smaller, temporary space while construction took place for about two months. “What we’re doing is triangle conversations… cameras can cross shoot into one area, have another conversation with somebody, open it up,” said Hall. The sweeping backdrop is made up of dozens of 86 inch high-def screens which show SoCal scenes. A giant pillar behind the desk adapts to the news, while a living wall connects the outdoors to the inside – complete with a walkway to get there. One big change: a giant weather wall is now an actual video screen. No more green screen necessary. There’s also a living room, sliding doors, and lots of places for anchors and reporters to stand. “A news set isn’t the be all and end all of a newscast, but it is a place that we call home… KTLA 5 News deserves the best and we’re doing our best to give it to you,” concluded Altus. The old set is getting a new home, pieces and parts of the old set were donated to local schools with TV Broadcast programs.
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