Newsroom-as-set trends

Newsrooms, as regular studio backdrops, convey urgency, immediacy, authenticity and transparency.

Plus, regularly-used newsroom studio set backdrops could provide a busy and fast-paced working news environment, where news is breaking and being processed, with off-camera staff seen inside.

Multi-monitor control rooms, which are regularly used as news studio backdrops, convey technological sophistication and a sense of constant monitoring and control over information flow.

For years, many television stations have used traditional, enclosed and isolated news studio sets with backdrops that typically include world maps, skylines or news/station logos.

These traditional and isolated news sets create a sense of formality and authority.

Switching to both the newsroom and multi-monitor backdrops from isolated news studio sets provide urgency, immediacy, transparency and a behind-the-scenes feel.

Blending the newsroom and multi-monitor backdrops is something to do in an equally-dynamic way.

For Dave Garroway, his own television programs, notably Garroway at Large, Today and Wide Wide World, have developed many innovations that reshaped television.

The Merchandise Mart and the RCA Exhibition Hall are building relics.

Chicago's wholesome goods industry is the primary focus of the Merchandise Mart, whereas RCA's technology is the primary focus of the RCA Exhibition Hall, based in New York.

With television's early success, both the Merchandise Mart and the RCA Exhibition Hall also became testing grounds for Dave Garroway's innovations that abandoned television's rigid past.

Dave Garroway's relaxed style, which had its roots in radio, was adapted for television.

Plus, the first studio for Today (NBC) from the RCA Exhibition Hall served as an influence on modern broadcast design, like the newsroom and the windowed concept in downtown cores.

In its initial years, the windowed concept included in the first ever studio for Today (NBC) under Dave Garroway was the fishbowl.

Just before its expansion to a half-hour in the mid-1960's, both Douglas Edwards and Walter Cronkite delivered the main quarter-hour news on CBS Television in an isolated and enclosed studio.

Grand Central Terminal was a testing ground for CBS Television's main quarter-hour newscast.

With its expansion to 30 minutes, the CBS Evening News started using a set, which comprised a desk created in the form of a U shape, the newsroom and a world map.

Studio 33 at the CBS Broadcast Centre served as a testing ground for the Walter Cronkite-era studio set being used for the CBS Evening News until 1986, when it moved 14 studio numbers up.

The Graybar Building, adjoining Grand Central, was the testing ground for the CBS Evening News, the first half-hour evening newscast on network television.

Initially, at the Graybar newsroom, the Walter Cronkite-era studio set being used for the CBS Evening News featured a chalkboard.

But its relocation to the CBS Broadcast Centre meant that the chalkboard being included in the Walter Cronkite-era set for the CBS Evening News was replaced by a wall with teletypes.

WBBM-TV pioneered the concept to present the news regularly from the newsroom in 1973.

McClurg Court, a rink, became a television studio in the mid-1950's, but also a testing ground for the regular newsroom-as-set trend that WBBM-TV had pioneered in 1973 until the early-1990's.

Fred Harpman designed the NewsCentre for NBC, which was in the form of a control room during the Space Age, specifically the bridge of the USS Enterprise, which is used in Star Trek, in 1974.

Banks of monitors that were visible behind the anchors for the NewsCentre, designed for NBC by Fred Harpman, create a sense of being in the middle of a working, technological hub.

As one of the designs by Fred Harpman, NBC's NewsCentre, made à la space-age control room, used a more open, high-tech and futuristic look and was made to have a working newsroom feel.

NBC's NewsCentre, which Fred Harpman designed, revolutionized television news set design, moving away from traditional, isolated and enclosed news sets with the anchor desk behind the curtain.

For Fred Harpman, his NewsCentre for NBC paralleled the open area used in the first studio for Today (NBC) under Dave Garroway.

Dave Garroway was a radio disc jockey and television personality in Chicago, where he pioneered the Chicago Style for his Garroway at Large program, brought to New York through Today (NBC).

Also in Chicago, WBBM-TV pioneered the regular newsroom-as-set trend, based on the working area being used in the first studio for Today (NBC) under Dave Garroway, in 1973.

Studio 6B at 30 Rockefeller Plaza was a testing ground for Fred Harpman's NewsCentre for NBC.

In 1974, Studio 6B at 30 Rock was used for WNBC-TV's NewsCentre 4, but also for the national NBC News broadcasts when the Watergate scandal reached its climax.

Ever since its 1974 inception, elements of the NewsCentre, designed for NBC by Fred Harpman, have usually been used in the US, but also around the world.

Moving back to CBS, Studio 41, based at its Grand Central Terminal headquarters, served as a testing ground for Edward R. Murrow's innovative See It Now program.

For Edward R. Murrow's innovative See It Now program, Studio 41 broke from tradition by using the control room, which he and its director Don Hewitt devised.

Global, which began its operations in January 1974 as a regional network, with CIII-TV as its flagship station, broke from tradition by using the newsroom-as-set trend, the first of its kind in Canada.

Upon its January 1974 debut, Global borrowed elements of the Walter Cronkite-era Studio 33 set of the CBS Evening News, like a U-shaped desk a world map backdrop.

81 Barber Greene Road, a factory located in Don Mills, became a television studio in 1974, but also the testing ground for the CBS-style newsroom-as-set trend for Global.

Lasting until 1998, this newsroom-as-set trend for Global was rebuilt many times to modernize.

Also in Canada, BCTV (CHAN-TV) used the newsroom-as-set trend being synonymous with the Tony Parsons era from 1975 to October 4, 2010.

Enterprise Street, which is located in the Lake City Industrial Park, housed a purpose-built building for BCTV, and was a testing ground for its own innovative newsroom-as-set trend.

Some of the local television stations based in North America often converted existing studio spaces into testing grounds for newsroom-as-set trends, but BCTV built one from scratch.

BCTV's Enterprise Street studios, built from scratch in 1961 and officially opened in 1962, also built its newsroom-as-set trend from scratch in 1975, 13 years after its official 1962 move.

Whereas stations with converted studios as testing grounds for newsroom-as-set trends represented the past, like WBBM-TV and Global (CIII-TV), BCTV's purpose-built one represented the future.

Early adopters of this newsroom-as-set trend, like WBBM-TV and Global (CIII-TV), usually retrofitted older studio spaces.

Those conversions by WBBM-TV and Global (CIII-TV) required squeezing newsrooms into spaces not designed originally for cameras, leading to cramped, noisy or compromise-filled enviroments.

CBS was the model for the newsroom-as-set trend by both WBBM-TV and Global (CIII-TV), the latter using a set derived from the Walter Cronkite-era Graybar/Studio 33 set of the CBS Evening News.

Purpose-built adopters of the newsroom-as-set trend, such as BCTV, allowed designers to integrate the studio and newsroom from the ground up.

BCTV's specially-made newsroom-as-set trend offered better and more open-concept visuals, improved lighting, superior acoustics and a smoother flow between on-air personnel and journalists.

The newsroom-as-set trend, specially-designed for BCTV (CHAN-TV), made the news studio look less conventional and more like a high-functioning, authentic and professional newsroom.

Having been a purpose-built concept, this BCTV newsroom-as-set trend being synonymous with Tony Parsons was unique, as it mixed the newsroom backdrop with multi-monitor control rooms.

For BCTV's purpose-built newsroom set, it felt like a room with desks, but also the nerve centre of the entire British Columbia, indeed BC's command centre.

NBC was the model for Fred Harpman's NewsCentre design and the Dave Garroway-era working area being used for Today, the elements of which BCTV used in its purpose-built newsroom set.

With its newsroom-as-set trend, BCTV blended NBC (Today's Dave Garroway-era open area and Fred Harpman's NewsCentre) with CBS (WBBM-TV's regular newsroom backdrop) and autonomy.

Cameron Bell, who was formerly the news director for BCTV, was the genius behind the creation of its purpose-built newsroom-as-set trend being synonymous with the Tony Parsons era.

Ray Peters led BCTV through Cameron Bell's creation of its newsroom-as-set trend being synonymous with the Tony Parsons era.

During the Expo 86 world's fair, BCTV operated a broadcast pavilion.

As the fishbowl version of its own newsroom set, the BCTV pavilion at Expo 86 allowed the public to watch a live newsroom and control room in action through glass.

BCTV's pavilion at Expo 86 further emphasized this newsroom-as-set trend.

In the early-1990's, the BCTV newsroom-as-set trend that Cameron Bell masterminded was rebuilt by moving the news desk out of the studio, but it kept the newsroom as its main backdrop.

Since WIC was purchased by Canwest Global, BCTV (CHAN-TV) rebuilt this newsroom-as-set trend twice, firstly in September 2001.

While WBBM-TV and Global (CIII-TV) pioneered newsroom-as-set trends in both the US and Canada from converted spaces, BCTV (CHAN-TV) perfected it with its purpose-built one.

Before Roone Arledge turned around the ailing ABC News, both NBC and CBS have maintained more traditional formats in their news presentation, while not entirely plain.

Under Roone Arledge, ABC News put newsroom-as-set trends on the network news map.

During its first 30 years/3 decades, Cable News Network (CNN) had used the newsroom as its primary studio backdrop from its two primary headquarters in Atlanta.

Just before CNN's June 1980 debut, co-founders Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld were trying to find a model for the newsroom-as-set trend.

BCTV (CHAN-TV), which used its newsroom-as-set trend at its purpose-built studios during the Tony Parsons era, was the closest model to the vision of CNN's Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld.

Cameron Bell, supported by Ray Peters, masterminded the creation of the newsroom-as-set trend being purpose-built for BCTV during the Tony Parsons era, which was the basis for CNN's.

Using the Tony Parsons-era BCTV (CHAN-TV) newsroom-as-set trend for CNN, Turner Broadcasting System took over a country club at Techwood Drive in Atlanta called the Progressive Club.

Established in 1913, the Progressive Club is a red brick structure with white columns; its ballroom was renovated to become the first set for CNN, doubling as television's first newsroom to go 24 hours.

Carl "Bunky" Helfrich, who was one of the friends of Ted Turner, adapted many of the elements being used in the Tony Parsons-era BCTV (CHAN-TV) newsroom-as-set trend for CNN.

The Three Musketeers, a group of broadcast technicians coming to SuperStation WTBS from the other Atlanta television stations, were named after the French adventure novel by Alexandre Dumas

For the Three Musketeers group working at SuperStation WTBS, Gene Wright, Jack Ormand and Jack Verner served as their members.

Whilst the Three Musketeers from WTBS built the technical infrastructure for the newsroom-as-set for CNN, Carl "Bunky" Helfrich adapted BCTV's elements under Reese Schonfeld's direction.

Playfully referred to as Kosher Kolumns or the "news kibbutz," the Progressive Club was CNN's first headquarters.

By 1985, years after its June 1, 1980 launch, CNN had outgrown its original Techwood Drive hub, and Ted Turner acquired the Omni International complex in downtown Atlanta from Tom Cousins.

With Ted Turner acquiring this Omni complex, CNN incorporated its BCTV-inspired newsroom-as-set aesthetic on a larger scale.

Seven years after its June 1, 1980 launch, CNN officially completed its relocation to the former Omni complex, which became known as CNN Centre.

Mirroring his earlier feat of turning the Atlanta country club into the BCTV-inspired newsroom-as-set trend for CNN, Carl "Bunky" Helfrich turned the former Omni complex into CNN Centre.

By turning the Omni complex into CNN Centre, Ted Turner revived Atlanta's ailing downtown core.

In 1993, the colours of some of the elements being used in CNN's newsroom set based on BCTV were changed from red to blue.

Just 11 years after its official move to the former Omni complex, CNN renovated its own set in October 1998, still incorporating its BCTV-inspired newsroom-as-set trend.

Rene Lagler supervised the scenic design for this renovated CNN newsroom-as-set trend, whilst Robert Dickinson did its lighting construction.

This October 1998 renovation of CNN's BCTV-inspired newsroom set design was the final pre-digital revolution of its aesthetic before LED-heavy studios came along in May 2010.

For Linden Soles, he bridged the gap between the two channels that shared the same newsroom-as-set trends: BCTV (under Tony Parsons) and CNN (under Tom Johnson).

Studio 7, introduced in May 2010, marked the end of CNN's long-standing signature newsroom-as-set aesthetic.

This setup for CNN's Studio 7 in Atlanta influenced its Washington studio in the early-2010's.

Clickspring Design designed Studio 7 for CNN.

By 2014, as production shifted to New York and Washington, CNN's real Studio 7 was dormant, and it utilized virtual backdrops before abandoning the use for daytime programs.

Jeff Zucker masterminded the brief reinstatement of the newsroom-as-set trends for CNN before Chris Licht removed them permanently.

During the early-to-mid-2020's, both CNN and HLN moved away from CNN Centre and went back to their origins at Techwood Drive.

In June 2025, The Source with Kaitlan Collins moved to Washington D.C. with the newsroom-as-set trend, reinstating CNN's iconic aesthetic.

From its launch in the early-1980's (which came 19 months after the original CNN started), to February 2005, CNN Headline News used a multi-monitor control room-like set.

In 1993, CNN Headline News introduced its constant SportsTicker, and 6 years later, in the late-1990's, CNN Headline News introduced a newsroom-as-set trend to facilitate four watches.

On August 6, 2001, a revamp for CNN Headline News came with an internet-inspired presentation.

Similarly, both BCTV (CHAN-TV) and CNN made obsolete their iconic and famous newsroom-as-set trends in 2010 after the late-2009 departures of both Tony Parsons and Lou Dobbs.

Lou Dobbs left CNN in November 2009, and Tony Parsons later left BCTV (CHAN-TV) in December 2009.

For CNN, its newsroom-as-set trend at its two main Atlanta hubs, inspired by BCTV (CHAN-TV), has become the DNA for 24-hour global television news channels since its 1980 inception.

Roone Arledge and Reese Schonfeld served as masterminds in bringing newsroom-as-set trends to the world through ABC News and CNN.

In 1981, after Dan Rather took over the anchor position, the studio set used by Walter Cronkite for the CBS Evening News at Studio 33 was revamped with a world map backdrop.

After moving 14 studios up from 33 in August 1986, the CBS Evening News set was revamped with a world map backdrop recoloured and a deeper blue background.

For the 1990 midterm elections, the CBS Evening News introduced the newsroom-as-set trend, which became permanent during the Gulf War and was revamped in 1996 by BDI.

Plus, the BDI-designed newsroom-as-set trend for the CBS Evening News was similar to CNN.

Upon its relocation to 299, CityPulse changed its format to a desk-less open working newsroom.

This desk-less CityPulse newsroom was based on the open-plan area for Today (NBC) from the RCA Exhibition Hall, in turn, the basis for CHUM-City's entire 299 Queen Street West headquarters.

Moses Znaimer developed the desk-less standing-up CityPulse newsroom-as-set formula for CityTV.

In 1993, to commemorate its own news crew, a retired Live Eye truck for CityPulse was added to 299's east wall, appearing as if it were going through the brick.

So successful was Moses Znaimer's informal CityPulse format for CityTV that it was utilized by many others all around the world, as well as its elements.

By late-March 1993, when the new Canadian Broadcasting Centre became fully operational, the CBC started using a newsroom-as-set trend for its English-language television assets.

The CBC moved away from the newsroom-as-set trend towards an isolated studio in 2009.

Radio-Canada used the CNN-style newsroom-as-set trend from 2002 to the mid-2010's.

However, this newsroom-as-set trend was not new for Radio-Canada, as it was already being used from the mid-1980's to 1989, and in the mid-1990's until 1997.

Still in Quebec, TVA used the newsroom-as-set trend based on one for CNN (and in turn, BCTV) from the late-1980's to the early-2010's.

Ville-Marie, a borough in Montreal, was a testing ground for TVA's newsroom-as-set trend: Studio N.

In the early-2010's, TVA introduced a news studio set designed by AKA Creative.

CFCF used the newsroom-as-set trend from 1986 to the mid-1990's.

In South Florida, WSVN has two news studio sets, both built a few months before its 1989 switch: one with a control room backdrop, the other featuring the newsroom.

Not long after, WSVN began building the Newsplex project, bringing two of its 1989 sets together.

Using the CNN-style newsroom-as-set trend, based on BCTV, the WSVN Newsplex is one of the most influential news sets in the world.

Sister station WHDH began using the WSVN format in 1993.

For BCTV, its newsroom-as-set trend became so successful that other television stations across British Columbia began using this format.

CHEK-TV, a sister station to BCTV (CHAN-TV), used the newsroom-as-set trend from 1984 to 1997.

780 Kings Road was a testing ground for CHEK-TV's newsroom-as-set trend from 1984 to 1997.

However, the CHEK-TV newsroom-as-set trend from 1984 to 1997 never reached the similar theatrical scale to BCTV's at Enterprise Street, which is located in the Lake City Industrial Park.

Plus, CIVT and CKVU are Vancouver's independent stations that formerly used the CityTV format.

During its first years, VTV (CIVT) used the CityPulse formula that Moses Zniamer developed.

Baton's president and CEO Ivan Fecan was mentored by CityTV's Moses Znaimer, whose format was a new inspiration for the new Vancouver station in VTV (CIVT).

Monika Deol, who hosted music-themed programs on CityTV/MuchMusic, was also a news anchor for both CIVT and CKVU, bridging the two stations that shared the same CityPulse trend.

Initially, the New VI (CIVI) used the CityPulse formula until Hudson Mack from CHEK-TV came.

Under Hudson Mack, the New VI (CIVI) abandoned the informal CityPulse style and made changes to attract a broader audience, like adding a news anchor desk and a more traditional approach.

Since his arrival, Hudson Mack has revived the credibility and reputation of the New VI (CIVI).

CBUT has also used the newsroom-as-set trend since 2009.

The newsroom-as-set trend being used by BCTV (CHAN-TV) from 1975 to 2010, however, is the gold standard for television news in British Columbia.

With its purpose-built newsroom-as-set trend, BCTV was like Canada's CNN before CNN came.

Meanwhile, by completing of the March 2013 move of its news operations from Television Centre to Broadcasting House, the BBC began using a newsroom-as-set trend.

However, the newsroom-as-set trend was not new for the BBC's news operation, since it was already utilized from the late-1980's until 1993 physically for the Nine O'Clock News.

Some of the complaints for the BBC's late-1980s attempt to do the newsroom-as-set trend for the Nine O'Clock News include flashing computer screens, walking news staff and ringing telephones.

Virtually, the newsroom backdrop was used for the domestic BBC News programs for four years since 1972, and again from the late-1990's to 2013.

During its initial years, ITN was based at Television House at Kingsway in London, which also housed Associated-Rediffusion's administrative headquarters and transmission facilities.

In 1969, ITN relocated to its new headquarters at 48 Wells Street in London's West End.

As for Associated-Rediffusion's successor Thames, it moved to its purpose-built studios and offices at Euston Road.

Upon its move to its new hub at 200 Grays Inn Road designed by Norman Foster, ITN used a working newsroom for its newscasts on ITV until the mid-1990's.

Whereas some news programs from ITN emanated from 200 Grays Inn Road, others like News at Ten (ITV) still emanated from ITN House, based at 48 Wells Street, for a period after its move.

Sky News had used the newsroom-as-set trend from its February 1989 debut to the late-2010's.

John O'Loan masterminded this newsroom-as-set trend for Sky News upon its 1989 launch.

In contrast to the complaints that the BBC had in using the newsroom-as-set trend for the Nine O'Clock News, John O'Loan's Sky News set was slicker, more professional and more polished.

Plus, Sky News used the American-style happy talk format.

October 24, 2005 was when the Sky News Centre, a newsroom-as-set trend that was designed by Jack Morton Worldwide and built by the Janson Design Group and PDG, was introduced.

The newsroom-as-trend for Sky News upon its 1989 launch was influenced by global broadcasters like CNN.

For Australia's three commercial television services, their news operations have enclosed and isolated studio sets comprising of a world map backdrop with a blue hue until the late-1990's.

In late-1985, National Nine News in Melbourne/Victoria broke from tradition with the newsroom-as-set trend, the first of its kind in Australia.

Similar to the newsroom-as-set trend that ABC World News Tonight used during its initial years in New York as its main hub, this trend for National Nine News in Melbourne/Victoria lasted until 1993.

National Nine News in Brisbane also began using the newsroom-as-set trend in the late-1980's.

In 1996, a revamped newsroom-as-set trend for National Nine News in Brisbane/Queensland was first utilized in celebration of its fortieth anniversary of the Nine Network.

The revamped 1996-era newsroom-as-set trend for National Nine News in Brisbane was based on the newsroom-as-set trend for the CBS Evening News that BDI designed, also since 1996.

With its move to Pyrmont, Ten News in Sydney began to use the CNN-style newsroom-as-set trend.

However, the newsroom-as-set trend was not new for Ten News in Sydney/New South Wales, as it was already being used in the late-1980's as the last one from North Ryde.

During Brisbane's World Expo, TVO/Brisbane Ten Eyewitness News used the newsroom-as-set trend, similar to the BCTV pavilion at Expo 86.

From the mid-noughties to the mid-2020's, Seven News in Sydney/New South Wales used a street-side studio at Martin Place, based on Studio 1A in Rockefeller Plaza used by Today (NBC).

Televisa began using the newsroom-as-set trend designed by BDI in the mid-noughties.

Based on CNN (and in turn, BCTV), Televisa's own newsroom-as-set trend was part of the newly-built expansion of its Chapultepec headquarters.

However, this newsroom-as-set trend was not new for Televisa, as it was already used, shortly after the April 1997 death of Emilio Azcarraga Milmo until 1998, for 24 Horas with Jacobo Zabludovsky.

Plus, Televisa's local stations, like XEWT and XHBC, use the newsroom-as-set trend.

Rival TV Azteca used the newsroom-as-set trend for some Hechos editions from the late-1990's to the noughties.

ECO, which is television's first all-news service in both Latin America and the Hispanic world, used a multi-monitor control room set similar to CNN Headline News.

During the Carlos Menem presidency, newsroom-as-set trends were introduced to Argentina in a more modern and professional manner.

For example, Telenoche (Canal 13), from 1990 to the mid-2010's, used a set featuring a multi-monitor control room as its main backdrop, designed to have a working newsroom feel.

From 1990 to 2002, 24 Horas (TVN) utilized a small newsroom-as-set trend.

Teletrece (UCTV) used the newsroom-as-set trend from the 1990's to the noughties.

However, the newsroom-as-set trend was not new for Teletrece (UCTV), as it was already used for its secondary editions (afternoons/late-nights) during the 1980's.

QAP broke from tradition by using a newsroom-as-set trend, the first of its kind in Colombia.

Based on one for CNN (and in turn, BCTV), the newsroom-as-set trend for QAP conveyed urgency and transparency that other newscasts in Colombia have not.

Since QAP, this newsroom-as-set trend has been used by Colombia's private television services, such as RCN, Caracol and CityTV, the latter being based on the original Toronto version.

From the early-1990's to 2017, Uruguay's Canal 4 used the newsroom-as-set trend called the Centro Monte Carlo de Noticias, translated into English as the Monte Carlo News Centre.

The Centro Monte Carlo De Noticias was based on one for CNN, and in turn, BCTV.

Also in Uruguay, Teledoce utilized newsroom-as-set trends, including the one being based upon CNN International from the late-1990's to the mid-2010's.

Meanwhile, the Portuguese-language answer to Mexico's Televisa, run by Silvio Santos, pioneered the working newsroom-as-set trend in the late-1980's.

For the newsroom studio set used by the Portuguese-language answer to Televisa, which Silvio Santos owned, it was based on ABC News' Washington hub, with the Walter Cronkite-era news desk.

Boris Casoy, who used to work at a newspaper in Latin America's largest nation, established the news concept that was inspired by the North American television news model.

As the main news anchor on Silvio Santos' network, Boris Casoy not only did the news, but also used commentary in a direct and often sharp manner.

Earlier on, a national television channel, owned by Jewish businessman Adolpho Bloch, pioneered the physical news studio set featuring a multi-monitor control room as its main backdrop.

The multi-monitor control room set used for Adolpho Bloch's television network was the first in Latin America's largest nation to have a working newsroom feel, made à la CNN.

Oscar Niemayer's modern structure served as the testing ground for this working newsroom feel, which Adolpho Bloch's own television network had pioneered.

Vila Guilherme was the testing ground for the newsroom-as-set trend that Silvio Santos' own television network had pioneered.

Incidentally, the two national television networks arose from the first television network in both South America and the Potuguese-speaking world.

Silvio Santos' other former television channel, which is known as Record, utilized the newsroom-as-set trend from the mid-noughties to the late-2010's.

The Record Theatre served as the testing ground for Record's own newsroom-as-set trend, which began under Boris Casoy and was cemented by Celso Freitas, but also based on CNN.

However, this newsroom-as-set trend was not new for Record (which Silvio Santos once ran), as it was already used in its first years as a national service during the first half of the 1990's.

Band also used this newsroom-as-set trend at the turn of the 21st century until 2005, and again from the late-noughties to the mid-2020's.

Roberto Marinho's television service also used the newsroom-as-set trend, initially for its afternoon and late-night newscasts since the late-1990's, and then its flagshup one at the turn of the 21st century.

TROS Aktua (formerly Aktua-TV) used a newsroom-as-set trend, which was one of the first to do so in Europe, upon its debut in 1974 until 1985.

VTM used newsroom-as-set trends, including one designed by BDI from 1996 to the mid-noughties. 

Until 1984, both Tagesschau (ARD) and Heute (ZDF) held a national duopoly on the German television news landscape.

Sat.1 and RTL, both being the first national private television channels in Germany, countered this news formula of both ARD and ZDF with their dynamic, American-style news aesthetics.

For Sat.1, its own launch on January 1, 1984 (New Year's Day 1984) resulted in the introeduction of the newsroom-as-set trend to the DACH region.

ORF and SF DRS followed in the Sat.1 footsteps by adopting this trend, first in 1984 and then in 1985.

ProSieben used the physical newsroom-as-set trend, which was based on WSVN (and in turn, CNN and BCTV), for three years since 1996.

N24 (now Welt) has used the physical newsroom-as-set trend since the mid-noughties

In August 1986, Aktuellt (SVT) began to use the newsroom as a backdrop, but on a temporary basis.

The newsroom-as-set trend for Aktuellt (SVT) became a permanent one with the launch of ABC, which served as a regional newscast covering Stockholm and Uppsala.

For Aktuellt (SVT), the permanent newsroom-as-set trend setup lasted until September 2001.

Nyhetshuset was a testing ground for the newsroom-as-set trend for Aktuellt (SVT).

During its first 17 years, TV4 (Sweden) had used the CNN-style newsroom-as-set trend.

Storangsbotten, located in Stockholm, housed a television studio, which doubled as a testing ground for the CNN-style newsroom-as-set trend for TV4 from September 1990 to May 1996.

On the other hand, MTV3 (Finland) used the physical CNN-style newsroom-as-set trend, which lasted from 1990 to the late-2010's.

The use of this newsroom-as-set trend for MTV3 (which was similar to one for CNN) started with the imminent launch of its 7 p.m. newscast in 1990.

Pollolaakso, located in Ilmala in Helsinki, near its railway station, served as the testing ground for the CNN-style newsroom-as-set trend for MTV3.

MTV3's newsroom-as-set trend was modernized in 2001 for its 20th year since its 1981 launch.

Rediffusion (Hong Kong) was a pioneering broadcaster, and used a newsroom-as-set trend, styled after American networks (specifically ABC), the first in East Asia.

In the mid-1980's era, NHK General TV began using the newsroom-as-set trend for News Centre 9, the first of its kind in Japan, which lasted until its demise in the late-1980's.

This newsroom-as-set trend for NHK's NC9 program was styled after American networks.

During this period, Taro Kimura, born in the United States, and Midori Miyazaki, who formerly did the weather forecasts for this program, anchored NC9 from the newsroom.

Meanwhile, in 1985, All-Nippon News Network (ANN) began using the newsroom-as-set trend, which was based on one for CNN (and in turn, BCTV).

The Ark Broadcasting Centre, to which ANN moved in 1985, was the testing ground for this innovative newsroom-as-set trend within Japan's commercial television sector.

Even with its move to Roppongi Hills, ANN still used the CNN-style newsroom-as-set trend.

Whereas NHK was a pioneer in using the newsroom-as-set trend for News Centre 9, TV Asahi's News Station did the same, but within the commercial television sector.

News Station's launch stemmed from Japan Cable Television, which TV Asahi partly owned, striking a deal with CNN, back in the early-1980's.

JCTV's deal with CNN led to the latter's official introduction to Japan in 1984.

In 1998, a year after its relocation to Odaiba in March 1997, Fuji News Network (FNN) began to use a CNN-style newsroom-as-set trend, lasting until 2013.

Kenzo Tange's ultramodern building served as the testing ground for the newsroom-as-set trend, which FNN used.

Meanwhile, Nippon News Network (NNN) used the CNN-style newsroom-as-set trend, not simply for Plus 1 in its last years, but also for its Real Time program in its first years.

NHK Japan-World opened its headquarters in New York in spring 2021, utilizing the newsroom-as-set trend that Provost Design had created.

December 1, 1980 was when colour television was introduced to South Korea, with full-time national colour services launching on January 1, 1981.

Using NTSC colour, South Korea's television industry had made many improvements.

In the early-to-mid-1980's era, KBS' television services pioneered Western-like aesthetics, including the newsroom-as-set trend and the working newsroom feel, the first of any kind in South Korea.

July 1984 was when KBS adopted its CNN-style newsroom-as-set trend for its flagship 9 p.m. newscast that lasted until the turn of the 21st century.

The brief interruption of the KBS newsroom-as-set trend was from January 1997 to May 1998.

Meanwhile, MBC adopted the newsroom-as-set rend, based on one for the CBS Evening News, which BDI designed in 1996; it lasted during the first half of the noughties.

SBS also used the CNN-style newsroom-as-set trend (with a rotating news desk) for its main newscast from the mid-noughties to the early-2010's.

However, this newsroom-as-set trend was not new for SBS, as it was already used for its main 8 p.m. newscast upon its debut in the early-1990's, like KBS.

With Taiwan's martial law being lifted, TTV began using the newsroom-as-set trend in 1989.

Just as Rediffusion (Hong Kong) was the first television channel in East Asia and the Chinese world to utilize the newsroom-as-set trend, TTV was the first in Taiwan to do so.

Li Ka-shing and his company Hutchison Whampoa, in partnership with his son Richard Li, co-founded Star TV in the early-1990's era.

While Li Ka-shing backed Star TV, Richard Li was the driving force behind this venture

Using AsiaSat 1, partly-owned by Hutchison Whampoa, Star TV provided programming in the English language to Asia.

Hong Kong, a former British territory, served as a testing ground for Star TV.

Rupert Murdoch acquired Star TV from Li Ka-shing, Hutchison Whampoa and Richard Li, in 1993.

Star TV used Western-made broadcast technology, infrastructure and expertise not previously used in a media landscape in some Asian regions dominated by state-run media.

Before Star TV, television assets in some Asian regions used isolated and enclosed news sets.

Spurred by Star TV, television assets in some Asian regions have started to use newsroom-as-set trends based upon CNN.

Phoenix, in which Star TV (under Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation empire) owned a stake from its 1996 inception to 2013, introduced the CNN-style newsroom-as-set trend to mainland China.

iTV, which was the first television service to be operated independently on the UHF band in Thailand, broke from tradition by adopting the CNN-style newsroom-as-set trend upon its 1996 launch.

Led by former US ambassadors Ronald Lauder and Mark Palmer, CME has been a pioneer in bringing Western-influenced (Western European and American) media principles to the Eastern Bloc.

For CME, it facilitates the Eastern Bloc's television modernization by mixing Western-style television presentation (specifically American and Hollywood) with local Eastern content.

Plus, CME exports Western management and marketing strategies to the Eastern Bloc.

Since 2020, CME has been run by the PFF Group, a multinational investment group founded by Czech businessman Petr Kellner, breaking from its American ties.

Initially based in London, MBC has been a pioneer in bringing Western-style (Western European and American) media principles to the Arab world.

MBC facilitates the modernization of television in the Arab world by mixing Western-style television presentation (specifically American and Hollywood) with local Arab content, similar to CME.

Plus, like CME, MBC exports Western management and marketing strategies to the Arab world.

Waleed bin Ibrahim Al Ibrahim, an American-educated Saudi businessman, ran MBC as the television service of his ARAvision group.

London, known for its liberal and independent media environment, was MBC's first base.

Both CME and MBC are pioneers in bringing Western media principles to the two emerging markets in Eurasia, turning them into pluralistic, commercially-driven media economies.

Sam Barnett, who worked at MBC Group from 2002 to 2025 (14 as its CEO), also works at CME.

For Sam Barnett, he bridges both the CME and MBC companies, which, from their early period in the 1990's, facilitated television's modernization in both the Eastern Bloc and the Arab world.

During the Cold War, television in Eastern Europe was staid.

With the television channels held by CME, television in Eastern Europe was modernized by adopting newsroom-as-set trends based on CNN.

Ronald Lauder and Mark Palmer were CME's American-born co-founders who utilized Western-made broadcast technology, infrastructure and expertise previously unused in Eastern Europe.

Prior to CNN's innovative coverage of the first Gulf War, television stations across the Arab world have used isolated and enclosed news studio sets.

Spurred by CNN's coverage of the first Gulf War, private television channels in the Arab world, such as MBC, adopted newsroom-as-set trends based on CNN.

London, which served as the primary base for MBC until 2002, was a testing ground for Western-made broadcast technology, infrastructure and expertise previously unused in the Arab world.

Dubai Media City was MBC's second base from 2002 to 2022, with Saudi Arabia as its third base.

For most of its run at Dubai Media City, MBC used the CNN-style newsroom-as-set trend.

Al-Arabiya, which is MBC's sister channel, also used the similar CNN-style newsroom-as-set trend as MBC from its launch around the Iraqi War until 2020.

Clickspring Design renovated MBC's CNN-style newsroom-as-set trend at Dubai Media City in 2017, which blended Islamic-inspired design elements with modern technology.

Meanwhile, Clickspring Design made Al-Arabiya's studio in 2020.

This newsroom-as-set trend was not new for MBC, however, as it was already being used, while at its London studios, starting in the mid-1990's.

Besides, Al-Jazeera, in its original Arabic iteration, used newsroom-as-set trends for news updates; its main studio was isolated.

During the mid-2010's, Al-Jazeera's original version began using the newsroom as its main backdrop at Studio 5; Veech x Veech designed this one for Al-Jazeera's original version.

For its 25th anniversary, in 2021, Al-Jazeera's Studio 5 was renovated by Clickspring Design.

In its English-language version, Al-Jazeera has consistently used the newsroom-as-set trend from its primary Doha headquarters since its launch.

BBC Arabic Television used the newsroom-as-set trend physically from 2008 to 2013.

Sky News Arabia, like its original British version, has used the newsroom-as-set trend for most of the 2010's decade, which BDA designed.

The Abu Dhabi Media Centre, based at twofour54, was a testing ground for Sky News Arabia.

Dubai Media Inc. had its own Dubai News Centre at Dubai Media City, which BDI designed.

For the Dubai News Centre at Dubai Media City, it is one of the most sophisticated newsrooms in the Middle East, based on one for CNN.

Abu Dhabi TV used a newsroom-as-set trend being designed by British-based Shaun Moore Design during the mid-noughties.

Meanwhile, in Lebanon, Future News and Murr Television (MTV) used CNN-style newsroom-as-set trends, both starting in the late-noughties.

During its initial years, Vesti on RTR/Russia-1 came from the Ostankino Technical Centre, featuring an enclosed and isolated studio set with a world map backdrop.

However, Ostankino suffered damage, which meant that Vesti (Russia-1) came from a makeshift studio with a plain backdrop, during the 1993 events.

Even after the 1993 events, and even with a new look, featuring its high-end opening sequence and its different backdrop, Vesti on RTR/Russia-1 still came from Ostankino.

Some months after the 1993 events, Vesti (Russia-1) moved from Ostankino to a different location.

At Yamskoye Pole, Vesti (Russia-1) had a newsroom-as-set trend, the first of its kind in Russia.

In joint cooperation with the Dutch, this newsroom-as-set trend for Vesti (Russia-1) demonstrated a worldwide influence on its design.

Based on one for CNN, and in turn, BCTV, this newsroom-as-set trend for Vesti (Russia-1) conveyed urgency and transparency that other newscasts in post-Soviet Russia have not.

Tele-Scena remodeled the Vesti newsroom-as-set trend a year after its 2002 rebrand.

Khreshchatyk Street, based in central Kyiv, once housed a radio and television studio during the Soviet period from the early-1950's to the early-1990's, when public television moved to the Pencil.

During its post-Soviet era, the Pencil housed public television in the Ukraine (with Khreshchatyk as its secondary hub).

March 9, 1996, which was the birthday of Taras Shevenchenko and the day after International Women's Day, was when a fire broke out at a radio and television studio at Khreshchatyk.

In late-2021, even before the break-out of the Russo-Ukrainian war in February 2022, Suspilne revived and modernized Khreshchatyk by introducing a modern newsroom-as-set trend.

This newsroom-as-set trend being developed for Suspilne at Khreshchatyk Street (influenced by global broadcasters like CNN) is called NewsHouse 2.0.

Housing the main television studio for NewsHouse 2.0 for Suspilne at Khreshchatyk is a glass cube.

Designing NewsHouse 2.0 for Suspilne at Khreshchatyk was a design team led by Slava Balbek.

With NewsHouse 2.0, Suspilne became the Ukraine's main source for accurate and unbiased news and information during the Russo-Ukrainian war.

NewsHouse 2.0, developed for Suspilne, serves as a collaboration between partners, like BBC Media Action and DW Akademie with funding from the European Union.

Having started at the dawn of the nation's post-communist and democratic era, Panorama (TVP2) had utilized the newsroom-as-set trend, the first of its kind in Poland, but via chroma key.

Not long after, Wiadomosci (TVP1) used the newsroom-as-set trend on a physical level.

Earlier on, Teleexpress used a multi-monitor control room set, emphasizing its fast-paced approach.

RCTI, as Indonesia's first private television channel, countered TVRI's state-run news formula with its dynamic, American-style news aesthetic.

Some elements shaping RCTI's American-influenced news style included a news set, which featured a multi-monitor control room backdrop, plus live reports, dynamic graphics and modern music.

Having lasted from late-August 1993 to around 2005, the RCTI news set, with a multi-monitor control room backdrop, was the first in Indonesia to have a working newsroom feel, made à la CNN.

Kebon Jeruk was a testing ground for this working newsroom feel, which RCTI had pioneered.

Initially, Seputar Indonesia used a studio set with a blue backdrop and the name, whilst Buletin Malam used a skyline backdrop via chroma key.

The late-August 1993 revamp led to the launch of the multi-monitor control room news set for RCTI.

What shaped RCTI's American-influenced approach as a counterweight to TVRI was the strategy being honed by Pete Langlois, who, for 11 years, was the news director at KCRA-TV.

SCTV, with its 2008 move to the SCTV Tower, located in the Senayan City complex, started using the newsroom-as-set trend on a larger physical level.

For NET. (Indonesia), its newsroom-as-set trend was consistent during the mid-to-late-2010's.

This CNN-style newsroom-as-set trend for NET. (Indonesia) was designed by BDI.

Before RCTI and other private channels, TVRI had used enclosed and isolated news studio sets, with a world map backdrop as a authoritative symbol, either via chroma key or physically.

Not until the post-1998 reform period did Indonesian television, including TVRI, undertake significant restructuring towards true editorial independence.

On December 14, 2017, VTC broke from tradition by introducing a real and physical newsroom-as-set trend, which was the first of its kind in Vietnam.

Many Vietnamese television services, like VTV, have utilized traditional and enclosed news sets, either physical or virtual, for years.

This physical VTC newsroom set, inspired by global news broadcasters, like CNN and the BBC, lasted from December 2017 until the January 2025 shutdown of its digital television services.

Whether on ABC Sports, ABC News, CNN, ESPN or many other TV channels all over the world, the innovations by Roone Arledge take news and sports to a cinematic level.