So whatever happened to that state-of-the-art studio KFOR was working on???

Actually bids tomorrow to general contractors

Actually bids tomorrow to general contractors

They're finally doing that? It's been what two years since they announced they were going to build it?

They're finally doing that? It's been what two years since they announced they were going to build it?

Perhaps ODOT is in charge of building the studio??

^^^The folks building the restaurant next to Chili's in Norman.

In August of 2014, KFOR NewsChannel 4 and KAUT Freedom 43 TV announced plans to break ground on new, state-of-the-art weather, news and digital information center in north Oklahoma City.


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The announcement coincided with KFOR's 65th anniversary; it's the state's oldest television station.

At the time the station was just in the initial planning stages. Now, plans have been drawn by architects Rees Associates and will soon be bid for construction.


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The new 38,199 square foot $5 million facility will be constructed directly west of the legacy facility on Britton Road just east of Broadway Extension. The existing building will ultimately be demolished for new parking.


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Plans show two large studios and a newsroom in the center, with various functions around the perimeter.


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At the time of the first announcement Carlton Houston, News Director of KFOR NewsChannel 4 and KAUT Freedom 43 TV said, “The new 4 Warn Storm Center will be designed from the ground up and stand as the centerpiece of the entire news operation. We’ll have the newest technology and the studios will be constructed utilizing the highest safety standards to withstand extreme severe weather so our team can deliver life-saving information on all digital platforms, without interruption.”

KFOR NewsChannel 4/ KAUT Freedom 43 are owned by Tribune Media.




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It sounds like the weather center will basically be a "safe room".

Well, they finally started construction on this or about to. I saw a construction fence around the area to the west of the existing studio.

I drove by KFOR the other day. The new studio seems to be coming along. Its a precast concrete structure.

KFOR is nearing completion of their new facility and will soon be making the move then ultimately demolishing their existing structure.

KFOR is nearing completion of their new facility and will soon be making the move then ultimately demolishing their existing structure.

I'm assuming they are planning on rolling out a whole new set design around this same time period?

New building means new set design for sure.

Kind of curious where the weather center is located in those plans, unless it's just in one of the two studios.

I think it would be cool if one day, at least one of the local TV new stations relocated downtown. I understand why they are where they are i.e. proximity to Edmond as well as that being where they have been for decades. Like NewsOK's move downtown, I think having one of the news stations downtown would benefit both downtown and the station.

Does News 9 still have that studio in Bricktown?

I'm assuming they are planning on rolling out a whole new set design around this same time period?

Prime opportunity to roll out a new Ogle.

Does News 9 still have that studio in Bricktown?
Not for close to a decade.

I think it would be cool if one day, at least one of the local TV new stations relocated downtown. I understand why they are where they are i.e. proximity to Edmond as well as that being where they have been for decades. Like NewsOK's move downtown, I think having one of the news stations downtown would benefit both downtown and the station.

The main reason all the stations are located in that area is that geographically that is one of the highest points in Okc.

They built the broadcast antennas and studios out there and bought land to do so.

The antennas aren't going anywhere and they just continue to build on their existing property.

With today's technology I doubt they need to be next to the antennas but they already have their studios there anyway. And the location is pretty darn good.

And, I think all of they have helicopters now and they need room to fly those things. (Although they could really now just drive somewhere and fly a drone.)

^News 9 already has one. Drone 9, or something like that.

Speaking of News 9, is its facility the same and it has just been expanded over the years or did it build a new one?

KWTV NEWS 9 is in the same facility on the southwest corner of Kelley and Wilshire. They have added on and updated through the years. KWTV's sister station, Griffin Communications owned KOTV in Tulsa did move into a brand new facility in Downtown Tulsa around early 2013.

This should be an interesting Fall as the competition among 4, 5 and 9 is heating up.

Abigail Ogle moving to the 6pm newscast. Now the big 3 will each have their own Ogle anchoring at 6..

Maggie Carlo is returning to anchor mornings with Markie Martin.

KOCO picked up two Emmys, one of them for weather coverage, surprising David Payne I imagine. Also they updated their radar a few weeks ago.

And now they are broadcasting from a temporary location in the newsroom, announcing a new set is being built. This isn't too surprising for a couple of reasons, one being the fall season is just around the corner, but the more probable reason is KFOR is moving into a new building and will finally have a new set after who knows how many years. It wouldn't be a shock if News9 made some tweaks to their set in light of KFOR's new digs. KOCO is also touting a new state-of-the-art weather center about a year in the works...it should be interesting to see what KFOR and KOCO is rolling out.

KOCO is definitely far better than it used to be all around. For a long time it was the left-behind that no one watched. I gave up on KWTV when Gary told people that they would die if they were underground and KFOR after Mike told people to drive away (and then blamed people for it the next week). KOCO staff always (at least to me) seem to be more calm during storms and less about freaking people out and hyping it all up to be on-air. David Payne and Gary are two peas in a pod there...and i do not consider that a good thing. In the news world, i also tend to prefer their low-hype approach from all of their anchors and the quality of the stories. The whole feel of the station is just different then the other guys, and for me that's why i watch them. I'm sure there are others that dont like them....to each his own.

^^^ I have to agree that KOCO is more calm. I split between them and KWTV, and I pretty much gave up on KFOR. I don't linger too long on them though, and to be quite frank, I'm really sick of all of them and their over self promotion and self importance . If your really that good, you won't have to keep telling people how good you are. And how about channel 9's forced and over used tag line "On the scene, on the story".. Who the hell came up with that?

They're all about show and ratings any more. .. No substance.

They're all about show and ratings any more. .. No substance.
They're all about show and ratings because that's what pays the bills. I disagree that they have "no substance"... they may not have hard-hitting, in-depth journalism pieces, but there is enough substance to their newscasts to be reasonable.

And how about channel 9's forced and over used tag line "On the scene, on the story".. Who the hell came up with that?
That line is alone why I can't watch News9. It's annoying as hell.

^^^ I have to agree that KOCO is more calm. I split between them and KWTV, and I pretty much gave up on KFOR. I don't linger too long on them though, and to be quite frank, I'm really sick of all of them and their over self promotion and self importance . If your really that good, you won't have to keep telling people how good you are. And how about channel 9's forced and over used tag line "On the scene, on the story".. Who the hell came up with that?

They're all about show and ratings any more. .. No substance.

Plus Michael Anderson is now at KOCO. IMHO he should have been chief at News9 not David.

They're all about show and ratings because that's what pays the bills.

I have to agree with you there. However sad it is.

Plus Michael Anderson is now at KOCO. IMHO he should have been chief at News9 not David.

You mean Michael Armstrong?... he always has a calm demeanor, and I always kind of thought he took a screwings from Channel 9.

You mean Michael Armstrong?... he always has a calm demeanor, and I always kind of thought he took a screwings from Channel 9.

yes Armstrong. Brain fart. I also love how he took the time to explain the technicals as well for those of us out there that cared.

You may have seen KFOR mention OKCTalk as their 'news partner' on a few recent stories... Here's why!

KFOR and OKCTalk.com announce partnership (http://www.okctalk.com/content.php?r=405-KFOR-and-OKCTalk-com-announce-partnership)

So happy for you, Pete! This is exciting for OKC!

Let's just hope Sinclair Broadcast Group keeps it's grimy hands off of KFOR.

Congrats! Best news of the day...

So happy for you, Pete! This is exciting for OKC!

Let's just hope Sinclair Broadcast Group keeps it's grimy hands off of KFOR.

^^ Yeah, this.

Pete we've all known where to find our OKC story's at for many years! OKCTalk!

Great News!

Once again, akin to the comments regarding Wheeler District, Facebook users chime in with some HIGH QUALITY comments in regards to the OKCtalk and KFOR pairing.

Great! Congrats, Pete.

Nice!

They have been promoting like crazy today about their legacy and "see what's coming" the past couple of days. Sounds like their about to reveal their new studio.

Interesting that KFOR and KOCO are about to unveil new studio sets at the same time ...both touting high tech advanced weather centers...now what about KWTV lol

Broadcasting from the new studio tonight at 10.

I should have photos and info to share soon.

Interesting that KFOR and KOCO are about to unveil new studio sets at the same time ...both touting high tech advanced weather centers...now what about KWTV lol

KWTV unveiled their updated set, albeit several years ago. It was in conjunction with the rollout of HD broadcasts and supposedly cost no small chunk of change, specially designed and built by some media outfit, so I'm doubting they'll be abandoning that anytime soon....They were experimentig with some odd/different camera angles on the early news a couple of weeks ago.

Broadcasting from the new studio tonight at 10.

I've seen pictures of the news desk. Looks fancy!

They are anchoring with the news room behind them which I love.

Watching KFOR right now, I like the new set and now they are called Oklahoma's News 4.

The lighting is awful, but its their first day so I'll let it slide. ;p

The lighting is awful, but its their first day so I'll let it slide. ;p

Way too much blue and red for my taste.

Caught a bit of the show via their stream. Like the new set.

Way too much blue and red for my taste.

I meant the lighting on their faces was kinda harsh. The set design lighting is awesome IMO.

I wonder how long before they launch a new website to match the new format.

If you missed it last night, here is a look at some of the new graphics/branding and studio set.
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Surprised they don't have the new BOK building in their skyline shot.

In general: I really like the new set and the new graphics package. The set is excellent: much better than News9's, and a huge improvement over the old set. My initial impression is I like the set better than some of the national network sets.

I also really like the graphics package. They have some work to do on getting everything to look consistent (i.e. the weather graphics are the old stuff partially grafted onto the new theme), but they'll get there, and the design language they've chosen is really nice.

On the other hand, I'm not a fan of the rebranding as "Oklahoma's News 4". Too similar to News9. I think they would've been better served to stick with "NewsChannel 4". They didn't feel the need to rebrand 4 WARN Storm Team, so IMO rebranding the news operation wasn't really necessary. But, hey, maybe research showed that's what the people want.

I'm also not a fan of the new music they went to. It's too generic. The old KFOR music package was cool, one of the few custom music packages out there, especially for a market the size of OKC. It was also ancient. Despite various remixes, it dated back to the mid '90s or so.

Edited to add: one weird thing - the sizing/camera placement on the chroma key set for weather is weird. It could just be growing pains but I generally prefer configurations where you don't see the entire body of the on-air talent in front of the green screen. I know that style is becoming more popular but I'm not a fan. Keep the talent's head below the graphic header!

Like

Is it a green screen? In the photo it kind of looks like it might be a big LCD/LED display.

I say keep the 'talent' off-screen when it comes to the weather. Mike Morgan is so focused on being on the air that at any given moment, he's blocking some of the information. He stands there blocking half of the viewing area and flips through 3-4 screens, then when it comes time for the 7 day he steps out of frame for like three seconds. Thank TiVo for the pause button so I can actually see the dang thing, but that doesn't help when he's blocking half the radar.

I agree with a lot of what riflesforwatie had to say. Most modern news sets these days use large video walls for all kinds of things. With the new KFOR set, the new KOCO set debuting in probably a week or less, the KWTV set is looking dark and dated. Looks like the "4" is the reverse of the "9"...using almost the same hue of red. And really... picking up on "news 9" KFOR went with "news 4". Same with the weather...on 9 we see most of David Payne and now on 4 we get to see most of Mike Morgan lol. Curious now to see what KOCO and Hearst come up with...wouldn't surprise me if 9 comes out with a new set in about a year or upgrade to a large video wall.

I do like the new set. I definitely think it has a "larger market" look to it than the old set. I agree that 9 is going to be behind after this update and KOCO's update.

This is just me, but I would like to see at least one of the news stations relocate downtown, perhaps to Bricktown. It's probably never going to happen, but it could be beneficial, much like DOK's move downtown.

KFOR TV moves into new media center (http://www.okctalk.com/content.php?r=418-KFOR-TV-moves-into-new-media-center)

The following is a press release provided by KFOR:


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KFOR TV MOVES INTO NEW, STATE OF THE ART NEWS, WEATHER AND SPORTS MEDIA CENTER IN OKLAHOMA CITY

August 21, 2017 Oklahoma City, OK KFOR-TV, the first television station to sign on the air in Oklahoma (on June 6, 1949, as WKY-TV) creates history again. KFOR-TV relaunched as “Oklahoma’s News 4”, with a high-tech news set, new on-air graphics and music package. “Oklahoma’s News 4”, moved into a state of the art media center designed to withstand Oklahoma’s toughest weather.

"We are so proud our new media center was designed and built by Oklahomans who poured their hearts and souls into the construction," said Wes Milbourn, President and General Manager of KFOR-TV and KAUT- TV.

The new facility was constructed based on a plan that encourages open collaboration between each department, allowing the KFOR staff to work and communicate more efficiently. The open environment improves work-flow between teams of reporters, photographers, producers and directors.

"This design enables us to serve Oklahomans with breakthrough technology. Whether we’re reporting the news or tracking deadly storms, we will now be working in the most technologically advanced broadcast studio, weather center and newsroom in the state, perhaps the nation,” said Natalie Hughes, News Director of KFOR-TV and KAUT-TV.

The 4 Warn Storm Center has been completely redesigned, enhanced and upgraded from top to bottom. “We’ve been working on this for years,” said Hughes. “Our weather team is grateful for the time, effort and financial backing that went into making sure they had the most effective technology to protect Oklahoma families.”

The state-of-the-art building also features protective glass designed to stop a two by four and other debris during severe storms. The thick walls of concrete and steel reinforcing are designed to be tornado resistant during Oklahoma’s toughest weather.

“We are asking KFOR employees to leave their families, come to work and help protect the public on the worst weather days,” said Hank Hundemer, Senior Vice President of Engineering at Tribune Media. “It was imperative that we provide our employees with peace of mind and safety while they are here, working to protect other Oklahomans.”

KFOR TV has been a groundbreaking station since it signed on the air in 1949 (as WKY-TV) and was the first station in the country to broadcast a station-issued tornado warning over the air in September of 1954. The U.S. government used to prohibit on air tornado warnings for fear it would spark widespread panic. The reality is, KFOR-TV has been warning Oklahomans of severe weather and saving lives throughout its history.

The brand new studio, weather center and news set was unveiled Saturday, August 19, for the 10:00pm newscast. The graphics were designed by the Tribune Media Creative Services Team and the new news music and theme was produced by the award winning team at Stephen Arnold Music. The KFOR newsroom provides the backdrop to the main studio.

Several conference rooms in the building pay homage to the history of Channel 4 and the incredible people who made it a legendary station. Among those spaces is the Barry Huddle Room in honor of the late sports broadcasting duo, Bob Barry and his son, (BBJ) Bob Barry, Jr.

“Oklahoma’s News 4” produces 11 newscasts every weekday, and KFOR-TV is one of the strongest NBC affiliates in the country. KFOR.com and KFOR’s social media presence are dominant in the Oklahoma City area as well. “We are building for the future and we will continue to lead the way on all communication platforms in our fast changing world,” added General Manager Wes Milbourn.


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KFOR dropped the ball Monday morning. No morning news at 4:00am, 4:30, and 5:00am. KOCO and KWTV have never had this issue.