KDKA Debuts New First Alert Weather Sphere
The new green studio utilizes AR/VR technology to aid in storytelling.
PHOTO BY CHARLOTTE SHIELDS-ROSSI
At 9:20 a.m. KDKA’s meteorologist Ron Smiley goes live on air forecasting warm weather and sunny skies this week in Pittsburgh.
Smiley holds a tablet where, with the press of a button, he is able to switch from a 3D map of Allegheny County to a view of Mount Washington, all from the comfort of the downtown studio. These visual aids are all thanks to KDKA’s new AR/VR technology.
Earlier this week, KDKA debuted its new First Alert Weather Sphere, a 35 feet wide, 28 feet deep and 14 feet tall green studio that utilizes augmented and virtual reality — which they call the bathtub.
On Aug. 18, media personnel were invited to get a behind-the-scenes look at the new technology.
“Today AR/VR represents the next step in [the] evolution of [KDKA],” Julie Eisenman, president and general manager of KDKA, says. “We want to evolve; we have to evolve.”
Eisenman says that the new technology will help advance the storytelling aspect of the local news station.
“It’s not just about the sake of tech,” she says. “[It’s] to bring the viewer into what we are doing.”
She stresses that although the screen is green, this is not your typical green screen. While most green screens are fixed and cannot move with the meteorologist, the First Alert Weather Sphere can. It is all thanks to the 18 tracker cameras and the trackers on the iPads that meteorologists use to change the Weather Sphere.
Right now, the technology is strictly used for forecasting, and the team has only begun dipping their toes in the augmented reality aspect of the AR/VR technology.
“We are in the infancy of this,” Smiley says.
For the future, KDKA hopes that the technology will expand to be used in both sports and news reporting. As the technology begins to be utilized in other facets of reporting, viewers will be able to better visualize election results, traffic and game recaps.
“Our new AR/VR technology helps us bring complex stories to life in ways that are more engaging and easier for viewers to understand,” Eisenman says in a press release.
