On tonight’s “ABC World News,” Diane Sawyer will return from her two-week vacation to a newly renovated studio in New York. TVNewser has one of the first images of the set, which is, by comparison, much brighter and more open than the previous “World News” set.
More details below:
The biggest difference might be the anchor desk, which previously could only support one anchor and up to two correspondents. With the network looking ahead to this year’s mid-term political coverage, the new desk can support two anchors and four correspondents for special events.
Other changes: the back screen is now floor to ceiling, the desk has been lowered from a few feet to about six inches high providing added anchor mobility, and much more of the newsroom is visible in the background. Additionally, correspondents — who formerly sat up to six feet away from Sawyer — will now sit much closer, which, we understand, is in line with the more conversational tone she’s tried to set with the newscast.
Last week when we first reported the construction, we heard from inside ABC that “this is the most economical redesign of that space” that the network has done to date. In addition to “World News” and special events, “Nightline” and “20/20” also broadcast from this 66th street studio. Renovations were completed on Friday and the crew held run-throughs last evening we’re told.