NBC News flips the switch on its new world headquarters on Monday, October 22. The New York based operations of NBC News and MSNBC will be under one roof and will begin broadcasting from the newly-renovated Studios 3A and 3C.
In a press release NBC says, the “newsroom of the future” will house the editorial and production staffs for nearly all of the NBC News and MSNBC programs, the NBC News domestic & international assignment desks, the NBC News’ Specials unit and the east-coast editorial operations of msnbc.com
The six month construction project essentially gutted the 3rd and 4th floors of 30 Rock to accommodate the combined operations. More than 200 miles of cable has been pulled, 280 high definition monitors are in place and six HD projectors installed. I’ll have pictures tomorrow.
Click continued to read the press release…
NBC NEWS TO BEGIN BROADCASTING FROM ITS NEW WORLD HEADQUARTERS
ON MONDAY, OCTOBER 22
October 11, 2007 — New York, N.Y. – After six months of construction, more than 200 miles of cable pulled, 280 high definition monitors and six high definition projectors installed, NBC News will flip the switch on its new World Headquarters on Monday, October 22, when it combines the New York based operations of NBC News and MSNBC under one roof and begins broadcasting from the newly-renovated Studios 3A and 3C. In addition to the studios, this world-class newsroom of the future will house the editorial and production staffs for nearly all of the NBC News and MSNBC programs, the newsdesks of NBC News, NBC News’ Specials unit and the east-coast MSNBC.com editorial operation.
“NBC News has always been a world-class news organization, and today we cut the ribbon on a world-class facility to match, located in the media capital of the universe,†said NBC Universal President and CEO Jeff Zucker. “It is, quite literally, the newsroom of the future – home to a news division that is unparalleled in terms of talent, technology and real estate.â€
“Today, all of NBC News’ home base of operations is finally where it should be – under one roof,†said NBC News President Steve Capus. “Not only do we have the most advanced technology, the finest achievements in design and a dizzying array of visual enhancements, but most importantly, our greatest asset, the men and women of NBC News, are all in one place. This is our true strength, and will be the key to our continued success for many, many years to come.â€
The renovation project began in February 2007, and will see its full completion of office and production facilities in 2008. The completed project will also be home to Dateline NBC, Peacock Productions, NBC News’ educational initiatives including iCue and Channel One, NBC News Radio, and NBC News2Go, among other strategic initiative groups. Additionally, today NBC News unveiled the next phase of the project with long-term plans to create a state-of-the-art, high definition West Coast News Content center and television production facility in Los Angeles that will house NBC News’ Los Angeles bureau among other NBC Universal properties. The West Coast News center will be modeled after the NBC News’ World Headquarters at 30 Rockefeller Plaza.
Studio 3A will debut the morning of the 22nd when MSNBC’s “Morning Joe†will open its broadcast from the studio at 6:00 a.m. ET. MSNBC will continue to broadcast from Studio 3A throughout the day, including “Countdown with Keith Olbermann†in primetime. At 6:30 p.m. ET, Brian Williams will unveil the renovated Studio 3C on “NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams.†More than 12.5 hours of live television across NBC News and MSNBC will originate from the two studios daily.
As previously announced, the staff of MSNBC will be relocated to 30 Rock where they will share newsgathering efforts and work alongside NBC News employees to better utilize the vast resources of both groups.
The new facility is, in essence, a “central nervous system,†serving as a conduit of information, video and graphics for all of NBC News. The 8,500 square-foot studio space is rich with technologies and enhancements to create a production environment like none other. In addition to the 280 high definition monitors and six high definition projectors, MSNBC’s main anchor platform is motorized on a 50-ft-long track to move throughout the studio, a platform in the center of 3A can be raised up to 52†for effects and events, and one wall houses 36 monitors and can be used in a variety of ways for production purposes. Studio 3A also includes a 31-foot-long catwalk above the main anchor platform for additional options for stand-ups, and offers 61 seats for the newsgathering staffs of the NBC News Desks, NBC News Channel, NBC Satellite Operations and the MSNBC.com East Coast Cover Team.
MSNBC launched on Monday, July 15, 1996 and has been based in Secaucus, N.J. Built on the worldwide resources of NBC News, MSNBC defines news for the next generation with world-class reporting and a full schedule of live news coverage, political analysis and award-winning documentary programming — 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
NBC News has been a leading source of global news and information for more than 75 years, first on radio, and today via broadcast and cable television, the Internet, radio and cell phones. Operating around the clock with bureaus in key cities in the United States and overseas, NBC News provides immediate coverage and in-depth reporting of major events to a worldwide audience.
For more than a decade, NBC News has served as the dominant force in television news, watched by more Americans than any other news organization. NBC News provides more than 25 hours of weekly programming, including Nightly News with Brian Williams, and the top-rated rated Today and Meet the Press with Tim Russert programs. Dateline NBC is the signature broadcast for NBC News in primetime. As the only broadcast news division with an affiliated cable channel, MSNBC provides 24-hours a day coverage of news events around the globe with the dedicated resources of NBC News. MSNBC.com consistently ranks as one of the leading news and information sites on the Internet — winning both of the Industry’s top honors for online news in the past year. NBC Mobile provides news and information updates and show excerpts to cell phone users throughout the day reported by the anchors and correspondents of NBC News, and NBC News Radio produces up-to-the-minute radio reports for affiliated stations in all major markets across the country.