North American Affilliates/Network Set Design

WKYT- Lexington Kentucky. This small station in a small city refreshed their set. Strangely for a small station in the South they had a quite a modern looking set. Now they updated and added a virtual window behind the anchors and textured stone element to the sides of the set.
BEFORE:
http://i.ytimg.com/vi/pHZHH1QSsm4/hqdefault.jpg

AFTER:
http://www.newscaststudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/wkyt_set.jpg

I've been watching a bit of WAGA this week, and it the new studio sadly isn't looking as good as it does in the preview.

Their main presenting position seems to be standing up in front of the video wall, which is always filled with horrible Fox graphics. It looks much better when they're at the desk, but this doesn't seem to happen very often.

The Fox O&O graphics are just horrible. The original 2006 O&O graphics were far more superior.

Never liked any FOX O&O graphics.

To be fair to Fox, when they first started they had official music but never O&O mandated graphics. That came in 2006, when the Tampa Bay station WTVT was the first to introduce it. Other stations before had their own identities such as WNYW New York which lasted from 2002 to 2006 and was also re-styled by other stations but with their own spin on them. Hopefully, with the Fox O&Os getting new sets across the board, this could eventually lead to new graphics but that is wishful thinking.

Well if the graphics on FNC are anything to go by....ugh. Absolute mess. To me Fox O&O mandated looks are always "old people trying to be cool and youthful." Never worked. Preferred the individual looks.
Here is a bit of FOX affiliate history...(the early 90s looks were...special, WFLD decide the FOX logo wasnt good enough....so they created their own. LOL)

The 1990's WFLD open were pretty cool, i have to admit. I'll raise you that with a montage of WPTY Memphis in 1995 when their news department launched after an affiliation switch. The WPTY open was very interesting..but don't take my word for it

and a look at WNYW New York's opens and i am a fan for the big band intro from the 1970s, that open can still be used today

Here is a look at the 2013 set for Houston's Univision station KXLN 45 and their open

versus their rival station Telemundo Houston KTMD, which marked a return to local news after their local operations were previous merged with their sister station in Dallas.

CBS Evening News' ugly set gets an ugly update. Still ugly and dark no matter what they do. Whist CBS Evening News presents by far the most substantive network newscast, they have the worst set. And possible the oldest. It hasnt been updated fully in ages. The only change was the blue behind the "Cronkite-map" and the white behind the side screens. Still looks crap.
Before
http://www.newscaststudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/cbs_updateb.jpg
After
http://www.newscaststudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/cbs_update.jpg

Those side screens weren't there until a few weeks ago either. It used to be a monitor array:

http://newsbusters.org/sites/default/files/2012-05-23-CBS-EN-Pelley_20120524120211.jpg

They seem to be phasing in set changes, rather than doing a complete overhaul at once while using a temp set or another studio.

What's on that portraits? Is that his father?

Yeah he has those of his family there. You notice when Scott Pelley isnt presenting they are removed. Not really a fan of that. But I guess its a little silent nod to his family.
CBS News is notorious for being ultra conservative as far as their presentation goes. Their graphics are stuck in the 90s. Even when they updated them they still looked outdated. As Charles added that pic they slowly make changes to that thousand-year-old-dinosaur of a set. I would love if CBS bit the bullet and did some white clean and ultra modern which would be different from the norm for Network news sets in the US. ABC took the flashy tabloid reins (Peter Jennings is spinning in his grave) and NBC as per normal keeps updated fresh and modern yet not too overly modern.