WCCO in Minneapolis has introduced a 1,200-square-foot augmented and virtual-reality studio for local news and weather. CBS Minnesota says the space will be used to place presenters inside explanatory graphics rather than limiting visualisation to a conventional wall or monitor.
The launch makes WCCO the fifteenth and final CBS-owned station to receive the AR and VR newsroom format. Chief meteorologist Chris Shaffer is expected to use the room for forecasts and severe-weather explanation, where scale and spatial relationships can be clearer than a flat map.
Completing a multi-market rollout has operational significance beyond the set. Shared tools and design conventions can support reusable scenes, staff training and coordinated graphics development across stations. Local teams still need calibration, tracking and editorial rules that prevent visual effects from obscuring the underlying information.
The announcement confirms the room size, intended use and network rollout count. It does not identify tracking, rendering, camera, display, control or asset-management systems, nor does it publish staffing, latency, redundancy or accessibility practices.
