When Albert Ramon, chief meteorologist for CBS 2 Chicago, delivers his on-air forecast Tuesday afternoon, things may look a little surreal.
Incorporating new augmented reality/virtual reality technology, the studio will be transformed into an immersive environment where Ramon can physically navigate cold fronts, storms and other weather patterns.
If the forecast calls for rain, Ramon may well look like he needs an umbrella.
“It takes the real time weather data, whether it’s the impending storms that are coming or climate change, and really brings it into a whole new way for people to understand the weather story of the day,” Jennifer Lyons, president and general manager of WBBM-Ch. 2, said Monday. “It will dramatically transform the way a viewer consumes weather information.”
An evolution of the green screen, where weathercasters point at changing computer-generated maps and images, the new technology turns the entire studio into a green room, enabling a three-dimensional view, where clouds may seemingly envelop Ramon during his forecast.
The new Chicago studio space covers 1,100 square feet and reaches 16 feet in height, giving Ramon plenty of room to roam through vivid virtual depictions, bringing the real world weather forecasts to life for viewers.
The proprietary technology was launched last year at KPIX-TV, the CBS owned-and-operated station in San Francisco, and has since rolled out to CBS stations in Philadelphia, Denver and New York.
Down the road, augmented and virtual reality could be incorporated into everything from news stories to sports reports.
“This AR/VR-driven weather format is just the beginning, and it reflects the mindset we bring to all of our journalism: we are committed to being ahead of the curve and delivering what our viewers want in the most engaging ways possible,” Jennifer Mitchell, president of CBS Stations, said in a news release.
Technological advances aside, Chicago is perhaps the most competitive TV weather market in the country, where getting an edge could mean a lot for local stations.
In Chicago, some viewers are still in mourning after the February retirement of WGN-TV meteorologist Tom Skilling, the avuncular dean of Chicago weathercasters, whose career spanned more than 45 years.
Skilling started in an era when TV weathercasters used hand-drawn maps and other low-tech tools to color a forecast. At one of his earliest gigs in Milwaukee, Skilling was paired with a wisecracking puppet named Albert the Alley Cat — no relation to CBS 2’s Ramon — to give viewers a handle on the weather.
In the end, Skilling’s accuracy and expertise made him a broadcast institution in Chicago, helping viewers navigate the city’s unpredictable weather, from tornadoes to blizzards.
No matter how dazzling the images, the new CBS 2 technology may ultimately be judged on the same basis. When Ramon slogs through a virtual snowstorm on the air, viewers will expect to see a real one hit, as forecast.
Lyons is confident Ramon and the other CBS meteorologists are up to the challenge — and the new technology.
“They’re all really, really good forecasters,” Lyons said. “Our weather department has been taken to a whole new level in Chicago.”
The new virtual reality forecasts will debut with the 4 p.m. news Tuesday, expanding into the evening and other dayparts over time.
rchannick@chicagotribune.com
