NBC Sports Chicago is "overhauling its studio space for the first time in years," with updates meant to "herald a new era for the regional sports network and better distinguish it" from ESPN, FS1 and the forthcoming Marquee Sports Network, according to Phil Rosenthal of the CHICAGO TRIBUNE. The goal is for the new studio to be "ready for the White Sox season, which begins March 26." The RSN "relaunched in October with the end of the baseball season and the departure of the Cubs to launch Marquee." The unveiling of the "showy new studio" will be how NBC Sports Chicago "loudly announces its arrival." NBC Sports Chicago Senior VP & GM Kevin Cross said, "It's a national quality-level set. It's the level fans expect when they turn on TV looking for content. ... We're talking video walls and a demonstration area with LED floors that can switch instantly from resembling an ice rink to a basketball court to a football field to a baseball diamond." NBC Sports RSNs in Philadelphia and the S.F. Bay Area "already have versions of the new set," with Boston "getting its variation soon, too." Until now, NBC Sports Chicago shows have "originated from one quadrant of its studio or another," but the "new plan is free-flowing and open" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 1/9).
