CBS Baltimore to Launch AR/VR Studio for News
CBS Stations has announced the launch of a new augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) studio at CBS Baltimore (WJZ-TV), scheduled to begin operations on 23 February at 12:00 pm ET. The facility will be the tenth AR/VR-enabled studio introduced across the group’s owned-and-operated stations.
The company described the installation as the first of its kind in the region. It said the technology is intended to change how local audiences engage with news through immersive visual presentation.
The launch follows the in-house development of AR/VR technologies for CBS stations in the San Francisco Bay Area and their subsequent deployment to additional markets. AR/VR capabilities are currently available at CBS Stations in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, the Bay Area, Denver, Texas, Miami, and Atlanta. Additional AR/VR studios are expected to launch nationwide during 2026.
The Baltimore studio will support enhanced weather reporting through immersive graphics that illustrate the local impact of changing conditions. The system will present detailed, location-specific visualisations of potential effects, including flooding risk, variations in snowfall, and differences in local microclimates. The AR/VR weather coverage will be delivered by the station’s meteorology team: Steve Sosna, Cutter Martin, Rachael Jay, Marty Bass, and Tim Williams.
The technology will also be used to expand sports coverage through more detailed visual analysis and presentation. According to the station, the system will support additional data-driven graphics and on-air visual storytelling. The sports output will be led by sports director Alex Glaze and sports reporter Grace Grill.
The introduction of the new facility forms part of CBS Stations’ broader rollout of AR/VR production environments across its local news operations, combining advanced visual tools with existing broadcast workflows to support coverage of major local topics, including severe weather events and regional sports.
