WPT’s “Here & Now” Welcomes the New Year With a New Look

January 5, 2017 Jonna Mayberry Leave a Comment

New year, new Here & Now set! Here & Now‘s look has been completely revamped – from a brand-new set design to deeper story possibilities and a fresh logo. Go behind the scenes in WPT’s studios to view the set rebuild, reflect on Here & Now’s history, and hear from Here & Now anchor Frederica Freyberg and Here & Now producer Andy Moore about what they’re most looking forward to in 2017.

Then, tune in to Here & Now tomorrow – 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 6 –  to be the first to view the show’s new look.

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Here & Now, Wisconsin Public Television’s original news and public affairs program, offers Wisconsinites a weekly forum where civic and political leaders address Wisconsin’s most pressing issues.  Each Friday on WPT, Anchor Frederica Freyberg and reporter Zac Schultz engage Wisconsin’s business and political leaders in conversation on the week’s major news.

“Here & Now hit the air in January 2003,” says Here & Now producer Andy Moore. “The show had big shoes to fill. It inherited Friday night from WPT’s long-running, highly awarded news program Weekend, which was on the air for 12 years. Here & Now quickly met our viewers’ expectations for up-to-the-minute political reporting and insight.”

While Here & Now continues to deliver the same quality news that viewers have come to expect, WPT is proud to announce that the program will debut an entirely new set brimming with new possibilities this Friday, Jan. 6. Thanks to many months of teamwork from an extremely hardworking crew of WPT designers, engineers, producers and more, Frederica Freyberg signed off in 2016 with the old set behind her – and will welcome 2017 with a new backdrop.

Time-Lapse: Here & Now set tear down and rebuild:

Behind the scenes with the Here & Now’s Frederica Freyberg and Andy Moore.
We sat down with Here & Now anchor Frederica Freyberg and senior news producer Andy Moore to learn about their favorite elements of the new set design and what they’re most looking forward to in the new year.

• What does this set redesign mean to you?
  
  Freyberg: “I like the new energy of the new set, the different locations, the graphics and the overall look.”

  Moore: “The set redesign was an opportunity to freshen up – modernize, if you will – the look and feel of the program. The new set feels, well, newly charged, forward leaning, and energetic.”

  Moore explains that Here & Now’s 2017 evolution goes beyond design: “Beyond all of those colorful words and emotions, the set is a symbol for deeper changes in the program. Our field reporting will now be less driven by week-of news and more driven to dig deeper into the policies that state and federal officials are looking to change or adapt. Reporters will have a few weeks – rather than a single week – to bring in their stories. Talk segments will, in general, be longer – also providing Frederica with more time to explore subjects more deeply.”

• 2017 ushers in not only a new look for Here & Now, but new opportunities to cover Wisconsin issues. What are you most looking forward to in the new year?
  
  Freyberg: “With a new administration in Washington, there are big changes afoot policy-wise. That same administration could help the majority in Wisconsin usher in some of its sought-after changes. It is an important time to follow policy and politics and we are poised to be right in the thick of it!”
  
  Moore:  “Republicans have widened their majorities in the state legislature. How the majority party uses that power will be very interesting to cover. Legislative leaders are sending early signals that they’re interested in pursuing policy areas that have been stubbornly unchanged in past years; things like finding new ways to pay for public schools and paying for roads through tollways.”

Throwback! Before tuning in tomorrow, take a trip down Here & Now memory lane by exploring a sampling of memorable Here & Now snapshots from the WPT archives. In the words of Andy Moore: “It’s going to be an interesting new biennium. We’re honored to be able to cover it for WPT viewers statewide.”

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