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Backstage at CNBC: a day on the set

Beyond collecting my ten minutes of fame, the real thrill for me of being on TV was learning about how television shows are made. One of the big points of my book Making things happen was how the core challenges of making anything are the same (decision making, leadership and communication) and I love visiting different kinds of businesses just to see how they handle these things.

One of the big things the folks at CNBC were excited about was their virtual set – I’m surprised they haven’t mentioned it anywhere, as it is, for them, an innovation in how to produce these types of shows. Take a look at these two pictures.

On the left you can see the set as it looked in real life: it’s a blue screen. On the right you can see what the set looked like for the broadcast. All of the graphics, backgrounds, and talking heads were placed virtually, and designed in post production.

If you’ve watched any of the first or second episodes (follow the respective link to watch online), what do you think? Was the set a plus, or a distraction?