Some projects stand out. For Clune Construction’s Kevin Steger, that includes the work that the company did on building the new NBCUniversal office and broadcast studio in downtown Chicago’s NBC Tower.
And why not? The NBC Tower on Chicago’s Near North Side is an iconic property. It has been home to broadcast stars including Jerry Springer, Jenny Jones, Judge Mathis and Steve Harvey.
Working on this project, then, was like writing a new page in Chicago’s history books.
“This was a special project,” Steger said. “There is so much history here. It’s a special feeling to be a part of something like this. It was a long project and it required a lot of adjustments and planning. But to see it all come together like this is a great feeling.”
The new studio supports NBC 5 Chicago, WMAQ-TV to Chicagoans, and Telemundo Chicago, WSNS-TV, in these stations’ newsgathering and broadcasting operations. The project spans more than 70,000 square feet of newly remodeled space and cost more than $70 million. Clune Construction started work on the project in 2021.
Clune completed the bulk of its work for NBCUniversal in November of last year. News and production workers have steadily moved into the new space since.
The new space is a high-tech, modern facility that consolidates four previously separate floors into one floor. This improves communication between producers, news personalities, reporters, managers and other workers. It also provides a space equipped with all the modern technology that a news station needs in 2026.
Clune says that the project was inspired by the energy of 30 Rock, featuring an open design with an industrial aesthetic. This means open ductwork and concealed conduits.
The project was a massive undertaking, including the construction of five new television studios and two podcast studios. This construction took place while NBC and Telemundo continued broadcasting in the same building. In fact, the new studios were built directly above active broadcast areas.
How did Clune handle this? It required careful coordination and planning. Construction workers were also subject to daily noise monitoring to make sure that their activities did not interrupt live broadcasts. This required Clune to schedule strategic pauses during both live programming and breaking news broadcasts.
Steger said that Clune installed red lights throughout the construction zone. The lights would be flipped on NBC or Telemundo were filming. That would tell all trade partners to stop work in the marked areas. Clune would then turn off the red lights when trade partners could again make noise. This system helped, too, when breaking news hit and reporters needed to broadcast immediately, Steger said.
As Steger said, it was a juggling act.
“We often had to adjust our schedule to make sure weren’t interrupting or disrupting broadcasts,” Steger said. “That was one of our main focuses during construction: We always had to be mindful of not disturbing the work that NBC was doing.”
The main news floor boasts a 35-foot suspended news ticker and a 40-by-60-foot LED screen. The newsroom also features several spaces designed for quick, impromptu meetings. The space is also home to several smaller cameras that news personalities and producers can use to quickly film updates for NBC’s social media sites.
Kevin Cross, NBCUniversal Local Chicago president, said that the new space allows NBC to better serve two key groups: its viewers and its employees.
“Having everything on one floor improves communication, our workflow and the product that we can create,” Cross said. “Viewers today need constant information. It’s not enough for us to be live at certain times of the day. We also need to create content throughout the day in our studios. We can do that quickly now and put it on our socials and our site. We can provide information as it happens.”
That’s where the smaller flash cameras come in, Cross said. When news breaks, including weather-related events, NBC reporters can quickly jump in front of one of these cameras and film an update for NBC’s online sites. The cameras will be used for news that impacts viewers but isn’t quite serious enough to require NBC to break into local programming, Cross said.
Jonathan Garratt, NBCUniversal Local Chicago vice president of technology and operations, said that the new studio was designed with the needs of today’s modern newsgathering organizations in mind. This meant including the latest in technology but also designing areas that can be used for impromptu meetings between producers, reporters and on-air staffers.
“We wanted to foster collaboration,” Garratt said. “This is more of an open floorplan. People aren’t isolated on different floors or in closed offices. It makes it easier to communicate with each other and to quickly pivot when breaking news happens.”
The studio’s design also includes some fun touches. There’s a hidden speakeasy with a bar that workers can relax in after their shifts end. There’s also a game room with a pool table and shuffleboard game.
These areas might not seem important when it comes to reporting the news. But NBCUniversal officials say that they play a role in fostering camaraderie and helping workers blow off steam after a busy day. They also provide sometimes quiet spots for phone calls, writing or other creative work.
Another feature of the remodel? The introduction of the Unified Production Platform, a suite of newsroom applications designed to support integration across NBCU Local markets and with national news operations. The national NBC News Chicago Bureau is also moving into the new space.
The project is not only state-of-the-art, Clune helped make sure that the remodel also achieved LEED Gold certification. The new space reduces indoor water use by more than 30% and lowers energy costs by nearly 10%.
