(WOOD) — WOOD TV8 unveiled its new state-of-the-art studio on “24 Hour News 8: Daybreak” Monday morning. The studio improvements enhance the viewing experience and give journalists advanced storytelling tools.

Nexstar Broadcasting, owner of WOOD TV8, has made significant investments in the operation of the station, which marks 70 years of broadcasting this summer.

The set, designed by a Nexstar internal team including WOOD team members, features more than 200 LED video panels that provide seamless canvases to create and innovate. Newscast producers have the flexibility to work with the design team to develop graphics that fit the specific need of each story in the newscast. Thousands of LED color-changing lights are built into the background to bring a crisp and vibrant display.

>>Photos: WOOD TV8’s next-generation studio

The center focus of the set is an 18-foot video wall — featuring 176 video panels — that is used to highlight the vast communities of viewers from the lakeshore to Grand Rapids to Kalamazoo.

>>360-degree view: WOOD TV8’s next-generation studio

24 Hour News 8 is known for its in-depth and investigative approach to storytelling. One area of the set gives the team the ability to display content on three vertical monitors in a way that’s easy to understand.

The new sets are in addition to the station’s signature 24-foot wide by 9-foot high video wall that has given great versatility to produce multiple programs in addition to newscasts including eightWest, Maranda Where You Live, Sports Overtime, To The Point, and Community partner segments.

A significant part of the project involved removing the old studio lights and wiring. The new wiring and LED lighting gives the team the flexibility to control every light in the grid and provide balanced lighting for the anchors, reporters, meteorologists and guests in the studio. The LED lighting will save a significant amount of energy.

The key to the visual display and lighting is a system called jControl, which was designed and built in-house by the team at WOOD TV8. JControl allows directors to send animations and graphics to any or all of the studio displays with endless transition and layer capabilities.

The station also included a nod to its history with a large mural that proudly displays its various logos from the past 70 years.