Does Chicago Wanna Be New York?

Or is it just lacking ideas? Transplanting devices more accustomed to the Big Apple than Chicago itself? Let's see.

Yesterday, Chicago's local affiliate station ABC7 "broke ground" for its new storefront studio on State Street, across from the Chicago Theater:



This news comes on the heels of another local affiliate, CBS2's announcement that they've agreed to be a major tenant in Mills Corp.'s Block 37 development nearby at State and Washington:



But these two are going to be at least a couple years behind NBC5, whose Studio 5 across the street from the Wrigley Building on Michigan Avenue celebrated its first birthday last December:



What do these three have in common, besides similarities to each other? They are modeled on similar "sidewalk studios" in New York: ABC's on Times Square, CBS's overlooking Central Park and NBC's studio at Rockefeller Center. It's no surprise that NBC spawned the first of these studios in Chicago; their NYC one has become a model for the rest, though it's an unreplicable model, because of Rockefeller's unique situation, specifically the glut of plaza space (something the Chicago studio has TOO much of, ironically).

So why, all of a sudden, are the Big 3 networks hitting Chicago with these "interactive" studios? At first glance they seem out of place; Chicago is less sidewalk- and street-oriented than New York, witnessed by things like the plethora of street vendors in the latter and a complete absence of them in the former. But most likely the answer has less to do with place than the fact that they're an in-your-face marketing tactic that keeps these newscasts ever-present in the pedestrians mind. It's one reason the Today show (I think) draws more viewers than the other two morning shows.

Although I'm not too excited about the borrowing of this concept from NYC, the possibility of greater "life on the street" is something I agree with. If these three studios existed today, I'm sure CBS's one overlooking Daley Plaza would be the most popular; the spot is prime given the year-round activities featured on the civic space across the street (though the sidewalks at the corner outside the studio might need to be enlarged over what's shown above to allow for large crowds). Next would be ABC's studio on State Street, due to a shifting focus from Michigan Avenue to the Loop. Therefore NBC would ironically be the least popular in Chicago, a victim of its location: far removed from Michigan Avenue at the back of the Equitable Plaza. But CBS's bid to enter Chicago's "street scene" will take some time, as the development for Block 37 will be drawn out much longer than a storefront renovation for ABC.