WCCO-TV Brings The Past To New Heights With The Next Weather Tower

Minneapolis/St. Paul (WCCO) – WCCO-TV's downtown Minneapolis location will now feature one of the city's most unique rooftop spaces with a highly visible exclamation point provided by a new landmark that is reminiscent of a local icon that was destroyed in a Thanksgiving Day fire 31 years ago.

Photo Gallery: Crews Install WCCO Next Weather Tower

The WCCO Rooftop Studio is a year-round broadcast studio designed to celebrate Minnesota's outdoor lifestyle.  In keeping with that local theme, the station turned to many Minnesota companies and their environmentally friendly products to complete the project. Some of the features include a full-service outdoor kitchen, fire pit seating area and expansive lawn and garden spaces.

"We have four very distinct seasons and there are Minnesotans that love each one of them.  So, we've created a space on our rooftop that is similar to what you will find in backyards all over the state.  Our Rooftop Studio gives us amazing opportunities to connect with our audience in a very unique way," said Mike Caputa, WCCO-TV's News Director.

High above the new outdoor studio will stand the WCCO Next Weather Tower, a new landmark reminiscent of the iconic "Weather Ball."  The "Weather Ball," a staple of the Minneapolis skyline for more than three decades, informed passers-by of the weather conditions by displaying specific colors associated with the current weather conditions.  WCCO's Next Weather Tower will take the spirit of this cultural phenomenon into the 21st Century.  Not only will the colors be seen by downtown patrons, they will also be on display at wcco.com and during WCCO newscasts.

"In Minnesota, our lives revolve around the weather and WCCO-TV is proud to present this Minneapolis landmark and important public service," said Brien Kennedy, WCCO-TV's Vice President and General Manager.

*UPDATE: WCCO- TV had the big debut of the Next Weather Tower on Friday, November 29.

WCCO-TV is part of the CBS Television Stations, a division of CBS Corporation.