WXYZ-TV to Open Broadcast Studio in Detroit’s Chase Tower

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Nearly 70 years after WXYZ’s first broadcast took place inside the Maccabees Building in Midtown, Channel 7 is returning to Detroit and Woodward Avenue with a new studio in the lobby of Chase Tower.

While the ABC network affiliate’s main studios will remain in Southfield, the downtown location will be home to 7 Action News at Noon with anchor Joanne Purtan. It will also be used for other programming at the station and TV20 Detroit, as well as both stations’ digital platforms.

“This is a historic step in our mission to be the best station in Detroit and the best station for Detroit,” says Ed Fernandez, vice president and general manager of WXYZ-TV. “This studio will give 7 Action News viewers an exciting front-row seat to the city’s incredible rebirth and allow us to connect in meaningful new ways with people making a difference and guiding Detroit’s transformation.”

The glass-enclosed studio, at 611 Woodward Ave., will face Campus Martius Park, says Jim Ketai, co-founder and managing partner of Bedrock Real Estate Services, which acquired Chase Tower in April 2011. A 360-degree digital news ticker will be part of the studio, as well.

“With the station’s increased visibility in the heart of Detroit and live daily broadcasts, WXYZ’s new studio will be one of the most interesting and lively street-level additions to downtown,” Ketai says.

The design of the studio will honor the mid-century modern architecture of the Chase Tower, which was designed by the Detroit-based architecture firm of Albert Kahn Associates, and opened in 1959.