ToolsOnAir Helps Cook Children's CLZ-TV Deliver the Gift of Healing
Coping with a life-threatening illness is a tremendous challenge for anyone, but it's particularly difficult for younger people. While most kids are enjoying the typical trappings of childhood, these young people are faced with the life-changing realities of doctors and specialists, poking and testing, and extended hospital stays.
It's a difficult situation even under the best of circumstances, but many medical professionals are looking for ways to improve the experience. Cook Children's Health Care System in Texas is one of a handful of exceptionally progressive organizations working to change the way young people are cared for. Catering exclusively to children from newborn to age 18, Cook Children's has ranked consistently among the top health care facilities in the US, as well as one of the best places to work in the nation. They have a very forward thinking philosophy here at Cook Children's, explains Shawn Griffith, Cook Children's Broadcast Studio Producer. The promise is that every child's life is sacred, and we will do whatever it takes to improve the health of every child. Part of that philosophy is to promote an environment that helps to promote normalcy and reduce the stress of the hospital routine. Griffith is part of the staff running the hospital's Child Life Zone, a 2400-square-foot facility that is open to patients and their families. As he explains, the CLZ is a self-declared no owie zone. A patient who's going through a stressful round of chemo treatment can come down to the Child Life Zone in their gown and PJs, and even though they may be pushing an IV pole, they can walk in here and be a kid again. They can play pool, video games, read books, meet their friends, get a plate of nachos basically, they can do things that are part of normal life. It gives them a respite from this overwhelming experience they're going through, and through that process they begin to heal, and more rapidly. The Child Life Zone is also home to a state-of-the-art multi-track recording studio and TV broadcast facility with multiple cameras and full HD ingest and playout capabilities. As Griffith observes, the facility is key to the healing process. The kids participate in every aspect of the station's operation, and that's exceptionally empowering for them. We create all the content ourselves, and we tailor it to the kids. We have game shows, talk shows, cooking shows, science shows, music shows, even a morning news and talk show. The studio is outfitted with Panasonic pedestal cameras and several remote cams, as well as a Mac Pro for ingest and another for playout. Both Macs are outfitted with ToolsOnAir's Broadcast Suite, a virtual TV Station in a Box that has dramatically changed the station's workflow and production capabilities. Using ToolsOnAir's just:in, the CLZ crew can easily involve every patient in the creative process, The kids can decide to do a show on pretty much anything that interests them, and we help them put it together, Griffith explains. They can host it here in the studio, or we can even bring our cameras into their room and enable them to become part of the action. Griffith points to the story of one patient who, he says, is fairly typical. We had one girl, confined to isolation, who was teaching herself origami while she was here. When I first went in to talk to her about it, the room was dark, the drapes were pulled, she was under the covers, just sitting there feeling gloomy. We took gear to her room, and had her host a show on origami right from her bed, and she just opened up. A couple of the nurses said to her, hey, I saw you on TV, you're a rock star!' It changed everything for her. When I go and visit her now, her drapes are open, she's dressing in flowery PJs, and she's always excited to show me her next project. It's a total 180-degree turnaround. Griffith cites the stability of ToolsOnAir's MacOS-based solution as an equally important factor for CLZ. We've attempted this kind of programming with other products, and the reliability simply wasn't there. There's nothing worse than going into a child's room, getting set up, and then having to make them wait or cancel it because we've got technical difficulty. ToolsOnAir's just:play is used to create the playlists that keep the station running 24/7. The workflow is so easy, the kids can come in here and in a few minutes they've learned how to put together a playlist, says Griffith. They sit down with me and we talk about what shows they liked, and they pick their favorite episodes. We have station IDs we've created with famous athletes, actors, and local celebrities, and they drag those into the timeline as well. I get them started on it, walk away for five minutes, and when I get back they've put together a full day's playlist. They see the results, and they can say, hey, I did that!' That makes a world of difference. The live graphics capabilities of just:play are another aspect of the program that help to create a unique atmosphere for the kids, some of whom are in quarantine for weeks at a time. During a live show, we've got kids watching up in their rooms who will call down to us and ask to give a shout out to a buddy in another room, or to their nurse, or someone else on staff. In about 30 seconds, I can put up a lower third with that shout out, and it's a great way for the kids to feel like they're not so isolated. Aside from versatility and a faster, more efficient workflow, Griffith says the ToolsOnAir system has enabled CLZ-TV to maintain a higher level of production value. The ease of use and production quality we're able to achieve is beyond anything we've
Europe Stories
09/11/2025
Dalet today announced a transformative leap forward for media operations: Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) that unifies the Dalet ecosystem under one natura...
06/10/2025
France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...
18/09/2025
Individual phones could be tracked back to specific residential addresses
Sm...
18/09/2025
September 18 2025, 04:20 (PDT) Dolby Atmos arrives in Maruti Suzuki Victoris, e...
17/09/2025
It was the ultimate convergence of pop culture and literary prestige: Last night, Dua Lipa brought her Service95 Book Club podcast to the stage for a special li...
17/09/2025
Transatlantic collaboration combines experience and agility to drive innovation in network design and delivery
Luxembourg, September 16, 2025 - SES, a leading ...
17/09/2025
Wednesday 17 September 2025
UK artists capture icons of stage and screen, inclu...
17/09/2025
For the Moon Safari anniversary tour, AIR opened the doors to their backstage. Just a few hours before the Paris concert, DPA met with two key figures of the te...
17/09/2025
Auditions will be held in Dublin, Cork and Galway
The County Parade returns f...
16/09/2025
Hace una d cada, la m sica latina representaba apenas el 8% de las reproducciones globales en Spotify. Hoy, constituye m s de una cuarta parte (27%) de toda la ...
16/09/2025
A decade ago, Latin music made up just 8% of global Spotify streams. Today, it a...
16/09/2025
Spotify is expanding our video lineup with a new partnership with Zoo 55, part of ITV Studios. For the first time, acclaimed content from ITV Studios is landing...
16/09/2025
Calrec has strengthened its collaboration with audio metering expert RTW by integrating RTW's new TMxCore metering platform across its full range of Argo IP...
16/09/2025
Leading space solutions company will use optical ground stations to deliver faster, more secure data from space
Luxembourg, September 15, 2025 - SES, a leading...
16/09/2025
Comscore Unveils The Scoreboard: An Interactive Destination Surfacing Consumer B...
15/09/2025
Global K-Pop sensation aespa is redefining what it means to be rich with the r...
15/09/2025
Every day, millions of people around the world turn to Spotify to enjoy the audi...
15/09/2025
After months of intensive planning and implementation, Brembo SGL Carbon Ceramic...
15/09/2025
Unique sports content orchestration platform builds momentum among SES's cus...
15/09/2025
-- Opens door to growth in renewable energy New Delhi, India - 15th September -- Global business and industry leaders from around the world are joining technol...
13/09/2025
Harmonic's Software-Based XOS Advanced Media Processor Provides Unparalleled Efficiency and Unlocks New Business Models SAN JOSE, Calif. - Sept. 13, 2025 -...
12/09/2025
For fans, we know how important it is to stay plugged into music culture and dis...
12/09/2025
Link ping, Sweden and Shipley, United Kingdom, September 12, 2025 - Agama, the expert in video observability and analytics for service quality and customer expe...
12/09/2025
Feature-length retrospective from Studio Crook to air in 2026
Sir David Jason returns to the nation's favourite comedy channel, U&GOLD, for Open All Hours:...
12/09/2025
Friday 12 September 2025
The Boomtown Rats, Nyah Grace, Soweto Kinch, Royal Ballet and Madness also announced to perform at the ceremony on Tuesday
Sky today ...
12/09/2025
Wuppertal September 12, 2025
Riedel Unveils Ultra-Light Bolero Mini Wireless Intercom BeltpackAt IBC2025 in Amsterdam, Riedel Communications unveiled Bolero M...
12/09/2025
Wuppertal September 12, 2025
Riedel Communications Acquires hi human interfaceRiedel Communications today announced the acquisition of hi human interface fro...
12/09/2025
CORE+ virtually removes distortion, setting a new standard for church sound and giving worship teams the clarity and confidence they need.
Read the full artic...
12/09/2025
The Late Late Show is back with a bang after the summer break, and Patrick Kielt...
12/09/2025
The World Athletics Championships, Ireland v France in the Women's Rugby World Cup quarter-final, the Irish Champions Festival, and two Sports Direct Men...
12/09/2025
The Records Show starts Sunday at 6.30pm on RT One and RT Player.
Katie Hanno...
11/09/2025
RADAR, Spotify's program for emerging talent, recently hit a major milestone...
11/09/2025
Link ping, Sweden, September 11, 2025 - Agama, the expert in video observability & analytics for service quality and customer experience, announced today the la...
11/09/2025
Under the USD 89.6 Million award, SES Space & Defense will provide global commer...
11/09/2025
Leading Balkan DTH provider adds capacity to consolidate its m:Sat TV platform at 23.5 degrees East and serve more customers across the region
Luxembourg, 11 S...
11/09/2025
UKTV's free streaming service U launches on Sky Q
Free streaming service U has launched on Sky Q in the UK, UKTV and Sky confirm today, expanding the footp...
11/09/2025
From the discreet 2061 lavaliers to 4099 and 4011 mics, the setup delivered clean, natural sound in one of the most challenging broadcast environments.
Read th...
11/09/2025
From rugged build quality to natural, detailed sound, the verdict is clear: big performance can come in a very small package.
Read the full review here!...
11/09/2025
Tonight on Prime Time
RT One and RT Player at 9:35pm
Tonight RT Prime Time...
11/09/2025
RT Statement: 2026 Eurovision Song Contest
At the General Assembly of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) in July, a number of EBU members raised concerns ...
10/09/2025
Lossless on Spotify Premium is here.
Lossless audio has been one of the most a...
10/09/2025
The Television Will Be Revolutionised Sep 10, 2025
Written by Sunit Kotecha, Director of Delivery and Operations, YouView
2025 marks a century since the f...
10/09/2025
First of Spains F110 frigates get future-ready with Rohde & Schwarz communicatio...
10/09/2025
Harmonic's cOS Platform Supports DOCSIS and Fiber, Enabling Midco to Deliver Reliable Multi-Gigabit Connectivity to Subscribers SAN JOSE, Calif. - Sept. 10,...
10/09/2025
RT brings three days of live radio, live entertainment, live news, live weather, personal appearances, and more
Join RT Radio 1: Morning Ireland, The Oliver ...
09/09/2025
Since 2020, Spotify's RADAR program has been a launchpad for emerging talent...
09/09/2025
In 2020, Spotify launched RADAR with a clear mission: to identify, nurture, and ...
09/09/2025
If you're on BookTok, you know the drill. You scroll, you tap, and suddenly your To Be Read list is overflowing with trending must-reads. Not unlike Spoti...
09/09/2025
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
ToolsOnAir Helps Cook Children's CLZ-TV Deliver the Gift of Healing 
