
Progress on TCU's Amon G. Carter Stadium Continues After Streak of Bad Weather The multimillion-dollar expansion will be completed in time for the 2020 season By Kristian Hernandez, Associate Editor
Thursday, October 17, 2019 - 10:27 am
Print This Story
Story Highlights
Texas Christian University (TCU) football has had its fair share of greats since its inception in 1896. The Davey O'Brien Award, given to the best collegiate quarterback in the nation, is the namesake of the institution's first Heisman Trophy winner. At the NFL level, LaDainian Tomlinson is a Pro Football Hall of Famer and considered one of the greatest halfbacks of all time.
TCU is updating Amon G. Carter Stadium to the tune of $100 million.
To match the legacy of these individuals and the program, as well as to satisfy the voracious appetite of Horned Frog fans, Amon G. Carter Stadium is continuing a $100 million expansion project whose completion has been impeded by rough weather in the area.
We managed to get the new videoboard installation done in time for our first game [vs. Arkansas - Pine Bluff on Saturday, Aug. 31] since that was the first priority, says Drew Dennison, director, video production, TCU. The new suites that are being installed are not done yet, but, other than the televisions that will be in those suites, all other visible videoboard displays are complete and fully operational.
The Best for Frog Fans: Upgraded Videoboard Improves Visuals
As with anything in Texas, bigger is always better. In 2012, Amon G. Carter Stadium went through a $164 million rebuild to coincide with the university's first season in the Big 12 conference. Seven years later, TCU's latest construction is led by completion of the main videoboard at the north end zone. The 108- x 48-ft. LED display covering 5,500 sq. ft. of vertical space was facilitated by Southpaw Sports & Entertainment (formerly the Live Event portion of Panasonic's Sports and Entertainment Business Unit). With Southpaw on board, the university underwent a transformation that entailed getting the production crew up to speed and transitioning the style of content that would be used on the videoboard.
We had to do a mixture of in-house creation for Creatives, a tech company that came in and worked with our [ChyronHego ClickEffects] CrossFire representatives, says Dennison. We also hired out-of-house, local artists that were able to develop our display for the videoboard. We moved from physical sponsorship on the old board for six permanent sponsors to a digital platform as a lower third.
The mechanics of the in-venue show is done onsite in a strip studio above the press boxes inside the stadium. On the west side of the field, the operations room is using ClickEffects CrossFire and Blaze systems for sponsorship graphics and has nearly full visibility of all available LED displays (except the west-side boards, which are directly below it) on game day.
The actual game production is facilitated by an offsite team located in the J.M. Moudy North Visual Arts and Communication Building. Inside the control room, camera replays and switching are connected to the stadium via fiber.
Altering the Philosophy: Installation Prompts New Tradition
At the collegiate level, traditions run deep. As the architectural landscape shifts, though, the in-venue production team adapts customs and philosophies to capitalize on the stadium's new toys.
Our game-day production has changed because of [this project], says Dennison. The biggest operational change would have to be in the pregame. We implemented an earlier approach to the intro video; it's no longer calling the team out. Our newest installation was three tunnel cameras: when the intro video completes, we lead our fans into a chant, and we're able to cut into live tunnel shots that show the team coming out and getting ready in the tunnel. That's kind of a new tradition we're trying to build here.
Football broadcasts are produced by an offsite studio inside J.M. Moudy North Visual Arts and Communication Building.
In addition to in-game execution, preparation for prepackaged content has changed as well. In a more open stadium, constant audio problems prevented videoboard material from being sound-based. Now the creatives on staff can leverage their new audio-friendly confines.
We would avoid making video content that was narrative or voiceover driven, Dennison recalls. [After] our initial testing before our first game, the acoustics are miles better. We've had no complaints. In the past, we might've heard a few things.
Inside Reimagined Frog Alley: Getting Crowds To Arrive Earlier
As with many professional venues across the country, organizations have poured money into developing surrounding live-entertainment districts. In the collegiate circuit, that out-of-stadium activity before (and sometimes after) the game has been affectionately known throughout history as the tailgate. The Grove at Ole Miss is one legendary locale that attracts fans and their festivities before doors open. Frog Alley, the go-to spot for TCU fans prior to all home games, is still going strong during the current season and will expand towards Amon G. Carter's east side when construction wraps up to provide even more fun. Starting three hours before kickoff, some of these amenities include food, drinks, live music by the TCU Marching Band, and the opportunity to welcome the team into the stadium.
Since we are elevating the stadium on the east side, Frog Alley also gets a facelift, says Dennison. [The expansion] will create a better game-day experience and [can] also potentially draw revenue and retain more people at the stadium during the pregame.
Construction Continues: Expansion Injects Atmosphere Sound and Comfort
The new seating area may not be populated unti
Most recent headlines
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 ...
13/09/2025
ATLANTA Cox Media Group has announced that the company's vice president of news, Misty Turnbull has been inducted into the National Academy of Television Ar...
13/09/2025
AMSTERDAM Shotoku Broadcast Systems, a major developer of robotic systems, has announced plans to take studio robotics to the next level at IBC2025 by debuting ...
13/09/2025
At IBC2025 in Amsterdam, Riedel Communications unveiled Bolero Mini, the company's lightest and flattest wireless intercom beltpack to date. Designed to del...
13/09/2025
Shotoku Broadcast Systems, the international developer of dependable, userfriendly robotic systems, is taking studio robotics to the next level at IBC 2025 with...
13/09/2025
Bitmovin, a leading provider of video streaming solutions, today released the 9th annual Video Developer Report 2025/26, offering an in-depth look at the evolvi...
13/09/2025
Bitmovin, the leading provider of video streaming solutions, today announced a strategic partnership with StreamShark, the trusted video platform for enterprise...
13/09/2025
Ikegami has chosen IBC 2025 in Amsterdam as the launch venue for a major addition to its range of viewfinders. The new VFE-P711AD is a 7-inch high resolution OL...
13/09/2025
Founder-led Merger to Fast Track R&D, Asset Library Upgrades, Tools and More; No Disruption to Pricing or Support for Users
Today, KitBash3D, a pioneer in 3D a...
13/09/2025
With NDI certification, Atomos integration, Grass Valley collaboration, and a new Monitor app, at this year's IBC, Mavis is showcasing a series of powerful...
13/09/2025
Creamsource, maker of artisan LED lighting for film and television, has unveiled the Vortex24 Soft (V24S), a 1950W native soft light and the largest soft source...
13/09/2025
When international sports streaming service DAZN secured the global rights to the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup football tournament, it set out to deliver an unmatch...
13/09/2025
Riedel Communications today announced the acquisition of hi human interface from Broadcast Solutions, bringing a powerful, vendor-agnostic control system to it...
13/09/2025
Building on its long-term relationship with audio metering specialist RTW, Calrec has integrated the company's brand new TMxCore metering platform across it...
13/09/2025
Calrec is expanding its family of future-ready self-contained Argo M control surfaces at IBC2025, with the addition of a brand new powerful 48-fader console. Co...
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 -...
13/09/2025
Researchers find brain region that fuels compulsive drinking Study by Scripps Research scientists shows how the brain learns to seek alcohol for relief, not jus...
12/09/2025
College Football Kickoff 2025: Fox Sports Ups Look as Canon, Sony Power Shallow ...
12/09/2025
ABC/ESPN Excited For WNBA Postseason Coverage In Revamped FormatThe Finals moves to a best-of-seven series in 2025By Mark J Burns, SVG Contributor
Friday, Sep...
12/09/2025
(L-R) Jade Croot, Rosy McEwen, and Bryn Chainey attend the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Rabbit Trap at Eccles Theatre on January 24, 2025, in Park ...
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
IBC2025 began on Sept. 12, with exhibits and conferences running through Sept. 15 at the RAI Amsterdam Convention Center. Explore the full TV Tech coverage of t...
12/09/2025
The Best Fictional Bands (and the Artists Who Make Them Great) With Spinal Tap II: The End Continues hitting theaters and songs from KPop Demon Hunters ruling...
12/09/2025
Industry veteran Tom Baldassare has joined Advanced Systems Group, LLC (ASG), a technology and services provider for media creatives and content owners, as a Se...
12/09/2025
Maxon, maker of powerful, approachable software solutions for creators working in 2D and 3D design, motion graphics, visual effects, and more, today announced a...
12/09/2025
PlayBox Neo, a leading provider of media playout solutions, has partnered with AI-Media, pioneering developers of AI-powered captioning technology, to integrate...
12/09/2025
Dalet today announced a transformative leap forward for media operations: Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) that unifies the Dalet ecosystem under one natura...
12/09/2025
New alliance strengthens the IT channel in Germany and Switzerland in protecting business-critical SaaS data.
Keepit, the world s only independent, cloud-nativ...
12/09/2025
Fincons Group, an international IT business consultancy and systems integrator company with more than 40 years of experience in the market, is proud to announce...
12/09/2025
Following its acquisition of Telemetrics, EVS continues its push into robotics with an announcement at IBC2025 that it is acquiring XD motion....
12/09/2025
TORONTO The North American Broadcasters Association (NABA) has announced the appointment of Eduardo Ruiz Sanchez, deputy director, broadcast operations at Telev...
12/09/2025
Ed Miller, a longtime broadcast engineer in Ohio and a former national president of the Society of Broadcast Engineers, has died....
12/09/2025
AMSTERDAM At this year's IBC2025, the Advanced HDR by Technicolor initiative will be pushing broadcasters to adopt a more dynamic, frame-by-frame conversion...
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
September 12th, 2025
Tribeca X and The Female Quotient to Host Powerhouse Em...
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
Back to All News
New International Crime Series Road (WT)' Explores Twiste...
12/09/2025
Back to All News
First Look: Thai Crime Drama Everybody Loves Me When I'm ...
12/09/2025
Back to All News
Netflix Marks 10 Years in Japan, Announces Three New Series Th...
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
Report: Busy Live Sports Streaming Execs Have Low-hanging Fruit' in Front o...
11/09/2025
Inside Game Creek Video's Big Week as Ovation, Flagship Make NFL DebutsBy Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director
Thursday, September 11, 2025 - 7:00 am
Pr...
11/09/2025
NFL Kickoff 2025: Prime Sports Starts New Season at Lambeau Field; Sets Sights o...