Two big names in music are celebrating a big addition to a North Texas hospital.
Radio and television host Ryan Seacrest and Grand Prairie-native Selena Gomez cut the ribbon on a state-of-the-art broadcast studio inside Children's Medical Center.
The studio will air children's programming to patients who are unable to leave their rooms and the addition includes an outdoor performance stage so that visiting musicians can host concerts for patients.
Seacrest said the idea for the studio came from bored, hospitalized children who needed something to do while battling their illness.
"We decided to build these studios where they [kids] can come and they can participate if they can leave their rooms, if they can't they can also participate through their televisions and phones. Every room is going to have the program wired into their room -- the phones connect to the studio so they to can participate. So everybody can be involved," Seacrest said Wednesday in Dallas.
The Ryan Seacrest Foundation has now build three studios in the U.S. so far and Seacrest said he hoped to have eventually built 10. For the Dallas location, Seacrest tossed the credit to Gomez.
"This is one of the best facilities in the country, as those who have used it know. It's also the hometown of Selena, and she said to me about a year ago, 'If you're going to open more would you consider doing it in my hometown ... I'd like to be a part of that,' so, here we are," Seacrest said.
“The studio will be a hub of activity,” said Ben Retta, senior director of support services for Children’s, in a statement published on their website. “The purpose will be to uplift the spirits of the patients, families and staff. The programming will have a positive impact and allow patients some normalcy while dealing with a chronic illness. It gives us a unique opportunity to enhance the patient-family experience here at Children’s and to provide a virtual playroom for children.”
In a statement on their web site, the Ryan Seacrest Foundation says the group "is a non-profit organization dedicated to inspiring today’s youth through entertainment and education focused initiatives."
