Dream Big Studio: Television and Radio Studio for Kids

The Dream Big Studio at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh is part of Creative and Expressive Arts Therapy (CEAT). It's an independent TV and radio studio supported through philanthropy.

Dream Big teaches children through entertainment and peer interaction.

The programs we air are specially crafted to meet the interests of our patients and to promote normalization and development while admitted to the hospital.

DBS encourages engagement in the clinical setting so that our patients may enhance their self-esteem, gain a sense of mastery and dream big!

What Kids Can Do in the Dream Big Studio

Children who come to the studio get hands-on experience by having the chance to:

Host a show of their choice! Whether our patients prefer radio or TV, we have a variety of hosting opportunities available to serve their interests.
Help with production by learning about TV and radio equipment from our very own Video Producer!

Types of programs you can expect include:

Live cooking, science, art, or music shows.
Live game shows with open phone lines and prizes delivered by staff.
Taped shows featuring sites around Pittsburgh and studio production.

This closed-circuit, in-house station also allows us to host visitors — including celebrities!

Programs for children in isolation

Imagine being in the hospital for a long stay, and you can't leave your room. At home, you're at school and around other kids, but then you're suddenly isolated.

These can be stressful times for kids and can cause them to feel lonely.

When we designed our studio, we had these children in mind.

Dream Big gives those in isolation a way to reach beyond their hospital rooms and connect with other kids.

From their rooms, children can tune in to Channel 1 to see our taped and live shows. Patients receive bedside kits of all the materials they’ll need to follow along with our hosts. Using the studio’s call-in feature, they can hear their voice live on air and talk with the patient hosts!

We Want Your Child's Ideas

Our station is always looking for new content.

We want to include new and fresh talent, ideas, on-air personalities, and listeners who might call into a show.

If your child has an idea for a show on Channel 1 — Dream Big, ask staff for a consult with our team or email studio staff directly to share your feedback. Emails can be found below under, “Our Staff”.

Dream Big Studio Hours

We're open Monday through Friday, 7:30am to 3:30pm.

You can find our live shows on a public calendar available at each inpatient unit HUC station. If you’re interested, ask staff to consult with our team. We’ll invite you to come tour and see how we make our shows during our “Backstage Pass” time.