Feel the Beat…Tempo
Get ready to rock out October 27 in St. Croix, USVI! MTV’s new television network, Tempo, will host a blowout premier party and concert near the Frederiksted pier. The theme of the great extravaganza is “Caribbean Rising” and all musical performers will be local artists, from quelbe and steel pan to calypso and reggae. The concert will feature the popular USVI bands Xtaushun, Xpress Band, Midnight Band and Stanley, and the Ten Sleepless Knights.
"This will be a celebration of local talent," senior vice president and general manager Frederick Morton, Jr. explained. "There are so many talented artists across the Caribbean that have performed in different countries but have never achieved any recognition. With this network, those artists will now have that platform."
The new Tempo network will be offered as part of basic cable in late October, and it will be dedicated to all things Caribbean. People across the nation can watch Tempo and gain a pan-Caribbean perspective on music, food, travel, sports, culture and news.
The advertiser-supported Tempo network will target a broad audience, age 18 to 54, focusing greatly on the 18 to 34 demographic. MTV recognized that the Caribbean is making important contributions to world and pop culture, and demographic trends in the region forecast much more to come. Potential Tempo audience in the Caribbean has been estimated at 2 million households, and once the network expands in 2006 into U.S. markets, it will have an immediate audience of 8 to 10 million Caribbean people living in the States.
The highly anticipated launch party and concert will be held in the US Virgin Islands in part because Innovative Cable TV of the Virgin Islands was the first cable operator committed to offering the network. Jennifer Matarangas-King, president and general manager of Innovative Cable TV expressed that Frederiksted in St. Croix, USVI was the obvious choice for location of the concert. "The business-owners and residents are excited and so proud of Frederiksted," she said.
The concert and party will be huge! Over 1,000 people- everyone who is anyone in the Caribbean- will be in attendance, celebrating the Tempo premier in style.
Additional concerts celebrating the Tempo launch will be held in Jamaica, Trinidad, Barbados, Nevis, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and St. Martin and will be filmed for future programming.
Comments
Awesome!!! From browsing the USVI calendar of events, and now this article, I am realizing what an artful treasure the US Virgin Islands are. They seem to really be creatively infused with tons of music and the arts events. I wish that I lived on St. Croix! I really want to go to a St. Croix Jump Up and dance in the streets at 4 am, then hit the MTV Tempo premier concert and maybe even take in a night of inspiring classical melodies at the Candelight Concert at the Whim weekend series.
Posted by: Liz | October 5, 2005 12:59 PM