Sept. 29, 2006 — Over the past year, Tempo has become a voice for the people of the Caribbean, Frederick Morton Jr., the channel's founder and senior vice president, said at a promotional event Thursday evening at the Reichold Center for the Arts.
"When we first started the channel almost a year ago, I had no idea what it meant," he said during a brief interview. "Now, people are telling me that they wake up to Tempo in the morning and go to bed with Tempo during the evening. That tells me we're on the right track, that we're doing the right thing."
Morton, who is in the territory promoting the channel's one-year anniversary, was all smiles as he spoke, stopping at times to shake hands or laugh with the throngs of residents gathered Thursday evening. "It's wonderful to see the impact we've had throughout our community," he added.
When asked how he felt about the channel's "first birthday," Morton laughed, replying, "How do I feel? How do I look? It's fantastic."
Morton's enthusiasm was contagious. In all corners of the center, residents were laughing or dancing to the calypso music blaring from speakers set up backstage. Morton himself was even seen moving to the beat later in the evening, when soca star Denise Belfon performed a number of songs for the crowd– including the much-played "Saucy Baby."
Tempo's crew was also filming during the event, capturing interviews conducted with Morton, or comments made by various residents. According to Morton, the footage will be played on the channel to help promote Tempo's one-year anniversary event, which will be held Nov. 4 at Cramer's Park on St. Croix.
When addressing the crowd Thursday, Morton said the November event will bring Tempo full circle. "We launched the channel on St. Croix, at an event held on the Frederiksted Pier," he said. "For the end of our first year, we're bringing it right back to the V.I."
Morton said the event will also bring "huge" publicity for the Virgin Islands, drawing in large numbers of residents from other Caribbean Islands. He added that viewers will also have the opportunity to win an "all-expenses-paid trip" to St. Croix to attend the event.
According to a press release issued by the network, the celebration will be an "exciting weekend of special guests, parties, promotions and surprises." Musical performers will include Morgan Heritage, Alison Hinds, Machel Montano and Belfon, among others.
"We're turning one — it's such an amazing thing. Happy Birthday Tempo," Morton said Thursday, adding that the channel has grown over the past year, attracting approximately 1.5 million viewers in 20 islands throughout the Caribbean.
"It just goes to show you that you can come from a very small island and still make a huge impact on the world," Morton, who hails from St. Croix, said. "And we have so much more planned for our viewers during the next year, so just keep watching."
"It's been a long journey, but it's been very rewarding," he added later. "It's wonderful being able to give the Caribbean people something that truly is for them something that celebrates our similarities and our rich culture. And the experience I've had over the past year has made me realize that the sky really is the limit."
Sponsors for the first-anniversary event include: Innovative Cable, American Airlines, the V.I. government, Divi Carina Bay Resort, the University of the Virgin Islands, West Indies Corporation Hennessy & Carlsberg Beer, JKC Communications, Cruzan Rum, Budget Rental Car, Billy Ds Special Tees, V.I. Hotel & Tourism Association, the Reichhold Center for the Arts, and FirstBank V.I.
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