Da New Live Beats How it all started

A philosopher once argued that the important thing is not what you know but what you can do with the things you know.

Cally Ikpe, the producer cum presenter of Live Beats from the very beginning knew he had a dream on how to change the face of music presentation on television in Nigeria and pursued it vigorously till October 14th1995 when it became a reality and finally debuted on NTA 2 Channel 5.

The enthusiasm and accolades that greeted the programme was unprecedented and the trio of Bolarin, the water exponent, Zakari Mohammed, the ace broadcaster and veteran journalist cum publisher, Kunle Bakare, all made history as the first set of guests to grace the programme.

However, the programme, which was then a live telecast also had room for live performances and also gave a lot of up and coming artistes the much needed platform to showcase their abundant talents. Notable among these acts that are making waves today were The Plantashun Boiz, Daddy Fresh, Daddy Showkey, Baba Fryo, and a host of others.

Again, in keeping pace with the modern trends in music presentation globally, the programme was repackaged and repositioned in order to be all encompassing. And this change gave birth to new segments such as: The Billboard Top Ten singles (now First Eleven Singles and Tracks), Live Beats Top 5 Videos alongside a broader coverage of the entertainment news. These laudable changes also led to the programme being re-christened Da New Live Beats with the main objective of achieving a level pedestal for both Nigerian musicians and their foreign counterparts.

Still in the spirit of moving forward and making noticeable impacts in the Nigerian music industry, Da New Live Beats alongside Hip-Hop World, its print contemporary celebrated a joint third anniversary in 1997. Even though low keyed, the turn out was impressive with lots of major players in the industry turning out en masse.

Again, in 1998, the award winning show went through some necessary transformations, which led to its resorting to pre recording. Many criticised the decision initially but later applauded it for helping them achieve crispy pictures and packages.

And when Da New Live Beats clocked 8 in 2003, it rolled out the drums for an elaborate celebration at the pool terrace of Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.

And 12 years this 2007, Da New Live Beats unarguably the longest running music programme on television in Nigeria today, has continued to remain relevant and broadcast mainly on the AIT network with heterogeneous audience in Lagos, Jos, Abuja, Kaduna, Kano, Port-Hacourt, Edo North central and other neighbouring cities.

The show is also syndicated on ITV Benin, Star TV Enugu, NTA: Calabar, Uyo, Akure, Makurdi, Lokoja, Yenegoa and MBI Lagos. It is also available on DSTV and viewed in parts of Europe and America via globecast.

And its main objective remains keeping audience entertained and informed about developments in the show biz circuit, blending in the process sounds and images from Nigeria and abroad in a manner that promotes healthy competition. We won’t stop the music flow!