Miami's glamour and allure have always been a can't-miss backdrop for MTV. The cable TV giant will bank on South Florida once again -- this time to add a measure of spice to one of its most ambitious ventures, a new network in the Caribbean. Tempo, MTV's foray into a fledging market, will debut next month with performances by marquee names in Caribbean music and one of the biggest block parties this side of the Atlantic: Miami Carnival, whose climax is on Sunday. Party tour guides include South Florida disc jockeys Supa Cindy and Papa Keith, both of Caribbean descent, who have been introducing the music to urban listeners. ''The carnival baby has grown up,'' said Selman Lewis, chief organizer and founder of Miami Carnival, which is celebrating its 21st anniversary at downtown Miami's Bicentennial Park. ``If you look at where we are today, economically, socially and culturally, MTV is really the vehicle by which we are all measured. The exposure that will bring is just tremendous.'' While Caribbean Americans and their music have long been around, in recent years the two have burst onto American pop culture radar as mainstream radio stations, hip-hop artists and cable networks such as MTV have featured the genre. ''The culture has been bubbling for a long time. And to some extent it's been so ingrained in the fabric that it hasn't been recognized,'' said Frederick Morton, senior vice president and general manager of Tempo, who conceived the network idea. ``This is pretty historical. Tempo is about all things Caribbean and the whole Caribbean.'' For now, the cable TV network will debut in 500,000 households in about 20 markets across the Caribbean on Nov. 21, including Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, St. Kitts and Nevis, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, St. Maarten and the U.S. Virgin island of St. Croix. By next year, Morton said, he hopes to have Tempo in every satellite and cable household in the Caribbean and introduce it in the United States. Providing the station's flavor will be seven veejays of various Caribbean backgrounds, including Miami-born Supa Cindy, who is half-Haitian and half-Dominican, and Papa Keith, a native New Yorker of Trinidadian descent. While working on competing urban stations, WEDR 99 JAMZ and WMIB-FM/103.5 The Beat Miami, respectively, they will team up this weekend -- and on Tempo -- as they follow the parade of scantily-dressed masqueraders and frenzied flag-waving revelers jumping from fete to fete. ''I am super-excited,'' said the Spanish-speaking Supa Cindy, who is looking to bring her ''Hispanic and Haitian flavor'' to the new channel. Though ''The Multicultural Mami'' continues to love her hip-hop and plans to keep her day job for now, she applauds MTV's devotion to ``covering calypso and soca.'' Papa Keith, who provided a showcase for Caribbean music on his island beat show, said Tempo is a huge feat for Latin and West Indian culture. ''It is major recognition for us as a Caribbean people,'' he said, noting he will commute back and forth for taping. Morton doesn't disagree. The contributions of people of Caribbean descent, from Harry Belafonte and Maya Angelou to Doug E. Fresh and the Notorious B.I.G., have laid the groundwork for Tempo, he said. After showcasing the glitz and gyrations of Miami Carnival, Tempo's veejays will jet across the region in the coming weeks to host a seven-island launch party featuring concert performances by Elephant Man and Jimmy Cliff in Jamaica; Rupee and Edwin Yearwood in Barbados; Wyclef Jean and Beres Hammond in Nevis; Machel Montano and Doug E. Fresh in Trinidad and Tobago; and Haiti's Sweet Mickey in St. Maarten. ''We have more in common in the Caribbean than we have in differences, regardless if you are from the Dominican Republic or Jamaica. We can rally around the same thing, bacalao or salt fish, it's the same thing,'' said Morton, 36, a St. Croix native and student of Caribbean history. Tempo's mission, he said, will be both to educate and entertain. It will not only provide a showcase for reggaeton, soca, zouk, bachata, konpa, reggae and dancehall, but will tell the story of Caribbean people and artists in scenes reminiscent of VH1's Behind the Music. Miami Carnival, he said, offers Tempo the opportunity ``to tell the story of the Caribbean people coming up and making an impact in the diaspora. It's about Caribbean folks exporting culture, keeping it together and adding to the economic viability of the area where they live.'' Many artists welcome the added exposure Tempo will bring. ''There are some major similarities in the West Indian people that need to be highlighted and may be highlighted through the music and through what MTV is doing,'' said Yearwood, a VP recording artist and Barbados native who will be among the dozens of artists getting carnival fans worked up this weekend. Reprinted from miami.com