When Funmi Iyanda talks, everyone listens. They’ve just got to. Who can ignore the vivacious opinionated and fun-filled presenter who has invaded everyone’s homes successfully for four straight years? Much longer really! When newdawn, funmi’s Oprah style talk show first came on air, she shocked everyone (television critics and viewers at home) by braving out the most unconventional strategies in television presenting. Dancing in the morning on television (it’s a morning show) amongst other television irregularities, she is undisputedly the queen of Morning television.

Beginning humbly with an early morning (7am) slot on a less than cared for television station, she shot the television station and her hit morning show, then New Dawn on 10 to limelight with a viewer ship of over ten million people. Targeted at the day-to-day person on the street, the show featured life changing segments that influenced daily living.

The big break happened when NTA Network, the parent station of NTA 10 Which broadcasts to a pan- African audience (thanks to DSTV) picked New Dawn as part of the programmes to be aired on its newly constructed morning belt, strictly on merit. New dawn then and there scored a number of firsts’, one of which was the fact that it was the only independently produced television show on the highly competitive morning belt of the network service. It had finally arrived.

When the show’s producers came up with the new by-line "New dawn- the movement… the spirit!" one could immediately identify with the soap opera style television show whose producers and viewers alike had nurtured and watched grow up. When Funmi Iyanda cried on air as the show was to take an impromptu hiatus, the viewers cried along with her. When she came back on air rejoicing, the viewers rejoiced with her. Then the reality hit home, four years from the opening show, Newdawn with Funmi, the show’s producers, viewers and all had finally become a movement…a spirit!