Livewire is a kids' talk show on the U.S. television cable network, Nickelodeon which began in September 1980 and ended in 1985. Livewire was a talk show for kids of all ages, and the show's main focus discussed true current events and stories during those times. The show was taped at the Reeves Teletape in New York (where Sesame Street was also filmed) with a live audience of about 20-30 teenagers and was hosted initially by Mark Cordray, but Fred Newman eventually replaced Cordray as host. The show was a CableACE Award winner, the first Nickelodeon talk show to achieve that feat. Livewire was the #1 rated show on Nickelodeon in 1982, and never went below #7 in the ratings during the 5 year span of the show.
The show was most famously known for giving relatively unknown bands and singers their first television appearance. Bands and celebrities who got their start on Livewire and those who had made an appearance on Livewire included:
- Bow Wow Wow
- Buckner and Garcia
- Comateens
- Manowar
- The Lords of the New Church
- The Psychedelic Furs
- The Ramones
- R.E.M.
- Split Enz
- Twisted Sister
- LaZOO
- The cast of You Can't Do That on Television
- Stephanie Mills
- Billy Squire
- David Liederman
- Robert Truax
- Adam Abeshouse
- The Pink Ladies from Grease 2
- Sugar Hill Gang
- Jackie Torrence
- Bill Irwin
- Alieen Quinn
- June Foray
- Valerie Landsburg
- Lee Curreri
- Albert Hague
- Tom Savini
- Errol Manoff and the Fantasy Factory
- DJ Jazzy Jay
- Afrika Bambaata