Ben Mulroney Heads to Banff to Co-Host LIVE! WITH KELLY, April 5 on CTV

- Co-host announcement was revealed exclusively on ETALK tonight -
- LIVE! WITH KELLY to broadcast from Banff, AB from April 2-5 -

To tweet this release: http://bit.ly/yoGCqI

TORONTO, March 15, 2012 /CNW/ - As announced exclusively on CTV's ETALK tonight, ETALK co-anchor Ben Mulroney has been chosen to join LIVE! WITH KELLY host Kelly Ripa as co-host on the popular daytime talk show, Thursday, April 5 at 9 a.m. ET on CTV, in the show's finale episode from Banff, AB (visit CTV.ca to confirm local broadcast times). As announced on March 5, LIVE! WITH KELLY will make Banff its home for four shows airing to its North American audience April 2 - 5 from the Eric Harvie Theatre at The Banff Centre, a national arts training center located in the heart of the Canadian Rockies in Banff.

Following Regis Philbin's departure last November, LIVE! WITH KELLY began introducing different co-hosts daily - including Neil Patrick Harris, Kristin Chenoweth, Alec Baldwin, Jim Parsons, Jonah Hill and Lucy Liu - and now CTV's Ben Mulroney will join the distinguished list. CTV's ETALK has a long standing relationship with LIVE!, covering the show during visits to Prince Edward Island in 2010 and its stops in Niagara Falls. Ben has interviewed Kelly and her former co-host Regis numerous times.

**Media Note** Photography for LIVE! WITH KELLY and ETALK is available online at BellMediaPR.ca

"I've always admired Ben's work," said Michael Gelman, Executive Producer, LIVE! WITH KELLY. "He's a great host, he's very personable, he has a great sense of humour, and he's a good family man. I think all of those things put together will give him great chemistry with Kelly, and I think he'll be a great host." 

"Kelly Ripa and Michael Gelman are quite simply the best at what they do, and they do it with charm, humour and an energy all their own," said Ben Mulroney. "Canada loves LIVE! WITH KELLY, as does ETALK, and it will be a great honour to sit next to Kelly and soak up anything and everything she and Michael have to offer!"

ETALK will be on the ground with LIVE! WITH KELLY for all the fun and excitement in Banff, with Ben anchoring ETALK on location on Friday, March 30 and Monday, April 2 at 7 p.m. ET on CTV.

Additional LIVE! WITH KELLY co-hosts as well as celebrity guests for the Banff shows will be announced in the coming weeks. Kelly and her co-hosts will also head out of The Banff Centre to experience Banff National Park's wonderland of winter sports, in what's sure to be an awe-inspiring backdrop for exciting outdoor adventures.

LIVE! WITH KELLY's remote broadcasts are made possible by Travel Alberta, the tourism marketing agency of the Government of Alberta, and its tourism industry partners. Located in the heart of western Canada, the province of Alberta is bordered by the Canadian Rocky Mountains to the west, the rolling prairies to the east and the state of Montana to the south. For more information about the authentic winter experiences and breathtaking landscapes that will be the backdrop for LIVE! WITH KELLY in Alberta, visit TravelAlberta.com and http://travelalberta.tumblr.com.

LIVE! WITH KELLY is distributed in national syndication by Disney-ABC Domestic Television. Produced by WABC-TV in New York and executive produced by Michael Gelman, LIVE! WITH KELLY airs in more than 200 markets across the U.S. and on CTV in Canada. Visit LIVE! WITH KELLY on the web at livewithkelly.tv.

Episodes of ETALK are available on demand the day following their television broadcast on the CTV Video Player at CTV.ca. Viewers can also get up-to-the-minute entertainment news by following ETALK on Twitter at @etalkctv. ETALK airs weeknights at 7 p.m. ET on CTV and 6 p.m. ET on E! (visit CTV.ca and eonline.ca to confirm local broadcast times).

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:
Twitter -
@CTV_PR
@CTV_Television
@etalkCTV
@LiveKelly
@KellyRipa
@BenMulroney1976

Facebook -
facebook.com/ctv

About ETALK
Hosted by Ben Mulroney and Tanya Kim, ETALK is the #1 most-watched entertainment newsmagazine in Canada. From the Oscars^® and the Emmys^® to the JUNO Awards, ETALK is front-and-centre, delivering up-to-the-minute news in film, television, music and more. Celebrating both home-grown talent and international stars, ETALK became Canada's first daily Canadian entertainment newsmagazine when it launched in 2002. ETALK airs weeknights at 7 p.m. ET (check local listings) on CTV and at 6 p.m. ET on E!

About CTV
CTV, Canada's Olympic Network, is also Canada's largest private broadcaster. Featuring a wide range of quality news, sports, information, and entertainment programming, CTV is Canada's most-watched television network and lead broadcaster of the London 2012 Olympic Games. CTV is a division of Bell Media, Canada's premier multimedia company with leading assets in television, radio and digital. Bell Media is owned by BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada's largest communications company. More information about CTV can be found on the network's website at ctv.ca.

Christy Sullivan, CTV and CTV Two, 416.384.3624 or [email protected]
Allie Page, CTV and CTV Two, 416.384.4596 or [email protected]