More than 3,000 fans were seated and hundreds more were standing not far away as the show went to air live at 10 a.m. on CTV in Canada and ABC in the United States.
Crowds started to gather in the showers Sunday evening to see this morning’s LIVE! With Regis and Kelly being broadcast on the Charlottetown waterfront.
Fans of the show spent the night in breezy, humid conditions in order to get the best seats for those with tickets, get first in line to replace no–shows, or be part of the background crowd for standees.
By 7 a.m., more than 1,000 fans had already gathered at Confederation Landing Park and there was a steady flow of people streaming towards the park while other Islanders headed to work.
Various local radio shows were brodcasting live from the waterfront as part of the media frenzy surrounding the show, while CTV's Canada AM is also originating from the waterfront.
Rain had been forecast for today but the weatherman has co-operated as the showers have dissipated and the morning broke under cloudy skies with a few sunny breaks and temperatures at a comfortable 21 C.
Winds were southwest at 22 km/h with gusts to 33 kmh.
The forecast is even better for Tuesday with a mix of sun and clouds.
Four shows will be broadcast from Charlottetown with approximately 3,000 fans able to be seated for each show. The program is carried on CTV in Canada.
Today’s first show starts at 10 a.m., with a taping live at 12:30 p.m. to be broadcast Wednesday.
On Tuesday, there is another live show at 10 a.m. with a taping at 12:30 p.m. to be shown Thursday.
Police have parts of Water Street, lower Prince Street, Great George and parts of other downtown streets blocked off. Fans are encouraged to park at the Charlottetown Civic Centre with shuttle bus service being offered to get fans to the Confederation Landing Park.
A huge gazebo is set up as the stage for the ABC/Disney production, one of North America’s most popular daytime talk shows.
Celebrity sightings were reported from several places around the Island on the weekend as special segments were recorded for the show, segments that will promote P.E.I. to an audience of millions of potential visitors from across the United States and Canada.
One of the most familiar faces seen this past weekend was that of the show’s executive producer, Michael Gelman.
Gelman, it can be argued, has one of the best jobs in television.
And he’s earned it.
Good morning Island Friends! It's Mark Hierlihy in Toronto. I think it's a great and fresh new approach for PEI to market itself with the likes of Regis and Kelly. If it helps - lots of people are talking about it here. It's great advertising for my home province of PEI. Enjoy your summer. Mark