Regis celebrates 20 years of 'Live'

NEW YORK, Sept. 14 (UPI) -- The executive producer of "Live!" said Regis Philbin's New York-based syndicated talk show has always strived to focus on the upbeat and positive.

The show, which features Kelly Ripa as Philbin's co-host, celebrated its 20th year on the air Friday.

"We follow two hours of morning news on most channels ... We made the conscious decision years and years ago to really go positive," Michael Gelman told reporters in a recent phone interview. "You've seen all that and been brought down by all the bad news that's out there and now you tune into our show and you can be uplifted and have a couple of laughs for an hour."

"We sort of approach the show that way. It's like, 'Who can we entertain today?' We don't want to drag anybody down," Ripa added.

Gelman said the show's positive outlook also helps attract celebrity guests who don't want to discuss unflattering stories reported in the media.

"They know this is a non-threatening situation," Gelman said. "Regis and Kelly have that gift of gab that puts people at ease. ... They're here to plug their latest fun movie and we're not here to make them look bad."