EMMY(R) AWARD WINNING JOURNALIST AND FORMER "ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT" ANCHOR, MARK STEINES NAMED HOST OF HALLMARK CHANNEL NETWORK'S NEW, ORIGINAL SERIES, "HOME & FAMILY"

Emmy(R) Award-winning journalist and former host of "Entertainment Tonight," Mark Steines, will host Hallmark Channel's new Fall lifestyle series, "Home & Family," it was announced today by Michelle Vicary, Executive Vice President, Programming, Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movie Channel. "Home & Family" premieres weekdays beginning October 1.

A groundbreaking new series that will premiere as part of Hallmark Channel's robust Lifestyle block of programming, "Home & Family" is 220 original two-hour shows over 44 weeks from award-winning production company Woody Fraser Productions ("Good Morning America," "Nightline," "The Dick Cavett Show"). The series is the ultimate destination for innovative home ideas and improvements, as well as being the place for the latest information, trends and products for everyone in the home.

One of the most trusted and charismatic figures in entertainment news today, Emmy(R) Award-winning journalist and ET co-anchor Mark Steines has earned the respect, admiration and trust of millions of viewers over the course of his career. A premiere industry reporter and insider for over a decade, Steines has established himself at the forefront of entertainment news with his signature one-on-one interviews of Hollywood's elite, and exclusive reporting of breaking news. He is married to former Miss America beauty Leanza Cornett, and the couple has two children.

"I'm thrilled to be hosting 'Home & Family,' said Mark Steines. "After years of reporting and anchoring for the #1 entertainment newsmagazine in the world, 'Home & Family' seems like the perfect fit for the next chapter in my career with issues that resonate strongly with where I am in my life. I look forward to joining the Hallmark family!"

"With our new Fall series, 'Home & Family' and 'Marie!', we are looking ambitiously for momentum, growth and opportunities to maximize viewership, and that brings us to the signing of superstar Mark Steines."

"Mark Steines is invited into millions of homes every night across America. To have a star of Mark's caliber host 'Home & Family' brings instant credibility because he is so loved and trusted, and the relationship Mark has with viewers allows the network to deliver a new program that can compete with everything else on TV from day one," Ms. Vicary concluded.

Hallmark Channel, owned and operated by Crown Media Holdings, Inc., is a 24-hour basic cable network that provides a diverse slate of high-quality entertainment programming available in high definition (HD) and standard definition (SD) to a national audience of 87 million subscribers. The top-tier program service is distributed through approximately 5,500 cable systems and communities as well as direct-to-home satellite services across the country. Hallmark Channel is the nation's leading destination for quality family programming with an ambitious slate of original TV movies and specials, as well as some of television's most beloved sitcoms and series, including The Golden Girls, Frasier, Little House on the Prairie, and The Waltons. Since 2010, Hallmark Channel has also been home to original daytime lifestyle programming and is debuting two new daily series, Home & Family and Marie!, on October 1, 2012. Hallmark Channel's sibling network is Hallmark Movie Channel, also available in HD and SD, which focuses on family-friendly movies with a mix of classic theatrical films, presentations from the acclaimed Hallmark Hall of Fame library, original Hallmark Channel movies and special events.