This classic scene features holiday music every Christmas to viewers of WPIX-TV in New York since 1966 and again since 2001 after a eleven year absence from television screens.

"The Yule Log" is a television program which airs traditionally on either Christmas Eve and/or Christmas morning on New York City television station WPIX-TV Channel 11. A radio "simulcast" of the musical portion was broadcast on sister station WPIX-FM until 1988, when the radio station was sold to new owners. The program, which is currently four hours in length, has no story and no TV commercial interruptions. It is simply a film loop of a Yule log burning in a fireplace, with a traditional soundtrack of classic Christmas carols and secular music playing in the background. Image File history File linksMetadata Theyulelog. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Christmas Eve (1904-05), watercolor painting by the Swedish painter Carl Larsson (1853-1919) Christmas Eve, December 24, the day before Christmas Day, is treated to a greater or a lesser extent in most Christian societies as part of the Christmas festivities. ... Christmas is a Christian holiday held on December 25 which celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. ... Flag Seal Nickname: Big Apple Location Location in the state of New York Government Counties (Boroughs) Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,214. ... WPIX, channel 11, is a television station in New York City. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... From the earliest days of the medium, television has been used as a vehicle for advertising in some countries. ... For other uses, see yule log (disambiguation) A chocolate yule log A Yule log is a large log which is burned in the hearth as a part of traditional Yule or Christmas celebrations in some cultures. ...

"The Yule Log" was created in 1966 by the station's general manager at that time, Fred Thrower, as a televised Christmas gift to those residents of "The Big Apple" who lived in apartments and homes without fireplaces. The original film was shot at Gracie Mansion, the official residence of the Mayor of New York. During the shoot, the producers removed a protective fire grate so that the blaze could be seen to its best advantage. Unfortunately, a stray spark destroyed a nearby $4,000 rug. 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... Gracie Mansion is the official residence of the mayor of New York City. ...

The program was a modest ratings success, and as the years went by, the producers sought to make it look less artificial by increasing the length of the film loop (the original was only about seventeen seconds long). However, the mayor's office refused permission. So WPIX found a look-alike fireplace in Palo Alto, California and filmed a burning log there on a hot summer day. This version, whose loops runs just under seven minutes, has been the one viewers have seen ever since.

From 1974 until 1989, a special message by WPIX-TV vice president and general manager Richard N. Hughes usually preceded the program while he was running the station. "The Yule Log" ran every holiday until it was extinguished by new station management in 1990 due to the high costs of running the program without commercial interruptions. It wasn't until October of 2000 that a group of faithful Yule Log fans led by Joseph Malzone, who ran a web site called "Bring Back The Log" (now called theyulelog.com), petitioned station management via the internet to put "The Yule Log" program back on the air. This film was gathering dust in a warehouse in New Jersey when Julie O'Neal, the station's program director, found it in a film can that simply read "FIREPLACE". Betty Ellen Berlino, general manager of the station, cited that people wanted "comfort food TV" following the September 11, 2001 attacks. The program was the most-watched TV program in the metropolitan New York area for Christmas Day of that year, and has been winning its time slot annually since. 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... For the 1993 bombing, see World Trade Center bombing. ...

In 2003, Tribune Broadcasting, parent company of WPIX, announced that in addition to being broadcast in New York City, "The Yule Log" would be broadcast in additional U.S. television markets on other Tribune-owned television stations. The program made its "national" debut in 2004 on WGN-TV and its sibling Superstation. That same year, the program was shown in high-definition television for the very first time. 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Tribune Company is a large multimedia corporation based in Chicago, Illinois. ... Motto: (traditional) In God We Trust (official, 1956–present) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City Official language(s) None at the federal level; English de facto Government Federal Republic  - President George W. Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence - Declared - Recognized... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Projection screen in a home theater, displaying a high-definition television image. ...

The CHUM Television group in Canada borrowed the concept, and began to run its version of "The Yule Log" on its stations in 2004. CHUM-City Building, the headquarters of CHUM Limited. ...

In 2005, Tribune Broadcasting began making a version of the Yule Log video recorded in MPEG-4 format available for download, advertising it as a "Portable Yule Log" for those travelling. [1] 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Tribune Company is a large multimedia corporation based in Chicago, Illinois. ...

See also

• Fishcam

Fishcam refers to a broadcast consisting of a video camera pointed at a fishtank. ...

External links

• The Yule Log Website
• WPIX-TV Channel 11 New York Official Website

References

• Thomas Vinciguerra, "TV Rekindles an Old Flame," The New York Times, December 9, 2001