It is a New York City tradition that, while it was on hiatus during the 90's, it has still fallen victim to the bottom line mentality that has gripped television networks and stations in recent years.
WPIX launched the annual Yule Log as emergency programming in 1966. Then-station president Fred Thrower came up with the idea when he was searching for alternate programming after a college basketball game scheduled for Christmas Eve had been cancelled. Upstate viewers were introduced to the Log when WPIX and its NYC rivals, WNEW (now WNYW) & W(W)OR, arrived on local screens in the early 70's. However, the tradition ended in 1989, not so much due to declining ratings, but rather what it was doing to the station's profit margins, or so the story goes.
After being left on the bench, so to speak, throughout the 90's, the Yule Log returned more than a decade ago, but, again, to appease the station's beancounters, it's not the overnight marathon it once was. Instead, it is limited to just a few hours. Kind of like how the Muscular Dystrophy Association has cannibalized their annual telethon the last few years when you think about it.
And, so, as a Christmas gift to you, gentle reader, we present the Yule Log:
Merry Christmas.
3 comments:
Always loved Yule Log!
It was a great way for those who didn't have a real fireplace to hear the roar of a crackling fire and hear some traditional Christmas tunes. It was also a great way to allow those working at the TV station to spend part of Christmas Day with their families. By having someone monitor and loop the video, there wasn't much need for programming until that afternoon/early evening.
As someone who works in TV, the last several years have used a local yule log for the same purpose on Christmas morning. No morning news casts or even repeats of talk shows or infomercials - just a warm fire and some music. In fact, most media types know viewership is going to be down on holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas because everyone is expected to be on the road or making merry with friends and family. No one is usually watching anything straight through - if at all.
Gotta love modern technology - todays the Yule Log is in HD!
Addendum - did you know the original Yule Log was in fact - from Gracie Mansion?
During the Lindsay administration, as I read someplace. Seems the WPIX crew did some damage onsite and were prohibited from returning, so a later version was taped in California. Go figure.
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