Anyone who lived in the New York area anytime over the last forty years knows that there was one show you were sure to see either on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day: The Yule Log, which started airing on WPIX, Ch. 11, in 1966. There really wasn't much to the show; it was a picture of a lit fireplace, and the warm and inviting fire in it burned away as easy-listening versions Christmas songs played in the background. At its longest, the show ran for three hours, though it had gotten trimmed down as time went on.David Bauder of the AP has a pretty comprehensive article about the history of the Log. Included in the article is the story about how, after Ch. 11 resurrected the Log in 2001 after a 12-year absence, they found the fire footage used from 1970 to 1989 in a film can marked with the title of an episode of The Honeymooners.
The Log is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, and on Christmas Day, WPIX and Tribune stations will be airing it in it's full three-hour glory with a digitally restored soundtrack. They will also air a special on its history. But it won't be the only Yule Log on the dial; INHD will be airing a high-definition version of the Log starting at 7 AM on Christmas Day and playing for the next 24 hours.
So here's what we have now: a thirty-six year old, grainy Log that's a familiar family favorite, and a high-tech Log that, if the TV was put in the right spot, would almost look like a real fire. Which one would you rather watch? Let me know in the comments.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
12-18-2006 @ 9:23PM
Valerie St. John said...
I had never seen the "Yule Log" show until moving to Seattle, where it would play on the local Tribune station for the entire day - more than enough "Yule" to go around...
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12-18-2006 @ 9:40PM
rufus dogg said...
yeah sure put on both versions of the log show. doesn't really matter to me. I got hundreds of channels of crap to watch...
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12-19-2006 @ 8:33AM
mike said...
I never could understand the logic of having a tv channel broadcast a single shot on a log in a fireplace for hours on end when there is so many more programming choices to watch.
However, I popped it on my Comcast on demand in HD and got sucked in. The clarity of picture with the crispness of Christmas songs was actually pretty good.
5 minutes later I was back to seeing what else is on of course...
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12-23-2006 @ 6:36PM
David004 said...
I am forced to watch this every year.
We now call it the F-You Log.
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12-26-2006 @ 7:25PM
Danny said...
I am watching it now on INHD. Very impressive! I am in warm Florida weather and have decided to turn my A/C on "snowflake" and set my kerosene heater under my Hi def TV to get the absolute way cool effect. Even now, before the kerosene heater, I feel my face getting warm from watching this. It's nice how the fire progresses from newly lit logs to ash cover ones. Hope many of you have seen this.
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