Yule Log (TV program)

The Yule Log
A Christmas tradition in New York City is WPIX's yearly yule log program
Created by	Fred M. Thrower
Composer(s)	Various (music sourced from the public domain and commercial sources)
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
Production
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	4 hours
Release
Original network	WPIX
Picture format	480i (SDTV), 1080i (HDTV)
Original release	December 24, 1966 (1966-12-24) – present

The Yule Log is a television program originating in the United States, which is broadcast traditionally on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning. It originally aired from 1966 to 1989 on New York City television station WPIX (channel 11), which revived the broadcast in 2001; the program has since spread to other television properties owned by WPIX parent Tribune Media, including WGN America and (since 2011) Antenna TV. A radio simulcast of the musical portion was broadcast by WPIX(-TV)'s former sister station, WPIX-FM (101.9 FM, now WFAN-FM), until 1988.

The program, which has run between two and four hours in duration, is a film loop of a yule log burning in a fireplace, with a traditional soundtrack of classic Christmas music playing in the background; it is broadcast without commercial interruption.

The Yule Log was created in 1966 by Fred M. Thrower, president and chief executive officer of WPIX, Inc. Inspired by an animated Coca-Cola commercial from a year earlier that showed Santa Claus at a fireplace, he envisioned the program as a televised Christmas gift to those residents of New York who lived in apartments and homes without fireplaces. This also provided time for employees of the television station to stay home with their families, instead of working for the usual morning news program.

The original program was filmed at Gracie Mansion, the official residence of the Mayor of New York City, John Lindsay, at the time. An estimated US$4,000 of advertising (along with a roller derby telecast that night) was canceled on Christmas Eve for the show's inaugural airing that day. Thrower, and WPIX-FM programming director Charlie Whittaker selected the music, based largely on the easy listening format that the radio station had then, with the likes of Percy Faith (whose rendition of "Joy to the World" is played at the beginning and the end of the telecast), Nat King Cole, Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops Orchestra, Mantovani and the Ray Conniff Singers, among others. During the filming, the producers removed a protective fire grate so that the blaze could be seen better; a stray spark damaged a nearby antique rug valued at $4,000.