The WPIX Yule Log

The WPIX Yule Log is a television program which airs traditionally on either Christmas Eve and/or Christmas morning on New York City television station WPIX.

The program, which has run anywhere from two to 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.

History
The Yule Log was created in 1966 by the station's General Manager at that time, Fred Thrower. The original film, a seventeen second loop, was shot at Gracie Mansion, which served at that time as the official residence of the Mayor of New York City. In 1970 the fire was re-shot. This version, whose loop runs approximately six and one-half minutes, has been the one viewers have seen ever since.

In 1990 the program was cancled. Beginning in 1997, however, WPIX offered various versions of The Yule Log via the Internet. In December 2001 it was announced that the special would return to the network for the holdiay. The digitally restored 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 ever since.

In 2006, to commemorate the program's 40th anniversary, WPIX produced a one-hour television special about its history of the program entitled "A Log's Life."