TV Shows »The Yule Log

yule logAs Vanilla Ice and hypercolor opened the ugliest decade, a real classic – the famous perpetually burning Yule Log, was taken off the air due to the lack commercial revenue. Way to have the Christmas spirit WPIX general manager, Michael Eigner! The man who used to fill your shoes – the ingenious Fred Thrower would be turning in his grave if he knew the tricks you were up to.

Thrower began the yule log one Christmas in 1966 after feeling sympathy for all the New Yorkers, huddled in their apartments without a fireplace (usually) to warm them. Hence, the idea to put one on TV for all to enjoy!

When it was taken off the air people were outraged, but nothing changed until the attacks on September 11th, which made even the money hungry television executives see the importance of small comforts. I plan on watching Christmas Eve and Day if only because I have sat through too many Rachel Ray Eats for Forty Dollars a Day By Not Tipping and Eating Old Bread marathons to last me several lifetimes. Also, with so many channels and so much hollow garbage on TV, it is great to have something so simple to turn to – it's like television comfort food (for less than forty dollars a day).

Which reminds me of a This American Life episode I heard years ago about a man who wanted to create The Puppy Channel that just showed cute puppies all day long. No one ever took him up on the offer, (though it now exists online), but I think they were all fools. I have seen my father in law use a huge 60 inch TV just to listen to smooth jazz radio and see photos of the sea, so I think there would be a huge audience for kittens and puppies. After all, the yule log was the highest rated thing on TV the year it was reinstated.


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Posted on December 24, 2007

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