L.A. Yule Log Ratings Dip This Year

The Yule Log remains a hit in sunny (well, it was sunny on Christmas day!) Southern California -- although the novelty may be wearing off.

According to this year's ratings, KTLA won the televised head-to-head Yule Log race from 4-10 a.m. on Christmas morning, averaging 96,000 viewers. KCAL averaged 46,000 viewers. Both were down from last year, when KTLA averaged 103,000 viewers and KCAL averaged 63,000 viewers.

KCAL's viewership peaked with 110,000 viewers from 12:15-12:30 a.m. (second in the time period) and 111,000 viewers from 8:45-9:00 a.m.; KTLA's viewership peaked with 207,000 viewers from 8:15-8:30 a.m.

KCAL (which first brought the tradition to Los Angeles in 2004) aired its Yule Log starting at midnight as Christmas Eve turned into Christmas Day, and continued the tradition until 10 a.m. KTLA ran its log from 4 a.m. to 11 a.m.

KTLA and KCAL face more competition these days for Yule Log supremacy, as the televised image of a crackling fire is now available all over the place, including on demand and online.

The TV Yule Log was first created by New York's WPIX-TV. The TV station made the yule log an annual tradition from 1966 to 1989, originally using a shot of the fireplace at New York's Gracie Mansion. Late WPIX general manager Fred Thrower came up with the idea when he realized that most of New York's apartment dwellers didn't have fireplaces.

WPIX brought the tradition back to New York in 2001, and it eventually made its way to Los Angeles, where KCAL and KTLA now battle every year for yule log ratings supremacy.

Christmas in Los Angeles, 2014

Merry Christmas from Franklin Avenue! A few pics from our annual Christmas Eve traditions:



Paddle boats at Echo Park (which, sadly, is still a bit murky because of run-off from recent storms, but still nice on a warm, sunny L.A. Christmas Eve). Preceded by a delicious breakfast at Square One dining's Echo Park boat house location. It's a favorite of the Blogger Kid, who turned 10 on Christmas Eve!



4 p.m. Family-friendly Christmas Eve mass at downtown's Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.



The Los Angeles County Holiday Celebration. An annual free three-hour event (3 p.m. to 6 p.m.) at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, telecast live on PBS SoCal. We stop by to enjoy the last hour after church.



Highlight this year was the Mariachi Sol de Mexico de Jose Hernandez performing "The Nutcracker" songs.



The weather outside is windy... but inside the Yule Log on KCAL-9 is keeping us warm!

L.A. TV Ratings: KTLA Wins This Year's Yule Log Smackdown

(I have rewritten this post throughout due to an initial goof -- I was looking at Household ratings, not total viewers, originally. Look at total viewers, and there isn't as much of a ratings dip for local Yule log ratings. Whew. The Yule Log lives!)

KTLA/Channel 5 won this year's annual Christmas morning Yule Log Smackdown, averaging 103,000 viewers between 4 a.m. and 9 a.m. -- the five hours that both stations are simultaneously airing the log. KCAL averaged 63,000 viewers during that same time frame. (For comparison, I don't have 2012's ratings handy, but in 2011, KCAL averaged 81,000 viewers from 4:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. while averaged 79,000 viewers during the same time frame.)

KTLA viewership peaked with 237,000 from 9:00-9:15 a.m. KCAL viewership peaked with 179,000 from 8:00-8:15 a.m.

KCAL (which first brought the tradition to Los Angeles in 2004) aired its Yule Log starting at midnight as Christmas Eve turned into Christmas Day, and continued the tradition until 9 a.m. KTLA ran its log from 4 a.m. to 10 a.m.

KTLA and KCAL face more competition these days for Yule Log supremacy, as the televised image of a crackling fire is now available all over the place: On Netflix, On demand, online.

Also, the most unusual Yule Log this year came courtesy The Hub, which aired a My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic-themed animated log on Christmas morning. In cable, "uplifting entertainment" channel UP and the Hallmark Movie Channel also pre-empted programming to run a Yule Log.

The TV Yule Log was first created by New York's WPIX-TV. The TV station made the yule log an annual tradition from 1966 to 1989, originally using a shot of the fireplace at New York's Gracie Mansion. Late WPIX general manager Fred Thrower came up with the idea when he realized that most of New York's apartment dwellers didn't have fireplaces.

WPIX brought the tradition back to New York in 2001, and it eventually made its way to Los Angeles, where KCAL and KTLA now battle every year for yule log ratings supremacy.

KCAL's Marathon 10-Hour Yule Log Wins Christmas

KCAL/Channel 9 upped the Yule log ante this Christmas, and it paid off handsomely for the CBS-owned independent station.

KCAL won this year's local TV Yule Log Smackdown, averaging 81,000 viewers from 4:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. -- compared to KTLA/Channel 5's 79,000 viewers during the same time frame.

KCAL perhaps held the edge thanks to its decision this year to get a jump start on KTLA by airing the Yule log beginning at midnight early Christmas morning -- which means the station expanded from four hours last year (6 a.m. to 10 a.m.) to 10 hours this year.

Both stations peaked during the 9:45 a.m. to 10 a.m. quarter hour, with KCAL averaging 153,000 viewers and KTLA bringing in 139,000 viewers. (That means 292,000 Angelenos had one of the two TV Yule Logs crackling in the background.)

According to KCAL, the two stations averaged 181,000 viewers from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. -- down 15% from last year but up 18% from 2009.

The Yule log TV battle was also a proxy for L.A.'s local radio Christmas format war. KCAL played holiday music simulcasted from sister CBS Radio station KTWV The Wave (which went wall-to-wall Christmas for the first time this year), while KTLA continued its partnership with Clear Channel's KOST-FM, long the market Christmas leader. (Last yearIn 2009, KCAL simulcasted KOST, while KTLA went with rock-oriented holiday tracks from KLOS-FM. Last year, KCAl switched to The Wave and KTLA took on KOST).

KCAL first brought the Yule log tradition to L.A. in 2004, inspired by New York's WPIX. This is the fourth year that KTLA has broadcast a rival Yule log.

Check out our past coverage of TV's Yule log here.

(Corrected to reflect the proper year that KCAL last simulcasted KOST.)