On July 29, 2016, a 16 mm print of the original 1966 version of the "Yule Log" was discovered amongst a collection of films recovered from the estate of former WPIX executive and producer William Cooper two years prior. The discovery had been made by archivist Rolando Pujol while going through the old films in search of footage of (then) Presidential candidate Donald Trump. After undergoing digital restoration, WPIX later announced that they would air it on December 24 of that year – exactly 50 years to the day of its debut, making it the first time since 1988 that WPIX aired the Yule Log on Christmas Eve. It was followed by a live broadcast of Midnight Mass from St. Patrick's Cathedral. An encore airing would follow at 7:00 a.m. on December 25, followed by the modern four-hour log.