KTIV NewsChannel 4 Sioux City IA: News, Weather and Sports12th annual "Christmas in Rockefeller Center" on Wednesday

 

One of the season's most treasured traditions, the 77th annual tree lighting extravaganza will also include a performance by co-host Krakowski with The Roots and appearances by Taylor Schilling (NBC's "Mercy"), James Tupper (NBC's "Mercy") and Brian Williams ("NBC Nightly News").

This year, NBC Universal through its "Green is Universal initiative," is happy to work with the Arbor Day Foundation to "Text For Your Tree." Every half hour throughout the national broadcast viewers will be prompted to text NBCU to have a tree planted on their behalf. The trees will be planted by the Arbor Day Foundation, and underwritten by their partners. Additionally, the "Text For Your Tree" promotion will be extended online with an interactive site on both arborday.org and greenisuniversal.com sites. This partnership is expected to drive awareness for the environment and the Arbor Day Foundation - and help to get up to 500,000 trees planted.

The tradition of the Rockefeller Christmas tree dates back to the Great Depression. First erected in 1933, the tree was decked with 700 lights and placed in front of the then eight-month-old RCA Building, now the GE Building. The Christmas tree gathering was enhanced in 1936 with the opening of the Rockefeller Plaza outdoor ice-skating pond. NBC-TV televised the first tree lighting in 1951 on "The Kate Smith Show" and as part of the nationwide "Howdy Doody" television show from 1953-55.