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The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y., Friday, December 18, 2020 18 Cable Conversion Chart O SB C NB GG N Dish DTV ABC WIVT Binghamton - 6 - - - 6 - - ABC WUTR Utica 7 - - 7 10 - 20 20 CBS WKTV2 Utica 5 3 - - - - 12 - CBS WRGB Schenectady 26 - 6 - 6 - - - CBS WTVH Syracuse - - - - - - - 5 CW+ WBU Utica 11 - - - - - - - FOX WFXV Utica 6 9 - 6 - - 33 33 FOX WICZ Binghamton 3 3 - 3 - 10 - - FOX WOLF Scranton - - - 10 - - - - FOX WXXA Albany - - 8 - 8 - - - IND WISF Oneonta - 1231 - - - - - - MNT WPNY Utica - - - 27 - - - - NBC WBGH Elmira - 5 - - - 5 - - NBC WKTV Utica 4 - - 4 - 17 2 2 NBC WNYT Albany - - 13 2 13 - - - NBC WSTM Syracuse - - - - - 3 - - NBC WTEN Albany - - 10 - - - - - PBS WCNY Syracuse 12 12 - 12 - 12 - - PBS WMHT Schenectady - - 11 - 11 - - - PBS WSKG Binghamton 8 8 - 8 - 7 - - WGN Chicago 25 25 87 - 87 28 239 307 ABC FAMILY 16 16 35 16 35 25 180 311 AMERICAN HEROES CHANNEL 140 140 140 140 140 140 195 287 AMERICAN MOVIE CLASSICS 66 66 29 66 29 66 131 254 ANIMAL PLANET 67 67 132 67 132 67 184 282 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 42 42 38 42 38 42 118 265 BRAVO 29 29 59 29 59 29 129 237 CABLE NEWS NETWORK 15 15 46 15 46 24 200 202 CNN INTERNATIONAL - - 216 - 216 - - - CARTOON NETWORK 59 59 32 59 32 59 176 296 CINEMAX 531 531 531 531 531 531 310 515 CINEMAX 2 (MOREMAX) 532 532 532 532 532 532 312 517 CNBC 39 39 48 39 48 39 208 355 COMEDY CENTRAL 32 32 36 32 36 32 107 249 COUNTRY MUSIC TELEVISION 30 30 293 30 293 30 166 327 CSPAN 47 47 14 47 14 18 210 350 CSPAN2 226 226 21 92 21 92 211 351 DISCOVERY CHANNEL 41 41 37 41 37 41 182 278 DISCOVERY LIFE 70 70 180 70 180 70 - 261 DISNEY CHANNEL 51 51 34 51 34 51 172 290 E! ENTERTAINMENT TELEVISION 44 44 60 44 60 44 114 236 ESPN 14 14 24 14 24 23 140 206 ESPN2 63 63 25 63 25 63 143 209 ETERNAL WORD TELEVISION 52 52 78 52 78 21 261 370 FOOD NETWORK 48 48 42 48 42 48 110 231 FOX NEWS CHANNEL 55 55 70 55 70 55 205 360 FOX SPORTS 1 76 76 73 76 73 76 150 219 FOX SPORTS OHIO - - - - - - 425 660 FREEFORM 16 16 122 16 122 25 180 311 FX MOVIES 632 632 632 632 632 632 384 258 FX NETWORK 43 43 31 43 31 43 136 248 GOLF CHANNEL 71 71 51 71 51 71 401 218 HALLMARK 34 34 123 34 123 34 185 312 HEADLINE NEWS 45 45 45 45 47 45 202 204 HOME BOX OFFICE 511 511 511 511 511 511 300 501 HOME BOX OFFICE 2 512 512 512 512 512 512 301 502 HOME BOX OFFICE SIGNATURE 513 513 513 513 513 513 302 503 HISTORY CHANNEL 57 57 39 57 39 57 120 269 HOME & GARDEN 20 20 41 20 41 47 112 229 ION TELEVISION 2 4 20 10 20 4 250 305 LIFETIME 37 37 30 37 30 37 108 252 MADISON SQUARE GARDENS 60 60 54 60 54 60 - 634 MSNBC 69 69 49 69 49 69 209 356 MTV 18 18 57 18 57 40 160 331 MTV2 119 119 119 119 119 119 161 333 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC 33 33 61 33 61 33 186 276 NBC SPORTS NETWORK 49 49 44 49 44 49 159 220 NICKELODEON 36 36 33 36 33 36 170 299 OXYGEN 90 90 171 90 171 90 127 251 PARAMOUNT NETWORK 21 21 55 21 55 52 241 241 QVC 159 159 159 159 159 159 137 70 SHOWTIME 551 551 551 551 551 551 318 545 SPORTSNET NEW YORK 19 19 66 19 66 62 - 639 SYFY CHANNEL 62 62 53 62 53 38 122 244 TLC 58 58 40 58 40 58 183 280 TRAVEL CHANNEL 68 68 165 68 165 68 196 277 TRUTV 46 46 71 46 71 46 148 246 TURNER BROADCASTING SYSTEM 38 38 5 38 5 20 139 247 TURNER CLASSIC MOVIES 31 31 58 31 58 31 132 256 TURNER NETWORK TELEVISION 22 22 27 22 27 26 138 245 TV LAND 50 50 63 50 63 50 106 304 USA NETWORK 17 17 28 17 28 27 105 242 VIDEO HITS 1 35 35 56 35 56 35 162 335 WOMEN'S ENTERTAINMENT 61 61 65 61 65 61 128 260 YANKEES NETWORK 53 53 52 53 52 53 - 631 O - Oneonta, SB - Sidney/Bainbridge, C - Cobleskill, NB - New Berlin, GG - Grand Gorge, N - Norwich, D1 - Dish Network, D2 - DirecTV By Kyla Brewer TV Media I t's the season for your favor- ite festive programming. The airwaves are full of holiday heroes, from Santa Claus and Rudolph to Buddy the Elf and Frosty the Snowman. Such characters often invoke warm and fuzzy feelings for viewers, but not every Christmas icon is so full of holiday cheer. One of the Yuletide season's most en- during stars is perhaps its crankiest. High atop Mt. Crumpit in his cave overlooking Whoville, the Grinch bristles at the sounds of celebration as the Whos below prepare for Christmas in the 1966 animated TV special "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas," airing Friday, Dec. 25, on NBC. Immediately fol- lowing the beloved holiday cartoon, NBC will air the 2000 live-action adaptation of the story, starring Jim Carrey ("The Truman Show," 1998) as the Grinch. In both versions of the tale, the Grinch comes up with a dastardly plan to ruin Christ- mas for the annoyingly festive Whos. He enlists the help of his long-suffering but loyal dog, Max, as he plots to steal all of the Whos' presents, trees, dec- orations and even food in the hopes of keeping Christmas from coming. The Grinch may be an un- likely choice for holiday hero. After all, he seems to despise Christmas. However, perhaps his skepticism about the com- mercialization of Christmas is the very reason that so many viewers identify with the cur- mudgeonly creature. Maybe it is through his realization that the holidays aren't really about expensive gifts, elaborate de- cor or lavish feasts that we are all reminded that Christmas primarily exists in the hearts of those who celebrate it. The Grinch ponders this in the classic children's book, which reads: "What if Christ- mas, he thought, doesn't come from a store? What if Christ- mas … perhaps … means a little bit more!" It's a message that strikes home for so many people, and it may be particularly relevant this year as millions face uncer- tainty. While there may not be as many trinkets and toys un- der trees this holiday season, Christmas will come anyway — a message of hope that has resonated through several generations of Grinch fans. Theodor "Dr. Seuss" Geisel first brought the tale to life with his poetry and illustra- tions in the 1957 children's book "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." The book was re- ceived well by critics and has become a staple of holiday lore ever since. It has landed on countless top book lists and "Grinch" has even worked its way into the modern lexicon as meaning a grumpy person or someone who spoils things for others. Given the popularity of the book, it's no wonder that the story has inspired so many ad- aptations. In 1966, legendary cartoonist Chuck Jones ("Loo- ney Tunes") co-directed an ani- mated version with Ben Wash- am ("Tom and Jerry"). Jones had worked with Geisel on training cartoons during World War II and reportedly ap- proached him about adapting the story for television. The re- sult was pure holiday TV magic, with Boris Karloff ("Franken- stein," 1931) as both the nar- rator and the voice of the Grin- ch. The special includes three songs: "Welcome Christmas" and "Trim Up the Tree," sung by a chorus of Whos, and "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grin- ch," sung by an uncredited Thurl Ravenscroft ("Pinoc- chio," 1940). Over the years, the special has become a part of many holiday viewing tradi- tions. Directed by Ron Howard ("A Beautiful Mind," 2001), the 2000 live-action version ex- panded the story to a feature film length by delving into the Grinch's past and by making Cindy Lou Who (Taylor Mom- sen, "Gossip Girl") a main character. Sir Anthony Hopkins ("The Silence of the Lambs," 1991) serves as the narrator in the Howard adaptation, which introduces several new char- acters. Christine Baranski ("The Good Fight") stars as Martha May Whovier, the Grinch's crush; Jeffrey Tambor ("Transparent") portrays May- or Augustus May Who, the Grinch's nemesis; Bill Irwin ("Sesame Street") and Molly Shannon ("Saturday Night Live") star as Cindy Lou's dad and mom, Lou Lou Who and Betty Lou Who. While the film received mixed reviews, it grossed more than $345 mil- lion and won the Academy Award for Best Makeup. Inter- estingly, for many years How- ard's "Grinch" was second only to the classic "Home Alone" (1990) among the highest-grossing holiday mov- ies of all time until a new ver- sion of the Dr. Seuss tale de- buted in 2018. He's a mean one: Dr. Seuss' 'Grinch' through the ages featurestory Christine Baranski, Jim Carrey and Jeffrey Tambor in "How the Grinch Stole Christmas"

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