Telemundo Premiers ‘Christmas In Rockefeller Center’.

Telemundo welcomes the Holiday Season with the 71st celebration of the world’s most famous Christmas tree lighting show “Christmas in Rockefeller Center.” This star-studded one-hour TV special from Rockefeller Center in New York City, includes special performances from various Latin celebrities and will be broadcast on Wednesday, December 3rd (9 p.m. ET/PT).

For the first time ever, Telemundo will bring Spanish speaking viewers this annual holiday celebration with hosts Mauricio Zelic (Cotorreando) in New York and Lorena Rojas (Ladrón de Corazones) in Miami. The popular musical lineup for the special will include a mix of current hits and favorite holiday music with performances by Gloria Estefan, Ashanti, Enrique Iglesias, José Feliciano, Grupo Control, La Onda, and Victor Manuel, among others.

The tradition of the tree itself began in the Great Depression during the construction of the Rockefeller Center complex in 1931. The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree tradition began formally in 1933 when a tree was decked with 700 lights and placed in front of the then eight-month old RCA Building, which is now the GE Building. The Christmas tradition 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.