Video: Round-The-clock Yucks

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The rivals are already sniping at each other. "We think our format takes better advantage of the strength of comedy than just a clip channel," says Tom Freston, head of MTV Networks. "Comedy has traditionally been character driven and story driven. It takes time to work." HBO executives snicker. "Why should their channel succeed in doing original long-form comedy?" says Fuchs. "The three networks spend hundreds of millions of dollars trying to do original comedy, and one show succeeds every two years."

But is anybody ready for 24 hours of chuckles, grins and guffaws? Boosters point out that the public's appetite for comedy seems almost insatiable. Seven of the ten top-grossing movies of 1988 were comedies, as are eight of the ten current top-rated TV series. Cable channels like HBO and Showtime have made comedy specials a staple of their schedules, while vintage sitcoms are being perpetually recycled across the dial.

That, of course, could be the problem: too much comedy clutter. HA!, at least in its early stages, looks like yet another warehouse for comedy shows, old and new, available in ample supply elsewhere. The Comedy Channel, with its all-clip format, could wind up looking like nonstop previews of coming attractions. (Like MTV, the Comedy Channel is acquiring most of its clips free, since producers assume they will help the movies and videos from which they are excerpted.) Not to mention the indignity of seeing classic films and TV shows strip-mined for their "funny" parts. Oh, well; comedy may be big business, but, as Steve Martin once noted, it isn't pretty.