‘AFI COMEDY SPECIAL’ : NBC SHOWCASES NEW WRITING TALENT

NEW YORK — Breaking into prime-time television is about as easy as slipping a triple-humped camel through the proverbial eye of the needle.

This explains why the things we see on the networks are so often stale. New ideas do creep in, but they usually come from England.

So how do you get fresh faces and ideas on the screen? Simple enough. First you recruit the faces and then you give them a network show.

On Wednesday (10-11 p.m.), an innovative comedy special hits the NBC airwaves in what executives hope will be the first of a long line of yearly specials spotlighting unknown talent.

NBC hopes these new writers will stretch the boundaries of television’s tired and worn formats and hopefully become tomorrow’s masters.

“NBC Presents The AFI Comedy Special,” featuring four skits by new writers, is hosted by Dick Van Dyke, a sitcom king in the early days of television.

The unknown writers were selected by the American Film Institute during its workshop last summer for television comedy writers. The best of that bunch were singled out and allowed to put their skits on the air and stock the show with big-name stars.

Imagine a young and frustrated Hollywood hack getting guaranteed air time on the No. 1 network, no interference from network executives, and the prime stock of celebrities to play with?

It must be heaven.

To give you an idea how impossible it is to get a show on network TV, last year 3,000 ideas were submitted to the three networks. Of those 300 got the go-ahead for a pilot script. Of those, 75 pilots were made, 15 to 20 made it on the air, and after all that, only three will survive the season. That works out to a one in 1,000 chance of striking the big time.

David Leisure, known as the “liar” in those Isuzu car commercials, makes a guest appearance as an aspiring writer pitching his ideas to an unseen network executive.

“What’s the No. 1 show on TV?,” Leisure asks the exec. “Cosby.”

He continues. “What won an Academy Award for best picture? ‘Platoon.’ How about a show about a middle class family as a platoon in Vietnam?”

The skits come from Richard Day, Delle Chatman, Leslie Fuller and Michael Sardo. Some are bizarre, some funny, all are unique.

“I originally intended my piece for a Rumanian art gallery,” Fuller said.

“Among the things we learn is when you are in the network production schedule it’s sometimes helpful if you disappear. You’re just not the producer,” said Fuller the writer.

It’s a tough job to present the premise, introduce the characters, develop the story and make people laugh in just a few minutes. In fact, it’s darn near impossible. So an occasional flash of humor is a wonder.

It’s also nice that stars from all three networks were featured in the skits. They include John Larroquette (NBC’s “Night Court”), Jason Bateman (NBC’s “Valerie”), Telma Hopkins (ABC’s “Gimme a Break”) and Joel Brooks (CBS’s “My Sister Sam”).

Everybody worked for nothing or scale.

Even NBC Entertainment President Brandon Tartikoff has a guest spot.

“I’m a little disappointed nobody asked me to be in any of the sketches,” Tartikoff said.

This year, ABC sponsored a workshop for drama writers, and next year CBS will do one for young people’s television. Home Box Office has been contacted about sponsoring a workshop for directors and producers of documentaries. Tartikoff is trying to line up more folks to sponsor other workshops, and then air the best of the works.

All in all, it’s about the only game in town for young undiscovered talent to slip the triple-humped camel into the eye of the needle.

The 24 striking employees of “NBC Nightly News” have decided there are better things to do than sit around and wait for the strike to be settled. So they banded together and formed “Fly By Nightly Productions” to do public relations and consulting work.

The reasoning is if NBC can’t use them at the moment, maybe someone else can. The 24 “Nightly” strikers represent some of the top producers, writers and editors in the business.

“If there’s a station out there, say WXYZ in Podunk Junction, Idaho, which has a couple of correspondents who could use a little polish, or a tape editor who doesn’t know a dissolve from a jump cut, we’re available,” said Sandor Polster of Manhattan, the news editor of “NBC Nightly News.” “This is a way to keep busy.”

Rates are negotiable, but in the neighborhood of $300 a day plus expenses.