• Forbes, Monday, June 23, 2008 11:15 AM

Comedy Central's worst nightmare is the possible defection of "The Daily Show." As the king of the coveted 18-to34-year-old-male demographic, Comedy Central has built its success around a few indispensable personalities, which breeds a certain paranoia.

Relying on guys like Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, not to mention "South Park" creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker, can be perilous, so the network must constantly search for new stars. "We're always looking for that hit that's going to become a cultural phenomenon," says Lauren Corrao, Comedy Central's development chief. Or, put more bluntly, "a hit that it can service all of the network's platforms, from the Web to videogames to mobile ads."

One solution: Newbies can now perform in two- to five-minute online shows, which cost $1,000 to $10,000 to produce and help the network make the shift toward shorter, video-based performances.

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