No Joke : Television: Cadre of minority comedians gather outside NBC studios to decry lack of exposure.

BURBANK — Knock, knock. Who’s there?

Two-dozen black and Latino comics.

Two-dozen black and Latino comics who?

Precisely.

Chanting “No justice, no jokes!” a cadre of minority comedians gathered outside NBC Studios Friday night, decrying what they called their lack of exposure on “The Tonight Show”--and on television in general.

“There are more dinosaurs and extraterrestrials on television than Latinos,” said writer and stand-up comic Rick Najera.

Clad in black Halloween masks and schnoz-and-mustache glasses--and firing off one-liners that were part social commentary and part a-duck-walks-into-a-bar humor--the protesters surprised “Tonight Show” audience members leaving a just-completed taping of the show.

They were quick to point out in interviews that they weren’t necessarily blaming “Tonight Show” host Jay Leno personally.

But, they said, ever since Johnny Carson left the show, the number of new minority comics appearing on it has dropped considerably.

According to protest organizer Gene Pompa, of the 70 comics who made their “Tonight Show” debuts after Leno took over, none were Latino and only three were black.

Pompa, who said he had spoken to a receptive Leno earlier in the day about their concerns, said the problem appeared to arise from new methods of choosing talent for the show as opposed to a deliberate effort to reduce the number of minority guests. The show no longer holds showcases for undiscovered comedians, which under Carson was the primary way for ethnic performers to audition, he said.

NBC officials declined to comment on the protest. One company spokeswoman, however, said disabled, openly gay, minority and female comics had all appeared on Leno’s show.

“The Tonight Show” was the immediate target of the protest but, comics said, the problem is pervasive in television.

“I think they’re a little scared to put us on because they think we’ll only address one segment of the community,” Rene Sandoval said. He said his experience before audiences nationwide convinces him he has a broad appeal. “I’ve been in 44 states,” he said.

Humor is humor, funny is funny, they said, and if color doesn’t matter to audiences, why should it to television producers?

“I’ve been told they wouldn’t get it in Reno,” Wiley Roberts said. “They got it in Reno. I’ve been told they wouldn’t get it in Minnesota. They got it in Minnesota.”

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If the message was serious, the messengers were, well, not. At least not completely.

While one placard read “Tonight Show--no beige comics,” another declared “Artichokes 3 for $1.” And yet another, held aloft by a portly jokester, announced, “Lose weight now, ask me how.”

“TV is the last American wasteland!” shouted one man. “We want in on it!”

Pompa chuckled and shrugged and tried to explain: “We’re comics.”