Apparently, the biggest difference between liberal-oriented news satire and conservative comedy is that the right-leaning political jokes don't have to be funny.

That's the head-scratching conclusion I'm left with, following Fox News Channel's decision to make 13 more episodes of the least funny news satire I've ever had the unpleasant duty of watching, the 1/2 Hour News Hour.

According to Fox, "Both episodes averaged nearly 1.4 million viewers, a 72% increase over the first quarter of 2007, and 443,000 Adults 25-54, a 108% increase over the same period.  In each weekend The Half Hour News Hour was presented on FNC, it was the highest-rated show on cable news."

Of course, it aired at 10 p.m. on Sunday nights -- hardly a prime viewership time for cable news. Still, Fox rarely misses a chance to stick it to a mainstream media establishment which couldn't wait to skewer the show,  advanced with a leaden pilot whose best joke -- a skit featuring Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter as president and vice president -- was leaked to the media weeks earlier. (The only media critic who vibes with it all is Wash Post media critic Howie Kurtz, who offered his own satire of their satire on his CNN show not long ago).

But FNC founder Roger Ailes is no fool. And anything which can boost ratings by 108 percent certainly deserves a shot as a series -- even if its a comedy that isn't really that funny.