Local broadcasters are so insightful

Is there some kind of rule in Journalism that local news broadcasters should be less objective than other forms of news? It seems like at the end of every news briefing the two anchors have to put in their two cents worth in and it's never insightful. Most of the time it is just silly banter that they sprinkle with awkward pauses and forced laughter. For example, I was watching a channel 4 news story in which a community in Michigan experienced 15 house fires on Halloween night and they suspected arson (do you really think?). At the end of the story one of the anchors explained that she had grown up in Canada and they would toilet paper houses on Halloween night but never went as far as arson (what a shocker), then the other replied, "this is America, we don't do that here either." This remark was followed by an awkward pause a few strange looks and forced smiles. Then one of them asked, "It just seems wrong doesn't it," as they handed over the broadcast to the weather reporter who made another joke about the subject. Maybe it's just me but I could use more news and less bad humor with botched jokes. Does anybody else agree? Is this really the news team who wins all those Excellence In Broadcasting awards?