I think television is terrified that you would turn to another channel, etc; Telling a joke keeps you for a few seconds, enough time to tell another. And then you're engaged. But you have to make the case to watch your show in the span of 30 seconds. The advantage of comedy is that you're always telling a joke - users can enter at any point and will stay to hear the rest.

And if in-depth news analysis was something people wanted, well, the Economist would have a much higher subscription base than it currently does.