Happy talk

It may consist of simple jokes or simply a modified wording in asking a question of another reporter.

For instance, instead of a simple handoff to a sportscaster, an anchor might say, "So, Erin, what the heck happened out on that field today?

[1] Happy talk has been derided by some who prefer a more "traditional" and staid newscast, though it has been happening in some places since the early days of broadcasting.

[2] Employing it can backfire—some newscasters are not comfortable with happy talk and fail in their attempts to do it, and some anchor teams may not have the chemistry or working relationship to be able to pull it off believably.

[3] Former CBS correspendent Fred Graham titled his 1990 autobiography Happy Talk: Confessions of a TV Newsman.