• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, October 14, 2009

In TV land, it's always a matter of protecting your turf. 

Why wouldn't every possible media company be interested in NBC -- if not to drive up the price for another competitor?

While Comcast is in discussions for a controlling interest in a joint venture --  and, according to at least one report, has virtually completed its deal with the company -- the rumor mill has revealed News Corp., Liberty Media and Bloomberg might also have a go.

Everyone loves to shop -- so why shouldn't DirecTV, Scripps TV, AT&T and Verizon try NBC on for size?

Time Warner isn't interested. It has no taste for big media mergers. T-W chief Jeff Bewkes basically equates a Comcast-NBC deal to, ahem, the AOL-Time Warner deal. We know how that story ended.

Broadcast networks are perhaps a dying breed, but those that make high-quality, thrifty modern TV and video content are in demand.

If that is Comcast's push, it means goodbye to the TV stations and the broadcast network. But not NBC's executives. Whatever you like or don't like about NBC Universal president/CEO Jeff Zucker, imagine what would happen if the guys from Comcast got control of NBC and made all those creative decisions themselves?

Comcast would admit it is thin in the creative ranks. (Hello, Peter Chernin!). Not saying that Zucker and cast have been that great in that department when it comes to the success at the broadcast network.  (NBC's cable networks, however, seem to have a good formula at the moment.)

There's one key scenario few have considered:  What happens if Vivendi decides to do nothing -- or separately, what if talks suddenly break down with Comcast?

NBC will be back to where it was -- a frantically swimming frog in that giant and growing summer media pond. It'll still be looking for a lily -- or one big kiss from the programming princess -- to help it get back to  shore.