How can we tell if the Comcast-NBC merger will be a good thing? Here are some possible consequences if all goes well (among them made by NBC Universal president/CEO Jeff Zucker and Comcast chairman/CEO Brian Roberts in recent Senate hearings)...

Make TV events bigger, and everyone should be happy. Or maybe not -- how about viewers watching smaller video screens?

Media companies want to seed interest in TV shows, networks, and services, on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and other places -- but not everyone is interested in building a relationship with a brand. What's the payoff for me reading this tweet, or sampling that TV show?

Fox is the "most trusted" name in TV news, at least according to its recent advertisements. But, according to a press release from the Public Policy Polling group -- the group Fox cites for this claim -- the truth is less black-and-white.

When does a TV series really end? ABC says this is the final season of "Lost" -- and from all the plain-speaking marketing, that's what we are led to believe. Yet, just about the time of the critics tour, there was inside talk that said Disney/ABC was thinking about "Lost" the same way Paramount thinks about "Star Trek," or how Warner Bros. thinks about "Sex in the City," or maybe even how someone will feel about "The Sopranos."

Had enough of Leno and O'Brien? Not us. We're punch-drunk with late-night love. Seems Jay Leno now feels he was "sucker-punched" by Jimmy Kimmel when Kimmel was a guest on Leno's soon-to be-history 10 p.m. show. Which got us thinking about TV's other sneak attacks that made us feel less oxygenated.

A really successful TV show doesn't have much to do with actual pixels, cast salaries, or story arcs. These days TV success is about "becoming" more than a TV show. It isn't extra money anymore; this tactic is now essential. The TV show is just the creative starting point.

CBS might have had better timing for its decision to ease restrictions on advocacy commercials. The network should have put out phone calls to the likes of Planned Parenthood, the National Organization of Women, and MoveOn.org, all to say: "Hey, if you were thinking about an advocacy commercial, perhaps now would be a good time. We got this thing called the Super Bowl coming up in February. It's a pretty big deal."

Here's a truth about mass media and broadcasting: When viewers see a value, they'll tune in -- sometimes unexpectedly. Conan O'Brien's last "Tonight Show" episode got what was almost the highest non-sports program ratings on NBC this season. (Only a "Biggest Loser" premiere did a bit better). The lure of old quarterback-warrior Brett Favre -- as well as a close, exciting NFL championship game between the Minnesota Vikings-New Orleans Saints -- gave Fox the best numbers for that event since 1982.

Corporately backed advertising for political issues and candidates will seemingly now run wild. But all this may turn viewers into bigger skeptics of any TV messaging -- even more so for those who have message-avoiding technology.