When Jack Welch was running GE, there were weekly rumors that NBC was going to be sold to [insert entertainment company]. I never understood the intrigue around GE owning NBC. Jack did the deal to get NBC back, and he liked the business. He wasn’t going to sell it.

He also understood that having the network(s) created something bigger when you combined it with the industrial businesses and financial services. Last night’s episode of ER is a perfect example. The soccer mom played by Cynthia Dixon was diagnosed on a GE Lightspeed VCT and the blood clot was able to be removed with the help of a Innov 4100 system. It is not unusual for their to be GE Healthcare equipment all over the ER, but this episode was partially written to highlight the technology.

The whole is sometimes greater than the parts.