Jeff Zucker’s departure as GE’s (NYSE: GE) NBC Universal CEO is among the worst kept secrets in the history of Hollywood.  What remains a mystery, however, is who would want the job and what they will do with the media conglomerate once the takeover by Comcast Corp (NASDAQ: CMCSA) is finished.

Chief Executive Brian Roberts and his father Ralph, the company’s founder, would make good bosses.  Unlike most every other media titan, they don’t crave the limelight and are happy to allow their executives to enjoy their moment in the sun  provided that they make their numbers.  To be clear, neither the Roberts’ nor Chief Operating Officer Steve Burke are Boy Scouts either.  Still, there is no shortage of people willing to take on NBC Universal, whose recent strong performance indicates that the company is benefiting from a rebound in advertising spending, albeit not strong enough to impress Wall Street.  Here is a list of possible replacements:

George Bodenheimer —  In 1998, Bodenheimer was named the fifth president of Walt Disney’s (NYSE: DIS) ESPN and the sports world has never been the same.   Though he has made some goofs (Tony Kornheiser on “Monday Night Football”),  most of his decisions have been solid and helped his corporate masters at Walt Disney Co. and their shareholders.  The cable sports network is a perennial ratings winner and a bright spot on its balance sheet.  Disney clearly wants Bodenheimer to stay.  On March 3, 2003, he was named president of ABC Sports. A year later he became co-chairman of Disney Media Networks.

Brad Grey — As Chief Executive of Paramount Pictures, Grey serves as the pleasure of Viacom Inc.’s (NYSE: VIA) mercurial Chairman Sumner Redstone.  But the octogenarian billionaire has little to complain about the movie studio.  The film studio has the leading market share of the box office this year thanks to the phenomenal success of “Iron Man 2.”

Philip I. Kent — Were it not for CNN, the CEO of Time Warner’s Inc. (NYSE: TWX) Turner Broadcasting cable network would be able to breathe easier.  The network is making a serious grab for younger viewers with the surrealistic cartoons on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim and the recent signing of Conan O’Brien. Even CNN is bound to improve once Larry King’s retirement becomes official.

Greg Maffei — The CEO of Liberty Media Corp. gets publicity that most executives can only dream of.   Consider how the Denver Post described his accomplishments.

“Maffei has done it by helping take Liberty to new heights through a series of sales and acquisitions, chairing John McCain’s presidential campaign in Colorado and befriending an A-list of powerful Coloradans, all while helping raise four kids and skiing 20-plus days a season.”

Whether Maffei would give that up remains to be seen.

Barry M. Meyer — He has been CEO of Time Warner Inc.’s Warner Bros. unit since October 1999, an eternity by the standards of Hollywood or corporate America.    In 2009, Warner Bros. Pictures’ domestic division had its most successful year ever, and both the domestic and international division had their ninth consecutive billion dollar-plus years at the box office. The studio trails Paramount in box office market share this year.

Zucker’s demise was hastened by a declining economy that was not his fault.  His replacement will be praised when NBC Universal’s performance improves for reasons unrelated to anything he did.

-Jonathan Berr (Berr holds a position in Disney)

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