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- THE WEEK, Page 23BUSINESSCalling Dr. Huxtable!
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- Bill Cosby eyes NBC, but will he have a prescription for the
- ailing network?
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- From I Spy to You Bet Your Life, Bill Cosby has been at the
- forefront of television, leaving broken rules in his powerful
- wake for the past 30 years. Now he seems poised to break a few
- more, acknowledging his interest in purchasing the network that
- has been his home for so many years: NBC. General Electric,
- which has owned the network since 1986, continues to insist it
- is not for sale. But Norman Brokaw, chairman and CEO of the
- William Morris Agency, which represents Cosby, says the
- entertainer is still interested in assembling partners and
- obtaining financing. Possible price tag: $4 billion. "Bill Cosby
- enjoys producing and creating things," says Brokaw. "He has some
- ideas about quality television. He'd heard rumors of others
- wanting to buy it, and he asked me to look into it." The right
- offer might change GE's mind. While NBC outpaced its rivals for
- years with top-notch programs like The Cosby Show and L.A. Law,
- many of its boom shows have faded, and the network has so far
- failed to find able replacements. What the Cos would do with NBC
- is uncertain, although he is outspoken about television's
- treatment of blacks, which he believes needs much improvement.
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