Calling Dr. Huxtable!

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.