PHOTO: SHASHI ASHIWAL

TOWARDS TRANSPARENCY: (from left): M. Damodaran, Chairman, SEBI, Rajnikant Patel, CEO, BSE, and Prannoy Roy, Chairman, TV Media, inaugurating BSE Broadcast, a first-of-its-kind ticker and video screen, on the BSE building in Mumbai on Thursday.

MUMBAI: The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) is planning to bring in regulation to rein in `vested content' in the media on stock markets, keeping in mind the interest of average investors.

SEBI Chairman M. Damodaran on Thursday warned a section of the electronic and print media which disseminated `agenda-driven' messages from `vested-interest groups' as information.

"We will find ways to deal with that in the interest of average investors,'' Mr. Damodaran said, before inaugurating the ticker, showing BSE's live quotes, and a video screen on the wall of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) building here.

NDTV Media, which has tied up with the BSE in providing the technology, will display the contents of its business channel NDTV Profit on a giant screen put up just below the BSE's live ticker.

Critical of the content on print and electronic media with respect to capital markets, Mr. Damodaran said, "agenda-driven contents are being passed on as information through media that breathlessly advise people and whereby personal information is flowing on TV channels as expert advice.''

While commending the BSE's initiative as one more medium to communicate, Mr. Damodaran said, "This initiative means enabling the man on the street to read the writing on the wall.''

BSE Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer Rajnikant Patel said the objective was to bring in a new medium to raise the iconic status of the BSE building and promised totally professional content on the ticker to be displayed till 8 o'clock in the evening daily.

Chairman of NDTV Media Prannoy Roy said, "all stock markets must have transparency, credibility and provide information as widely as possible.'' — PTI

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