Hi Google, 
I'm really curious about the stock ticker symbols that run across the
bottom of the screen on CNN.  Is every single trade executed by the
NYSE and Nasdaq being represented?  If so, how can they handle the
volume?  Or, are the stock ticker symbols selected by some criteria
--- high volume trade, volatility or something else?  If a criteria is
being used, could you tell me what criteria they're using.  Are
company's paying to have their company listed?

Thanks!

Jennifer Lekisch

---

Request for Question Clarification by answerguru-ga on 14 Nov 2003 09:52 PST

Hi Jennifer,

Having worked with an organization similar to CNN, I am familiar with
how this works (in general). I can provide you a high-level
description of this, howe3ver there is no official source since this
technology is proprietary. Let me know if this type of information
would be enough for an official answer :)

answerguru-ga

Jennifer --

I have not found responsive information about the CNN ticker. 
However, on the reasonable assumption that it is designed in a way
similar to the CNBC ticker, it appears that your hunch is correct that
CNN's electronic ticker is edited on the fly according to programmed
criteria.

However, even as to CNBC, I haven't found enough to justify posting an
answer, at least without giving another researcher a chance to flesh
out the facts.  What I have found (from a Japanese Web site!) is a
short paragraph in a 1999 document published by CNBC that says that
its ticker is edited and mentions a couple of the criteria it uses in
that editing.

That document appears to have disappeared from CNBC's Web site,
because all the online links to it (there are several) either don't
work or lead to CBNC's new site housed at msn.com, which appears not
to contain it.

If this limited information would satisfy your curiosity, I will post
an answer containing a link to that document, along with some
supplementary information about how to "translate" the information on
a ticker.


markj-ga