BRIEF TRANSMISSIONS

NASD president Joseph Hardiman reports that more than 500 NASDAQ Workstations have now been delivered (MTR, June 1987). "We expect that the changeover to workstations from Harris terminals will be largely completed by the end of next year," he tells audience at National Security Traders Association mid-summer conference. Hardiman also reports that number of terminals outside U.S. carrying NASDAQ data grew from 25,000 to 33,000 since October 19th. Largest concentrations: 11,500 in U.K., 8,000 in Canada, 7,000 in Switzerland, 1,900 in West Germany, and 1,400 in France.

Small-dish satellite delivery of market data could become reality in U.K. in next few years. Twenty-seven firms have applied for maximum of six new Department of Trade and Industry licenses for specialized point-to-multipoint satellite services. Applicants include Reuters, Ltd., Alphameric Group, parent of Bishopsgate, BBC Enterprises, which distributes the International (London) Stock Exchange's Market-Eye service, and Independent Broadcasting Authority, which hosts Telerate, Reuters, and Case Radiotext on its broadcast facilities. At least six of 27 applicants have bid Contel ASC (Equatorial) spread spectrum technology popular among U.S. quote vendors, source says.

IDM Systems USA Corp. will market Financial Information Management's graphics software under name "Advisor." FIM, headed by former Marketview Software programmer John Nauman and First Options trader Jim Harkness, also is marketing package for CNS feed through Technova, Inc. (MTR, May 1988). Package also reads CQI Comstock, Bonneville/ MII, and Lotus Signal feeds, says Harkness, and deal with Reuters is in works for SDS2.

NASD Quality of Markets Committee report released July 22d suggests that market makers be required to display on NASDAQ sizes no smaller than they display on other systems such as SEAQ or Instinet. If committee, chaired by former SEC Commissioner Irving Pollack, has way, market makers would no longer be able to show 10,000 x 10,000 on SEAQ or Instinet and only 100 x 100 on NASDAQ.

PC Quote, Inc. says OS/2 version of market data service is now available for immediate delivery. $495/month system runs on 80386- based IBM PS/2 machines.

Information Industry Association report on "The Creation and Distribution of Securities-Related Information in North America" is out. 169-page study provides brief overviews of information services in each trading arena, with emphasis on legal/regulatory issues of particular interest to vendors and exchanges. Price is $295 for members, $395 for non-members from IIA, (202) 639-8262.

Telerate, Inc. has launched U.K. version of Tactician product using contributed data from four U.K. Gilt market makers, futures and options data from LIFFE, and five-year historical database from Bank of England.

Correction: Page 7 chart in June MTR transposed 1987 staff numbers for two Reuters regions. Correct numbers are 3,049 for RNA and 1,392 for RA.

Helping People Manage Change: Donald McLagan, who headed Lotus Development Corp.'s Information Services Group for past three years, resigns to found Desktop Data Inc. in Cambridge, MA; All four information services units now report to David Roux.