The toothless tiger is attempting to bare its teeth.

The Indian Broadcasting Foundation - a representative body of a small but powerful interest group of broadcasters - is currently meeting at Sony Entertainment's offices to reportedly decide on a ban of three agencies - McCann Erickson, HTA (Hindustan Thompson Associates) and HTA Fulcrum (handles the Hindustan Levers account) - for payment defaults.

The attempt is to play a role like that of the INS which blacklists agencies that play truant as far payments to member newspaper organisations are concerned. Once the agency is placed on the blacklist, other INS members are supposed to cooperate and not carry any of their ads.

The three agencies are reportedly in default of upwards of Rs 3000 million accumulated over the last three years.

The IBF is likely to announce the first of the blacklists today. Of course, it will be up to the member broadcasters to comply with the ban.