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Law To Keep TV Ad Volume Low Gets Passed

December 16, 2011 / advertising, commercials, fcc, gubment, i should have gone into advertising i'd make some sweet-ass commercials, it's about time, loud, old people shows, regulations, seriously what took so long it's almost moot (not mute!) at this point, television, turn that shit down, volume

commercial-volume.jpg

In 'WTF took so long?' news, the FCC has announced that starting next December, television commercials can be no louder than the shows they follow. LIFE INSURANCE, BONER PILLS, CHOLESTROL MEDS!! (I watch a lot of old westerns)

After making its way through Capitol Hill, the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act (or CALM) -- which aims to keep the sounds coming out of your flat panel even-keeled -- has just been adopted in a ruling by the FCC. Starting next December, ads and promos will have to remain in-step with the audio levels of scheduled programming.

I don't know about you, but I've actually passed out on the sofa before and been WOKEN UP by a commercial. And not like, 'oh I was tired and I fell asleep' passed out either. I'm taking I just ate a cheeseburger off the carpet WASTED. You probably could've driven a firetruck through the living room and I wouldn't have woken up, but this commercial did. I need help folks, that's the real issue here.

FCC tells advertisers to CALM down, lowers the volume on commercial breaks [engadget]

Thanks to Becks and michael, who haven't seen a commercial since DVR.

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There are Comments

  • Why NEXT December... why not THIS December? :/ Although I doubt it will make a difference... because the commercials will still be able to play at the loudest level possible which will still be louder than most of what is going on in the shows they follow. 

  • All good. Except most people wont notice.

    They are all at the same level already, but commercials are compressed far more heavily to SEEM louder so that you pay attention. Nothing will change apart from a lowering in dynamic volume of your actual programmes. 

    IE. adverts stay the same, programmes get perceivably louder.

  • I wish they would do that here in Britain.

  • JRB the producer

    you might not even be able to tell.. most tv programs are not at max volume through the entire show, a normal show is only loud when loud things happen- gun shots, explosions, yelling etc..

    but in a commercial they set the volume to the max for 30 secs in order to grab your attention..

    the law will help but i assume you won't see much difference

  • NoveltyFishHead

    Thankfully they passed this law and not the alternative to blend the product with the show to rid of commercials forever. *Imagines Family Guy with Shamwow bit*.

  • Fantastic! Now I won't have to keep toggling the volume. See, every now and then a good law passes.

  • Great news, and Canada is doing the same by the end of 2012. They really do crank up the volume on those , some so loud they've woken my kids up on the other end of the house!

  • Pierre DURAND

    Hey ! Yeah we're getting a similar law here in France, that's pretty welcome.
    But watch out, because as it is i think it is tweakable :
    (i'm talking about the France situation but it might be the same in the US)
    The surprising thing about this matter is that it is not a question of volume, and the law in France will not state anything about the sound volume, because when you measure the volume levels between the ads and what comes after/next, there is NO difference.

    Actually, the problem is that the sound of the ads is compressed, it's on the same level but you hear it way louder because of the compression.  So for something to change the law has to take care of the levels of sound compression, otherwide you won't hear a difference.

    Thanks for the blog, i'm a big fan !!!

    Pierre from France

  • Awesome choice for this pic...

  • Max

    Where is that from?

  • Max

    Thanks, saw this scene on Family Guy and had no idea what they were mocking.

  • yeah i heard about this a few months ago. 1000 thumbs up for this i frackin hate loud commercials

  • Ha! You should change the title to "New Law passed by Old People"... or was that too loud.

    Shortwave Industries: Killing zombies for over 50 years... 

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