about damn time.....

[Wheezer]

http://consumerist.com/5288688...y-may-be-outlawed-soon

Good news for those of you who hate loud commercials ? a bill currently bouncing around in Congress would force the FCC to "preclude commercials from being broadcast at louder volumes than the program material they accompany."

The cleverly named Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act, or "CALM", would require the following:

(1) advertisements accompanying such video programming shall not be excessively noisy or strident;

(2) such advertisements shall not be presented at modulation levels substantially higher than the program material that such advertisements accompany; and

(3) the average maximum loudness of such advertisements shall not be substantially higher than the average maximum loudness of the program material that such advertisements accompany.

The Wall Street Journal says that the industry is already planning to deal with the commercial loudness issue on its own.

Broadcasters say they are addressing the problem already. "The major television broadcast networks, including ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox, are each, individually, implementing policies that attempt to control loud commercials," said David Donovan, president of the Association for Maximum Service Television, a broadcast industry trade group, speaking at a hearing Thursday before the House Energy and Commerce Telecommunications Subcommittee.

A representative from NBC said that Congress can expect an industry-wide review of commercial volume in July. Broadcasters could begin implementing it by the fall.

Do you think they'll actually do this? Should Congress pass the bill? Or do you not care about loud commercials?

it's pathetic that it takes an act of law makers to change this.

 

[Jeff7]

I guess it's nice that this is happening, but I still can't help but think that Congress should be doing genuine work. And once they figure out how to do that, since they don't do much of it to begin with, they could do some real work on real problems.

 

[Bateluer]

Doesn't sound like its a good use of Congress' time.

 

[olds]

This is part of the reason I DVR EVERYTHING then skip through commercials when I watch.

 

[oiprocs]

Maybe they should offer individuals who will hold your medicine for you as well so that you don't have to figure out what to take that day.

 

[Jeff7]

Originally posted by: Bateluer
Doesn't sound like its a good use of Congress' time.

Yeah, they should clearly be addressing some aspect of drug abuse within Major League Baseball.

It must be nice to have a job where you don't have any real job evaluations, and where you can tell your employers/voters that being pissed on is actually a good thing.

 

[Wheezer]

Originally posted by: scorpious
Maybe they should offer individuals who will hold your medicine for you as well so that you don't have to figure out what to take that day.

If they look like this I would not bitch at all.... actually I am praying for it.

 

[AreaCode707]

Laws should be made only when they are necessary for a stable and equal society, respecting the fundamental human rights of all persons. Laws should not be made for the purpose of making life convenient. That creates unnecessary and wasteful beauracracy, expands government and the cost of government as passed to the people and makes the law and equality ever more inaccessible, nuanced and complicated to the average person who was supposed to be the beneficiary.

Commercials shouldn't be louder than programs. It is not the government's responsibility to address this dire threat.

 

[sandorski]

The Industry should have dealt with this issue decades ago. This is why the Government needs to Regulate, because Perps won't stop doing what is an advantage to themselves. There is nothing worse than watching late night TV when the Commercials come blaring out. :| Thankfully it only happens on American Channels which I don't watch much anyway, but for you guys stuck in the US it must suck.

 

[nageov3t]

Originally posted by: Jeff7
I guess it's nice that this is happening, but I still can't help but think that Congress should be doing genuine work. And once they figure out how to do that, since they don't do much of it to begin with, they could do some real work on real problems.

different people in congress are in charge of different things.

weird concept, I know.

 

[zerocool84]

I have to take out my hearing aid during commercials cus they're so loud.

 

[Red Squirrel]

The broadcaster companies should just use common sense and lower the volume if a comercial they receive was made so it's louder. Heck they could probably impliment a technology that auto detects this before it plays. I'm guessing everything is digital nowdays so it probably comes on a usb stick as a mpeg file or something from the advertiser, they could have a program that makes sure the average volume matches the standard broadcast average volume.

It's silly to have an actual law for this, but at same time I do agree with something being done about it.

 

[HannibalX]

I forgot, more laws are the answer to everything.

I mute my TV at the commercials. Seems like an easier solution than passing a law and then paying people to check and enforce it.

Are there people out there without mute buttons?

 

[GagHalfrunt]

I thought that it was already a law that commercials can't peak their volume at a higher level than the peak of the regular programming. They only sound louder because they're always at peak while regular programing peaks for one second. If they're attacking the AVERAGE volume that would make a big difference though.

 

[Nik]

Originally posted by: Bateluer
Doesn't sound like its a good use of Congress' time.

Agreed. Especially considering the volume levels can be (and should be) controlled on the network level.

What a fucking waste of tax dollars.

 

[MotionMan]

How about taking sirens, car horns and other such things from radio commercials. I believe those are an actual danger to society.

MotionMan

 

[HannibalX]

Originally posted by: MotionMan
How about taking sirens, car horns and other such things from radio commercials. I believe those are an actual danger to society.

MotionMan

Let's just outlaw all sound while we're at it.

Get a grip.

 

[Jeff7]

Originally posted by: loki8481

Originally posted by: Jeff7
I guess it's nice that this is happening, but I still can't help but think that Congress should be doing genuine work. And once they figure out how to do that, since they don't do much of it to begin with, they could do some real work on real problems.

different people in congress are in charge of different things.

weird concept, I know.

Fine, then fire the people who are in charge of Stupid Bullshit and Assorted Minutiae.

Originally posted by: RedSquirrel
The broadcaster companies should just use common sense and lower the volume if a comercial they receive was made so it's louder. Heck they could probably impliment a technology that auto detects this before it plays. I'm guessing everything is digital nowdays so it probably comes on a usb stick as a mpeg file or something from the advertiser, they could have a program that makes sure the average volume matches the standard broadcast average volume.

It's silly to have an actual law for this, but at same time I do agree with something being done about it.

I read somewhere that advertisers will pay extra to have their ads played louder. Advertisers don't give two shits if they irritate potential customers. Evidence: Loud commercials, annoying flashing Shockwave/Flash ads, Flash animations that cover the entire screen, pop-ups, pop-unders, and adware/spyware.

 

[MotionMan]

Originally posted by: iFX

Originally posted by: MotionMan
How about taking sirens, car horns and other such things from radio commercials. I believe those are an actual danger to society.

MotionMan

Let's just outlaw all sound while we're at it.

Nah, just the sound of you would do.

But thanks for playing.

MotionMan

 

[HannibalX]

Originally posted by: MotionMan

Originally posted by: iFX

Originally posted by: MotionMan
How about taking sirens, car horns and other such things from radio commercials. I believe those are an actual danger to society.

MotionMan

Let's just outlaw all sound while we're at it.

Nah, just the sound of you would do.

But thanks for playing.

MotionMan

Most people don't like to hear the truth, you don't seem to be an exception.

 

[Nik]

Originally posted by: MotionMan
How about taking sirens, car horns and other such things from radio commercials. I believe those are an actual danger to society.

MotionMan

Yes!!! This, very much.

Also, strobe lights (actual strobes, not just blinking signs) should not be visible from roadways. There's a store in Hillsboro that has a strobe light, the kind you'd find in a haunted house or a party or a dance club or something, flashing in a window that's facing the roadway with nothing more than a 6 foot sidewalk between the window and the first lane. Talk about distracting during the day and blinding at night! Cops won't do anything about it

 

[MotionMan]

Originally posted by: iFX

Originally posted by: MotionMan

Originally posted by: iFX

Originally posted by: MotionMan
How about taking sirens, car horns and other such things from radio commercials. I believe those are an actual danger to society.

MotionMan

Let's just outlaw all sound while we're at it.

Nah, just the sound of you would do.

But thanks for playing.

MotionMan

Most people don't like to hear the truth, you don't seem to be an exception.

What was that? All I heard was a bunch of babble.

Maybe the problem is that, since you are obviously too young to drive, you do not understand the issue. Have fun at Summer Camp!!!

MotionMan

 

[waggy]

Originally posted by: iFX

Originally posted by: MotionMan
How about taking sirens, car horns and other such things from radio commercials. I believe those are an actual danger to society.

MotionMan

Let's just outlaw all sound while we're at it.

Get a grip.

are you so ignorant that you don't understand WHY they are a danger?

 

[HannibalX]

Originally posted by: MotionMan

Originally posted by: iFX

Originally posted by: MotionMan

Originally posted by: iFX

Originally posted by: MotionMan
How about taking sirens, car horns and other such things from radio commercials. I believe those are an actual danger to society.

MotionMan

Let's just outlaw all sound while we're at it.

Nah, just the sound of you would do.

But thanks for playing.

MotionMan

Most people don't like to hear the truth, you don't seem to be an exception.

What was that? All I heard was a bunch of babble.

Maybe the problem is that, since you are obviously too young to drive, you do not understand the issue. Have fun at Summer Camp!!!

MotionMan

The issue is what? You're too stupid to discern a siren on the radio from a real siren out your window. Sorry, your own inability to function as a driver does not equate a need to create another law.

Thanks for playing, have fun at retard camp.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

America's National Tinnitus Impediment Bill Investigating the Logistics of Limiting Your Maximum Advertisement Yelling Sounds