For years, studies have shown that TV commercials are much louder than the surrounding programming. These findings are believable to households all across the land, who find themselves confronted by ads that blare needlessly.
I think our local cable system was the worst offender. I'll never forget watching MTV or CNN's Gulf War coverage in 1991 and being almost knocked clean out of my chair when it cut to the local ads inserted by the cable company. It was loud enough that I was afraid it might have ruined the speakers.
Now there's a bill sponsored by Rep. Anna Eshoo and Rep. Zoe Lofgren (both D-California) that would direct the FCC to stop commershes that are significantly louder than the programming.
Eshoo correctly observed, "What annoys all of us is the sudden increase of volume when commercials are aired."
While we're at it, I'd like to see the FCC crack down on stations putting up ads that cover half the screen during programming. If there's anything more aggravating than commercials' loudness level, that's got to be it.
(Source: http://www.hometheatermag.com/news/082408loudtvads)
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Bill would quiet noisy ads
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Sucks that we have to have legislation for this. I mean, why can't the FCC just make this change and allow the legislature to focus on more important issues like oh, I don't know, stopping child torture?
ReplyDeleteHey, I hate the loud commercials but we are in bad shape as a country when we need legislators getting involved with what appears to be a "no-brainer".
Probably because the FCC is too worked up about "indecency."
ReplyDeleteI actually know the reason why commercials are like this.
ReplyDeleteSupposedly, TV companies air most of their programs in an audio format made for surround sound televisions, but the folks who make the television commercials do not and this causes the influx in volume.
Or at least that's what I read off the Sci-fi Channel's website.
They really do need to do something about the volume of ads on TV, but I really don't think it's the legislature's job to make this rule. It'd also be nice if they re-instilled the rules on how long commercials could be and the amount of time they aired as well. Because I'm sick and tired of it taking 4 hours to watch a movie that would only take an hour and a half to watch if I had it on DVD.
I do not personally pay for cable television at any of the houses I stay at, but it's bull shit that cable costs over $50 a month and 70% of what is aired are commercials and infomercials. I know when I have a place of my own I'm not forking over the money just to watch ads for Glade Plug-ins or HEAD ON.