Bill Would Lower TV Commercial Volume
Have you ever noticed how some TV commercials sound louder than the programs you are watching? U.S. Rep. Anna G. Eshoo (D-California, 14th) has noticed, says it's done on purpose, finds it annoying and has introduced a bill to make it stop.
Rep. Eshoo's Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act, or CALM, would order the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to create and enforce federal regulations requiring that television advertisements not be excessively noisy.
"Most Americans are not overjoyed to watch television commercials, but they are willing to tolerate them to sustain free over-the-air television," said Eshoo in her introductory remarks. "What annoys all of us is the sudden increase of volume when commercials are aired."
According the Rep. Eshoo, advertisers too often record their commercials at maximum volume simply to grab the viewer's attention. Her bill (H.R. 6209), would require that commercials be aired at the same volume level as the programs they accompany.
The Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act was introduced on June 9, 2008 and has been referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
UPDATE (Nov. 20, 2009): Rep. Eshoo's bill, now numbered HR 1084 as re-introduced in the 111th Congress, was reported (approved) by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on Nov. 19, thus clearing the way for the bill's consideration by the full House.
Comments
I am not a big fan of excessive legislation, and it would be nice if the broadcast and cable television community would police themselves and their sponsors. However, I do like the intent of this bill. Some movies (usually dramas) have a lot of low volume dialogue that is hard to follow without turning the volume up a little. Then the commercials come on and blow you away. It is not just that this is irritating, but it could potentially damage my speakers. The possibility that the extreme volume of some commercials could cause permanent damage to the viewers’ audio equipment, or even young ears, is a good reason for the government to step in.
This bill would be as welcome as the Do Not Call List. Advertisers once again insult our intelligence by thinking that BLASTING US WITH OBNOXIOUS NOISE will get us to by their products. All it does is encourage me to time-shift my programs more often, hit the mute button, or simply change the channel or turn the box off.
Which makes their original intent completely useless.
I thought Leo Laporte mentioned and saw for himself from the TechTV control rooms that television commercials are broadcast on a single sound channel.
Their volume levels are actually the same, but the single channel makes everything sound louder.
if using a single channel makes them sound like that then maybe they should change to a duel channel.
I agree that this is an issue for TV viewers. I hate commercials (mainly B/C of their annoyance factor)!! Commercials seem to have become some peoples’ only source of “reality”. But I feel that an unfortunately large number of American’s are oblivious to the overly loud, ignorant-type commercials…they may
never know that this product even exist, or that it’s a may help to salvaging what little culture this country has left
They should call this “the Billy Mays retirement act”!
“Most Americans are not overjoyed to watch television commercials, but they are willing to tolerate them to sustain free over-the-air television,”
Now that we pay (through the nose) for cable telivision, what is their excuse for having to tolerate them?
should not this be invasion of privacy? how did it even get started to begin with?
Thank Goodness! but the regulation should be enforced on all broadcasters, not the makers of the ad. It would be much easier to mandate that broadcasters regulate a maximum broadacsted volume based on the average volume of the accompanying programming. With the advent of digital broadcasting, there is no reason that a simple piece of software could not manage the task. Enforcement would be easier (since broadcasters must be licensed already).
Bottom Line: I’d vote for the people who pass this bill, and I’d boycott the companies who oppose it.
Sorry to tell everyone this but the bill is fatally flawed right from the gate. For those that don’t know I am in the industry and I hate the way commercials are produced. Explanation: FCC regulates volume from a minimum to maximum for programs. This also already applies to commercials as well. Your program will be controlled my multiple audio tracks put together with different levels. Gunshots screams, car wrecks are on the high level while the rest is on a lower average so that you get that “Feeling” especially for those with surround sound. Commercials knew the regulations were coming and now are already within the limits…they place ALL the audio on the high level “monotone” track making them seem REALLY loud. This is provable by placing a decibel meter on your coffee table, watch an action adventure flick and look at max level. Then as you hear the commercial, look at your meter it will not be higher. This is where we need to make te commercial MAX equal the average of your sow and you will not have that sudden blast on your ears that seems like they cranked the volume up. I know all of this because I work on audio for commercials and trust me I hate the game they play trying to get your attention with the audio tracks.
If the television stations, cable companies and advertisers aren’t willing to regulate themselves, then we need to put legislation in place. I’m tired of scrambling for my Mute button every time a commercial blasts onto my television. I’ve worked in advertising for over 30 years and I know you can’t annoy a person into buying your product. But you sure as hell can annoy them into muting their TV so their hear nothing of your message. (Corporations should fire their agencies for doing this. How many GRPs are you really getting if people turn off the sound?)
I’m excited to hear there is proposed legislation to address this nuisance. What can we do to help ensure the legislation becomes law?
Thanks,
Dan
We all need to send an email to our represenatives to tell them to support this. I sat here during the political campaigns thinking that whoever would say that they would levelize TV volume for comercials, would get my vote. I actually think that some of the sound levels can destroy my speakers. My wife has very good hearing and mine is poor (due to working is high volume areas) she is already listening to a high volume for her and then the comercials blast you right our of your chair. The comercials that are at these loud volumes actually turn me away from their products. I have noticed that the louder the volume the lower the quality of the product advertised. Maybe the government can tax them. Maby $10 million per second per decibel. This might help pay for the medicare medical bills for the hearing loss which is caused.
The big problem is that blasting the commercials works. The average listener is not going to turn the volume off they are only likely to moan about it a bit but the are very likely to remember the commercial whether they like it or not. Remembering the commercial and the product is half way to buying it.
What we need to do is to make our displeasure known to the broadcasters every time we are hit with this abuse. If we deluge them with complaints perhaps they will take notice.
I would love to see legislation control this but I am not holding my breadth.
i am preparing a class action suit against the broadcasters.
pass the word and if some one starts a roll-call it will help. please see:
Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act, US Congress, H.R. 6209
Can we sue them if the speakers on our televisions get blown because of the way they air there commercials ???
everyone complains about volume during commercials, it takes too long to change the law, the FCC should have done this years ago.It will take at least 10 years to ever change anything, and that would be quick with the FCC
I don’t think the bill will pass its to much money. As a consumer living in the land of capitalist it is our duty to complain when companies attempt to trick and manipulate us. We can fix this on our own. Perhaps taking out an ad in a Sunday paper listing companies that have chosen this advertising strategy. And call for a boycott of those companies products or services. Its a small step but its in the right direction. Remember as technology advances so will the manipulation of the consumer. If we can put an end to it now. Our futures wont be preprogrammed.
My wife and I fully support legistration to limit volume on commercials. We would like to believe that the industry would regulate itself, but it very evident that it will not becuase the dollar reigns. We simply mute every commerical, not matter what the volume. It’s our way of fighting back at those who insult and assult us.
I have good hearing while my husband does not. Typically even with his hearing aide the volume on regular shows is louder than what I would like. We simply mute out most commercials before they even start. Whenever we forget to do this, I almost come out of my chair! We very seldom watch commericals; you would certainly think that adveritisers would understand that their message is not being received. I think commercials should only be allowed to broadcast and 75% of the highest volume allowed for regular television shows.
Thanks
I would be more likely to watch commercials with regulated volume. As it is now, I fast-forward through them because they are so “jarring” and loud. Too bad the advertisers couldn’t do this without legislation- now it will cost the taxpayers to impose common sense, but I believe it’s worth it and I support it!
IT’s about time! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!
I’m sitting in my barcalounger eating Cheese Doodles and watching the “NCIS” marathon on the USA channel. It’s Saturday, and I’m taking the day off. I don’t want to be distracted by having to make decisions or pay bills on the weekend. But now, as another commercial comes on, I’m thinking to myself, “enough already, there ought to be a law.” I reach for the remote to turn down the volume. Is it just me, or is the commercial way louder than the regular programming? Yes and no. It seems broadcasters are allowed to air commercials at a volume equal to the peak volume of the program during which they play. For instance, there’s a loud bomb blast in an episode of our favorite show. All the commercials during that program can reach that level. In other words, the commercial is constantly running at the loudest volume possible, while the actual show balances the explosions with dialogue at a natural level. The shows have a realistic pattern of volume that ranges from whispering to loud dialogue to loud blasts, while the commercials constantly blare at the peak volume. This issue has confounded TV viewers for years, and is now being investigated by the U.S. Congress, which this week heard from experts on the subject while considering HR 1084, the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act (CALM). The appropriately named CALM Act would require the FCC to restrict television commercial volume to the average sound level of the program that it airs on, as opposed to the program’s peak volume. As I keep having to reach for the remote during each commercial interruption, I’m comforted by the fact that the day of the ear-blasting announcements for male enhancement products, AARP membership and bipolar medication is coming to an end. Soon there could be a law.
what an incredible waste of time and paper for them to even propose this bill…
talk about excessive meddling and legislating…
like our government can’t think of something better to do than to tell TV stations to turn down commercials? wow!
There has been a difference between the programmed show and commercial broadcast volumes for some time however it has recently been increased. It is definitively too high now to the point where my household will cancel our cable service.
Bryan, it still wont matter. If a commercial is aired that even seems louder than the program, it will have to be mixed down. Billy Mays commercials will basically be tossed into the bin as this because none of those commercial will even come close to a “reasonable volume”. If it’s loud and obnoxious, it will have to be toned down regardless what a decibel meter tells us.
I’m watching Le Tour De France right now on VS, and they keep going to sports commercials that are so over the top loud it’s annoying. The live coverage is not very loud at all, so all the commercials in the future will have to be very very very quiet.
Thank you!
I would love to see a bill passed to lower the volumn of commercials. Why should I have to hit the silent button every 9 minutes for comfort to my ears, in my own home?? Have you ever had a committee or volunteers, to obtain enough signatures of people to get some action. I would think that ad sponsers would like viewers to listen, and I would if it didn’t blast my hearing aids. Yes, the ads are annoying in themselves but I realize they pay for the station, but wouldn’t they hope that viewers would listen to them instead of pushing the silence button.
The practice by networks and TV cable carriers in elevating the volume of your TV during commercials have been escalating. As an advocate and scientist in the area of neurological disorders, I know that this practice exacerbates neurological and behaviorial complaints for millions of childrens, teens, and adults across the county with disorders ranging from autism to tumor, migraine, post TBI, developmental, and other disorders, including, PTSD among soldiers returning from combat. The sudden increase in volume becomes a “trigger” and overwhelmes the central nervous system’s sensory processing.
For these individuals, it is important to moderate visual, auditory, and and the other sensory stimuli. In addition, such individuals have disability protections as TV viewers to be free from endangering and exacerbating conditions that can make them ill.
AND as has been established by Congress and the Americans with Disability Act, these handicapped viewers are entitled to “reasonable accomodations” to be free from unhealthful conditions created by TV broadcasters and networks, and further some type of intervention to assure they are no longer subjected to these unhealthful practices.
No matter what transpires with the above “bill,” this practice will see some form of legal intervention and order to protect the above class of handicapped persons from the above-described harm and injury.
When I was a kid, back in the early 60’s, I remember a bill in congress that was passed to control commercial volume. Did this bill go away with de-regulation?
I will not watch tv anymore then, remember we will never beat the rich people they have the power to shut up these fcc bill or whatever is called.
i’m more into movies than tv programs for the same reazon.
if i watch a tv program I’m always prepared with my mute buton ready, ready like waiting for a target with my riffle to kill it but i don’t need to aim LOL.
This bill can not pass fast enough. Blasting us out of our own living room has to stop! I just turned of the darn tv because it was too loud when the commercials came on. Also, I notice the commercials seem to last forever. I lose interest in the program, scan channels and then forget what station I was on and never seem to watch a whole program. I would rather watch a dvd or catch the current shows online the day after they air. 30 second commercials, I can watch an hour program in about 40 – 45 minutes.
Is there any updated information regarding the bill to lower TV ads? How many people have suffered a heart attack by being jolted awake by a loud commercial?
It is a year since posts began and commercials are still blaring away.
Rep. Eshoo’s bill, now numbered HR 1084 as re-introduced in the 111th Congress, was reported (approved) by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on Nov. 19, 2009, thus clearing the way for the bill’s consideration by the full House.
There is nothing more annoying than not having the ability to watch a TV program without having to carry the remote in my pocket so I can avoid what might just as well be loud noise. Even if the commercial were something I might be interested in I would not hear it. It’s not the volumn that sells the product its listening to the presentation of something presented in a manner to hold the attention of the viewer long enough to convience the viewer of the merits of the product. There is enough pollution outdoors without forcing it into our homes.