Weren't TV commercials supposed to get quieter?
April 22, 2016 12:33 PM   Subscribe

Anyone out there still watching the TV? I thought there was some new rule that commercials were supposed to get quieter, but AFAICT they're just as loud if not louder -- I'm sure I've even heard the volume being ramped up as a commercial started.

Did I just imagine the rule or is everyone just ignoring it?

Bonus question: does anyone else find the Toyota ads on YouTube to be super loud?
posted by mpark to Media & Arts (6 answers total) 4 users marked this as a favorite
 
Best answer: Yes you are right, it is called the CALM act. That page suggests that you complain to your provider and the FCC. It does not, however, apply to Internet commercials.
posted by soelo at 12:37 PM on April 22, 2016 [5 favorites]


Yeah, I've noticed this too but I have hyperacusis issues so I assumed it was just me being me. I'm specifically noticing it with On Demand shows, the ones in which you can't fast forward thru the commercials, and I bet the on demand showing creates some kind of loophole where they can get away with ignoring that CALM act thing.
posted by poffin boffin at 12:43 PM on April 22, 2016 [2 favorites]


I have found the same thing. AAMOF, right after the CALM Act went into effect, I could swear the commercials here in the Denver area got louder.
posted by Rad_Boy at 2:49 PM on April 22, 2016 [1 favorite]


you could try to research this in the CALM act people have cited, but I heard somewhere that the commercials couldn't be any louder than the loudest part of the television show. so for example, if you have a show that is 99% quiet dialogue with one huge explosion, the commercials could legally match the volume level of the explosion, making them SEEM louder if you compare them to average volume level of the show. but I'm not sure where I heard it exactly, so feel free to investigate more.
posted by carlypennylane at 4:41 PM on April 22, 2016 [2 favorites]


Current FCC rules seem to say commercials cannot be louder than the average volume of the show they appear in. The act itself directs the FCC to create the rules. The FCC page is here.
posted by lhauser at 9:34 PM on April 22, 2016 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: Thanks everyone!
posted by mpark at 11:38 AM on April 23, 2016


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