USA: CALM Act passed, will quiet loud TV commercials within a year
64 replies, posted
[quote]
Though Congress still bickers over net neutrality, spying on Americans, and universal health care, at least Democrats and Republicans can agree on one thing: TV commercials are too damned loud. After approval by the House, the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation (CALM) Act is now on its way to President Obama's desk. It was passed by the Senate earlier this year.
Rep. Anna Eshoo's (D-CA) bill will require commercials to be at the same decibel levels as programs during which they play. Once signed, the CALM Act will give the FCC a mandate to regulate and enforce volume limits on commercials, ensuring that their maximum loudness does not exceed the average maximum loudness of the program they're accompanying. Advertisers will have one year to implement technology to keep the volume levels in check.
Rep Eshoo noted that the FCC has received complaints about loud commercials since the 1960s, and that the issue has been the number one consumer complaint about TV in 21 of the last 25 FCC quarterly reports.
"Consumers have been asking for a solution to this problem for decades, and today they finally have it," Rep Eshoo said in a statement. Thanks to the CALM Act, "consumers will no longer have to experience being blasted at—it's a simple fix to a huge nuisance."
Those in the Orbiting HQ still subjected to commercial TV (Netflix, anyone?) are already celebrating.
[url]http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2010/12/calm-act-passed-will-quiet-loud-tv-commercials-within-a-year.ars[/url]
[/quote]
Finally some decent legislature. I hate those commercials that have a +50dB boost from the regular show you are watching.
YES. Finally.
I hate listening to a loud "HEY DOES ONE OF YOUR LOVED ONES HAVE THIS DISEASE CALL NOW" right after hearing a not loud snuggie commercial.
Your tax dollars at work.
[del]Who knows, maybe I might start watching television again.[/del]
Nevermind, it is still shit.
r.i.p billy mays the legacy is dead
Will this apply to American stations aired internationally or will they keep them loud for non-American markets?
good
now we don't have to bother muting or turning down the volume every time a commercial comes on
christ I hope the uk does something similar
we may finally be at an end of the plague of this:
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_-9QFvhQWo[/media]
I haven't watch TV in several years, but it'd be nice if something similar was done for online advertisements that cut into streaming shows. Sometimes they blast me out of my chair.
[QUOTE=LinuX;26509412]YES. Finally.
I hate listening to a loud "HEY DOES ONE OF YOUR LOVED ONES HAVE THIS DISEASE CALL NOW" right after hearing a not loud snuggie commercial.[/QUOTE]
It seems more like "DO ONE OF YOUR LOVED ONES, [i]YOUR BROTHER, YOUR FRIEND, OR SOME GUY YOU JUST MET[/i] HAVE THIS DISEASE? CALL NOW!"
thank god
What's the point in making the commercials loud anyway? Can someone explain the idea behind it?
Personally, whenever a commercial blasts my ears, I personally swear to not buy that shitty product, especially when it's a known offender.
EDIT: I mean advertisers have to know that people don't like it, I just don't see the logic in pissing off the person you're trying to sell too. It's not like someone is at home saying to himself/herself, "Well, if only this commercial was a little louder I might want to buy that".
If Billy Mays was still around, I would start a petition to make him exempt from this law.
I miss Billy Mays :(
The next thing Congress needs to do is do away with car sounds on the radio.
I honestly wonder if there has been any accidents involving that.
[QUOTE=Inspector Jones;26510462]What's the point in making the commercials loud anyway? Can someone explain the idea behind it?
Personally, whenever a commercial blasts my ears, I personally swear to not buy that shitty product, especially when it's a known offender.[/QUOTE]
I'd imagine advertisers think it attracts attention.
I'm fucking glad this finally happened.
Wait, Congress actually fixed a problem?
:wtc:
[QUOTE=Biotoxsin;26510511]I'd imagine advertisers think it attracts attention.
[/QUOTE]
I understand how a naive person would relate loudness to attention, and in a way they are correct. Just not the attention they were probably hoping for.
EDIT:
"Turn that fucking shit down!" is not the same as "Wow, I need that product!"
[QUOTE=Inspector Jones;26510462]What's the point in making the commercials loud anyway? Can someone explain the idea behind it?
Personally, whenever a commercial blasts my ears, I personally swear to not buy that shitty product, especially when it's a known offender.
EDIT: I mean advertisers have to know that people don't like it, I just don't see the logic in pissing off the person you're trying to sell too. It's not like someone is at home saying to himself/herself, "Well, if only this commercial was a little louder I might want to buy that".[/QUOTE]
I believe it comes from radio days, when the people used to leave the room that the radio was in during commercials.
[QUOTE=leadpumper;26509541][img_thumb]http://scrapetv.com/News/News%20Pages/Business/images-2/billy-mays-thumbs.jpg[/img_thumb]
:frown:[/QUOTE]
Hey, he's dead and all the other guys suck
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8F_G2zp-opg[/media]
If I hear this commercial one more fucking time...
[QUOTE=Zeldy;26510753][media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8F_G2zp-opg[/media]
If I hear this commercial one more fucking time...[/QUOTE]
Exactly, it's like some commercials are just like perfectly designed to annoy people. It's sort of brilliant, if their goal didn't concern convincing people to use Geico.
'bout time.
[QUOTE=Aurora93;26510508]The next thing Congress needs to do is do away with car sounds on the radio.
I honestly wonder if there has been any accidents involving that.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, there is this one commercial on the radio that has an ambulance siren. When I first heard it, I started looking for flashing lights. The commercial itself had something to do with driving safely IIRC.
But you don't necessarily have to be driving to listen to the radio. And the government will probably say you [b]shouldn't[/b] be listening to the radio while driving.
[QUOTE=DainBramageStudios;26509592]christ I hope the uk does something similar
we may finally be at an end of the plague of this:
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_-9QFvhQWo[/media][/QUOTE]
Oh wow, they ripped off an American song for this? Over there was a patriotic WWI song for fuck's sake.
[QUOTE=Zeldy;26510753][media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8F_G2zp-opg[/media]
If I hear this commercial one more fucking time...[/QUOTE]
Oh my god, I don't even watch TV and I hear that commercial all the time. My parents watch TV at a reasonable volume and I don't ever hear it, but that is one of the only commercials that i can actually hear all the way from the opposite side of the house.
The Pepsi Refresh commercial is another one.
Oh god, now my dad can stop bitching at me for turning up the volume of the tv when it goes to a commercial.
[quote]"Consumers have been asking for a solution to this problem for decades, and today they finally have it," Rep Eshoo said in a statement. Thanks to the CALM Act, "consumers will no longer have to experience being blasted at—it's a simple fix to a huge nuisance."[/quote]
yes. a simple fix. after all people have wanted it for decades. thats why we waited until now to fix it. because it was so simple.
I haven't really noticed this issue on any Canadian networks
[QUOTE=wheresmyfish;26511156]yes. a simple fix. after all people have wanted it for decades. thats why we waited until now to fix it. because it was so simple.[/QUOTE]
That's Congress for ya!
