# FCC To Crack Down On Loud Commericals **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 13, 2011, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fcc-to-crack-down-on-loud-commericals/606025 "2011-12-13T11:29:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BeaMyra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2bfe46/32.png) [@BeaMyra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeaMyra)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fcc-to-crack-down-on-loud-commericals/606025/1 "2011-12-13T11:29:15Z")
From the [USA TODAY](http://www.usatoday.com/money/media/story/2011-12-12/fcc-loud-commercials/51848692/1) The Federal Communications Commission today is expected to pass regulations requiring broadcasters and cable and satellite TV systems to maintain constant volume levels. The order, which goes into effect one year from today, “says commercials must have the same average volume as the programs they accompany,” says FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski. So what do you think, I say “It’s about time.” ---
**Author:** ![Private\_Bin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c0e974/32.png) [@Private\_Bin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Private_Bin)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fcc-to-crack-down-on-loud-commericals/606025/2 "2011-12-13T13:28:20Z")
Imagine if you were watching one of those subdued British dramas. You wouldn’t even be able to hear what they were selling. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fcc-to-crack-down-on-loud-commericals/606025/3 "2011-12-13T13:31:31Z")
> [@Private\_Bin](#): > > Imagine if you were watching one of those subdued British dramas. You wouldn’t even be able to hear what they were selling. Doesn’t sound like much of a problem to me. Now if they would just ban MagicJack commercials altogether… ---
**Author:** ![Hi\_Medlo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a183cd/32.png) [@Hi\_Medlo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hi_Medlo)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fcc-to-crack-down-on-loud-commericals/606025/4 "2011-12-13T13:50:59Z")
I’ve just got in the habit of hitting ‘mute’ as soon as a break in the programming comes. I don’t hear any commercials anymore. The remote is a powerful tool. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fcc-to-crack-down-on-loud-commericals/606025/5 "2011-12-13T13:53:43Z")
People have been complaining about loud commercials since I was a kid, back in the '50s. If they’re serious about fixing this problem, I’ll believe it when I see (hear) it. But there’s another problem they should address: the changes in volume from one channel to the next. You’d think the cable/satellite companies would equalize them. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fcc-to-crack-down-on-loud-commericals/606025/6 "2011-12-13T14:44:40Z")
I’ll be interested to see how this works since broadcasters already maintain constant volume levels. They have no way of controlling apparent volume levels. Or is this some kind of joke? ---
**Author:** ![randwill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@randwill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randwill)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fcc-to-crack-down-on-loud-commericals/606025/7 "2011-12-13T14:45:11Z")
I thought that the programming and the commercials were already at the same volume and it was just that the commercials had more of the loudest levels in them overall. By which I mean, the loudest sound on the show might be only a few seconds of a car crash, but that ‘car crash level’ would be heard throughout the entire length of the commercials. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fcc-to-crack-down-on-loud-commericals/606025/8 "2011-12-13T14:46:55Z")
About time. I am tired of being awakened by commercials after I fall asleep. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fcc-to-crack-down-on-loud-commericals/606025/9 "2011-12-13T14:47:53Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > But there’s another problem they should address: the changes in volume from one channel to the next. You’d think the cable/satellite companies would equalize them. That’s the real problem. The other day I was watching a movie and I had to turn the volume up to about 75%. I had to turn down the commercials to about 40%, which is what I consider normal. A few months ago I tried watching a movie OnDemand. With the volume at 100%, I could still barely hear it. But the commercials that it was punctuated with were blaring. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fcc-to-crack-down-on-loud-commericals/606025/10 "2011-12-13T14:49:42Z")
> [@randwill](#): > > I thought that the programming and the commercials were already at the same volume and it was just that the commercials had more of the loudest levels in them overall. By which I mean, the loudest sound on the show might be only a few seconds of a car crash, but that ‘car crash level’ would be heard throughout the entire length of the commercials. That’s part of, but not the entire, problem. They’re compressed so that the lows and highs are equally high. And there’s very little silence at all. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fcc-to-crack-down-on-loud-commericals/606025/11 "2011-12-13T17:06:00Z")
Seems like a ban easily avoided, and not worth expending resources over. I think a far worthier target is radio ads that feature sirens. These deserve heavy fines, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fcc-to-crack-down-on-loud-commericals/606025/12 "2011-12-13T17:18:30Z")
> [@Mr.Moto](#): > > Seems like a ban easily avoided, and not worth expending resources over. > > I think a far worthier target is radio ads that feature sirens. These deserve heavy fines, IMHO. And cell phone rings. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fcc-to-crack-down-on-loud-commericals/606025/13 "2011-12-13T17:26:14Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > And cell phone rings. And screeching tires or other traffic noises. Grrr… ---
**Author:** ![randwill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@randwill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randwill)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fcc-to-crack-down-on-loud-commericals/606025/14 "2011-12-13T17:55:42Z")
An even worthier FCC target: advertising time to programming time ratio. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fcc-to-crack-down-on-loud-commericals/606025/15 "2011-12-13T18:16:37Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > I’ll be interested to see how this works since broadcasters already maintain constant volume levels. They have no way of controlling apparent volume levels. Or is this some kind of joke? They don’t in the US. And it’s a matter of controlling the averaged volume level, which tends to be higher for commercials, at least in the US. ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fcc-to-crack-down-on-loud-commericals/606025/16 "2011-12-13T19:46:14Z")
> [@Hi\_Medlo](#): > > I’ve just got in the habit of hitting ‘mute’ as soon as a break in the programming comes. I don’t hear any commercials anymore. The remote is a powerful tool. Same here. Been doing it for years. ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fcc-to-crack-down-on-loud-commericals/606025/17 "2011-12-13T23:24:45Z")
This is why DVRs exist. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2011, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fcc-to-crack-down-on-loud-commericals/606025/18 "2011-12-14T01:43:17Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > People have been complaining about loud commercials since I was a kid, back in the '50s. If they’re serious about fixing this problem, I’ll believe it when I see (hear) it. Yeah, really. People have been griping about this forever and the government has been “investigating” forever, and nothing ever happens. Given that the FCC has become increasingly powerless in recent years (i.e. demise of the Fairness Doctrine, failure to prevent media conglomerates from dominating the industry), does anyone really think that now they’re going to be effective in clamping down on **SUDDENLY LOUD COMMERCIALS**? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2011, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fcc-to-crack-down-on-loud-commericals/606025/19 "2011-12-14T02:01:10Z")
Well, the FCC is finally being **Proactiv**! ---
**Author:** ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2011, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fcc-to-crack-down-on-loud-commericals/606025/20 "2011-12-14T02:03:49Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Well, the FCC is finally being **Proactiv**! **But wait! There’s more!** [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fcc-to-crack-down-on-loud-commericals/606025.md?page=2)