# Why is a phone ringing on the TV show's sound track?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-a-phone-ringing-on-the-tv-shows-sound-track/575968
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [March 25, 2011, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-a-phone-ringing-on-the-tv-shows-sound-track/575968 "2011-03-25T14:43:26Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)
#### Post date: [March 25, 2011, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-a-phone-ringing-on-the-tv-shows-sound-track/575968/1 "2011-03-25T14:43:26Z")
I’ve noticed a chirping digital-style phone ring in the background of several TV shows now. I can tell it’s part of the sound track by replaying the scene. Shows it’s appeared in:
Lie to Me
NBC Nightly News
Mr Sunshine
Outsourced
It annoys me because it sounds exactly like my home phone is ringing. It would be like listening to a song on the car radio and hearing a police siren on the sound track.
Is this a horrible new foley-artist trend to convey to the audience that they’re watching a real office with phones ringing all the time? 😕 If so, I really wish they would cut it out already! Has anyone else noticed this and do you find it super annoying?
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### Author:  [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)
#### Post date: [March 25, 2011, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-a-phone-ringing-on-the-tv-shows-sound-track/575968/2 "2011-03-25T14:45:24Z")
I don’t know, but I bet it’s a call from [Mr. Wilhelm](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm_scream)!
Similarly annoying, at least at our house, are the several commercials that feature a doorbell that sounds exactly like ours. It drives the dogs nuts!
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### Author:  [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)
#### Post date: [March 25, 2011, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-a-phone-ringing-on-the-tv-shows-sound-track/575968/3 "2011-03-25T14:52:30Z")
In a similar vein, radio ads that have either honking horns, screeching tires, or police/ambulance/fire sirens as background noise. It’s absolutely nerve-wracking when you’re driving!
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### Author:  [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)
#### Post date: [March 25, 2011, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-a-phone-ringing-on-the-tv-shows-sound-track/575968/4 "2011-03-25T18:37:58Z")
> [@The\_Controvert](#):
>
> Lie to Me
> NBC Nightly News
> Mr Sunshine
> Outsourced
NBC Nightly News? It’s probably an actual phone ringing.
The others, yeah, I’m guessing just a stock sound effect for ambience. Funny though, it’s never stood out for me before. But I can see what you mean if it sounds like your own phone. Whenever a TV character has the same text-message alert as me, it sort of jerks me to attention. We’re all Pavlov’s Dogs, I guess.
> [@jayjay](#):
>
> In a similar vein, radio ads that have either honking horns, screeching tires, or police/ambulance/fire sirens as background noise. It’s absolutely nerve-wracking when you’re driving!
There should be a special level of Hell reserved for advertisers who do this!!
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### Author:  [@sco3tt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sco3tt)
#### Post date: [March 25, 2011, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-a-phone-ringing-on-the-tv-shows-sound-track/575968/5 "2011-03-25T19:36:55Z")
> [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](#):
>
> Similarly annoying, at least at our house, are the several commercials that feature a doorbell that sounds exactly like ours. It drives the dogs nuts!
It seems that 90% of the episodes of _Curb Your Enthusiasm_ feature a scene where someone rings a doorbell, the standard two-tone bell that I (and probably you and everyone else) have. When I used to watch that show I could always count on my dog to start barking at the front door at some point.
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### Author:  [@Marc\_Xenos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marc_Xenos)
#### Post date: [April 2, 2011, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-a-phone-ringing-on-the-tv-shows-sound-track/575968/6 "2011-04-02T22:43:58Z")
> [@jayjay](#):
>
> In a similar vein, radio ads that have either honking horns, screeching tires, or police/ambulance/fire sirens as background noise. It’s absolutely nerve-wracking when you’re driving!
BING - frickin’ - OH!!!
Hey, speaking of TV irritations, how about those reality shows that have so much bleeped-out profanity, that it’s like watching a documentary about Morse Code?
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### Author:  [@jasonh300](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasonh300)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2011, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-a-phone-ringing-on-the-tv-shows-sound-track/575968/7 "2011-04-03T00:07:50Z")
I’ve noticed that cell phones in commercials and on TV no longer ring, but they vibrate, LOUDLY. I can’t stand that sound.
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### Author:  [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2011, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-a-phone-ringing-on-the-tv-shows-sound-track/575968/8 "2011-04-03T00:10:48Z")
It’s just to set the scene. If there were no background phones ringing in a busy office, people would complain that it’s unrealistic. I know what you mean about it being sometimes making you think it’s your own phone, though. My dog also barks when someone on the TV knocks on the door.
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### Author:  [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2011, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-a-phone-ringing-on-the-tv-shows-sound-track/575968/9 "2011-04-03T00:18:56Z")
Is this anything new? haven’t there been phones on TVs for a while?
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### Author:  [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2011, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-a-phone-ringing-on-the-tv-shows-sound-track/575968/10 "2011-04-03T06:21:30Z")
Can I just mention… cell phones have been central to many a TV plot, but there is one particular cell phone ring tone that will be forever branded in my brain as “the Medium ring tone”. I don’t think any ring tone has has more play in any series than that one.
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### Author:  [@Euryphaessa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euryphaessa)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2011, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-a-phone-ringing-on-the-tv-shows-sound-track/575968/11 "2011-04-03T06:57:23Z")
> [@jayjay](#):
>
> In a similar vein, radio ads that have either honking horns, screeching tires, or police/ambulance/fire sirens as background noise. It’s absolutely nerve-wracking when you’re driving!
Or ads with that annoying generic beeping alarm clock. That just puts me in a bad mood.
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### Author:  [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2011, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-a-phone-ringing-on-the-tv-shows-sound-track/575968/12 "2011-04-03T21:41:41Z")
> [@jackdavinci](#):
>
> Can I just mention… cell phones have been central to many a TV plot, but there is one particular cell phone ring tone that will be forever branded in my brain as “the Medium ring tone”. I don’t think any ring tone has has more play in any series than that one.
So… anyone who doesn’t want to be annoyed could change their ring tone.
I did, and I’m an Olde Farte™.
(“There’s a manual for that!”)
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### Author:  [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)
#### Post date: [April 4, 2011, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-a-phone-ringing-on-the-tv-shows-sound-track/575968/13 "2011-04-04T17:45:20Z")
> [@digs](#):
>
> So… anyone who doesn’t want to be annoyed could change their ring tone.
>
> I did, and I’m an Olde Farte™.
> (“There’s a manual for that!”)
I tried but I wasn’t able to figure out how anything you wrote was a response to my post.
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### Author:  [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unauthorized_Cinnamon)
#### Post date: [April 4, 2011, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-a-phone-ringing-on-the-tv-shows-sound-track/575968/14 "2011-04-04T23:53:25Z")
NBC has been flogging the everliving shit out of Hop lately, allegedly putting literal Easter eggs in the shows. Perhaps the chirp is to alert you to one?
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### Author:  [@The\_Raven\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Raven_1)
#### Post date: [April 5, 2011, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-a-phone-ringing-on-the-tv-shows-sound-track/575968/15 "2011-04-05T15:56:19Z")
Well, you’ve listed 2 NBC shows, 1 ABC and 1 Fox. Unless this is some global viral marketing phenomenon, I think you need to look between the couch cushions there, chief. 😃
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### Author:  [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2012, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-a-phone-ringing-on-the-tv-shows-sound-track/575968/17 "2012-03-18T21:23:59Z")
Obviously the people have spoken already, all those shows save “NBC Nightly News” have been canceled since this thread was last seen at the top of the message board.
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### Author:  [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2012, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-a-phone-ringing-on-the-tv-shows-sound-track/575968/18 "2012-03-18T21:49:56Z")
Heh. _Outsourced_ was set in a **call center**. Of course there’s going to be phones ringing.
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### Author:  [@JoelUpchurch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoelUpchurch)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2012, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-a-phone-ringing-on-the-tv-shows-sound-track/575968/19 "2012-03-18T22:05:34Z")
I get annoyed with shows that have characters that use Skype and they use the actual Skype ring tone. It also annoys me that the video quality is so much better than anything I get in Skype.
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### Author:  [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2012, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-a-phone-ringing-on-the-tv-shows-sound-track/575968/20 "2012-03-18T22:09:20Z")
The thread was bumped by a spammer. Since others have posted in addition, though, I’ll leave it open.
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### Author:  [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2012, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-a-phone-ringing-on-the-tv-shows-sound-track/575968/21 "2012-03-18T23:58:48Z")
I was watching the movie [_John Q_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Q) with Denzel Washington. A fax machine rang in one scene. It not only sounded exactly like my own fax machine, the ringing even seemed to come from that direction on my home theater speakers. I paused the movie and the ringing quit. I then had to replay the scene to make sure the ringing was on the soundtrack and not my fax actually ringing. It was eerie.
As for the doorbell sound and the dogs, I used to have dogs that would react to a doorbell sound on TV. Not my current dog, though. He only pays attention if it’s the real thing.
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