Commercials Are Still Too Loud, Say 'Thousands' of Recent FCC Complaints (arstechnica.com)
- Reference: 0176573175
- News link: https://entertainment.slashdot.org/story/25/02/28/2128203/commercials-are-still-too-loud-say-thousands-of-recent-fcc-complaints
- Source link: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/02/commercials-are-still-too-loud-say-thousands-of-recent-fcc-complaints/
> Thousands" of complaints about the volume of TV commercials have [1]flooded the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in recent years . Despite the FCC requiring TV stations, cable operators, and satellite providers to ensure that commercials don't bring a sudden spike in decibels, complaints around loud commercials "took a troubling jump" in 2024, the government body said on Thursday.
>
> Under The Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation (CALM) Act, broadcast, cable, and satellite TV providers are required to ensure that commercials "have the same average volume as the programs they accompany," per the [2]FCC . The FCC's rules about the volume of commercials took effect in December 2012. The law also requires linear TV providers to use the Advanced Television Systems Committee's (ATSC's) [3]recommended practices . The practices include guidance around production, post production, metadata systems usage, and controlling dynamic range. If followed, the recommendations "result in consistency in loudness and avoidance of signal clipping," per the ATSC
[4]PDF
. The guidance reads: "If all programs and commercials were produced at a consistent average loudness, and if the loudness of the mix is preserved through the production, distribution, and delivery chain, listeners would not be subjected to annoying changes in loudness within and between programs.">
> As spotted by [5]PC Mag , the FCC claimed this week that The Calm Act initially reduced complaints about commercials aggressively blaring from TVs. However, the agency is seeing an uptick in grievances. The FCC said it received "approximately" 750 complaints in 2022, 825 in 2023, and "at least" 1,700 in 2024
[6]PDF
. Since The Calm Act regulates a commercial's average loudness, some advertisers may be skirting the spirit of the law by making commercials very loud at the start (to get viewers' attention) before quieting down for the rest of the ad. In response to growing complaints, the FCC is reexamining its rules and this week announced that it's seeking comment from "consumers and industry on the extent to which The CALM Act rules are effective." The FCC is also asking people to weigh in on what future actions the FCC, the TV industry, or standard developers could take.The FCC is considering whether to extend the Calm Act to online streaming services, which are increasingly offering plans with ad-supported models and live event broadcasts.
[1] https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/02/commercials-are-still-too-loud-say-thousands-of-recent-fcc-complaints/
[2] https://www.fcc.gov/enforcement/areas/sound-volume-commercials-calm-act
[3] https://www.atsc.org/atsc-documents/a85-techniques-for-establishing-and-maintaining-audio-loudness-for-digital-television/
[4] https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/A85-2013.pdf
[5] https://www.pcmag.com/news/are-tv-commercials-too-loud-fcc-to-investigate-eyes-streaming-services
[6] https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/FCC.pdf
What? WHAT? (Score:2)
WHAAAAT?
So is Youtube (Score:2)
I admit I don't understand this. On our TV we switch between Netflix, Disney+, a few others. In general most of those services I can watch with the TV on the same setting; call it 50-60 out of 100 max.
But if we go to YouTube to watch some video (often a kids thing), 18-20 is manageable but anything higher than that blows out my eardrums. And YouTube's ads are much louder than their videos and much louder than say Hulu's free-to-stream-with-ads loudness.
It shouldn't be too hard for the FCC to set a s
Re: (Score:2)
We just pay for the ad-free versions of streaming services. Prime is "free", netflix is ~$20, and youtube premium is ~$20, as is disney+. Our toddler is so shielded from commercials she calls it out as a novelty when she sees one "look! it's a commercial!". The only downside is that I find out events like the superbowl happened after the fact, which might be a pro in some people's books rather than a con.
Re: So is Youtube (Score:2)
Streaming falls outside of the compliance as it's not TV. For the se reasons you can hear someone curse or see nudity on the internet. The service might self police to dissuade FCC oversight but anything goes and that includes loud commercials.
If you have nothing better to do (Score:2)
Then actually contact the FCC to complain about this, GFY.
Re: If you have nothing better to do (Score:2)
Yeah. I know. If I have nothing better to do than write that on /. I should go fuck myself too. There, beat you to it.
Not that I can tell a difference. (Score:1)
I've blown my ears to pieces with years of blasting heavy metal, so this issue doesn't really affect me, only people with actually decent hearing.
Hi, Billy Mays here for CCC (Score:2)
Hi, Billy Mays here for CCC.
CCC = Cheap Chinese Crap
What I don't understand (Score:2)
They blast the commercials out as loud as they can get away with, but they can't be bothered to include closed captions so that those of us with hearing problems that can't be solved by higher volume can understand them. If you want to see what I mean, mute the TV when the commercials start and see how well you can tell what they're pitching that way. Yes, some of them put text and/or logos into their ads, but all too many depend on your hearing the pitch and give you no other way to find out what they're
Who cares? Most TV sucks (Score:1)
Either I'm getting too old and too cranky, or what passes for screenwriters these days have next to zero ability to make me give two fucks about the characters in the story.
Either they're all tragically flawed whatevers. Or they exist solely as Mary Sues for whatever demographic the show is pandering to. Or they lack believable motivation.
Perhaps this isn't new. Woody Allen has been writing unlikeable cardboard cutout characters for longer than I've been alive, after all.
Point is...there's a fallacy at play
Re: (Score:2)
While I agree completely on the (lack of) quality of television these days, I will point out that ads are the reason fast forward buttons exist. And if that doesn't work, there's still the mute button.
Or a good book.
Or stabbing myself in the eye with a red hot titanium spork, which would still be preferable to most television.