Are TV Ads Too Loud?

If the volume of TV ads is a major source of irritation for you, there may be relief in the form of the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation (CALM) Act recently proposed by Rep. Anna Eshoo (D., Calif.). The FCC and David Perry, head of television productions at advertising giant Saatchi & Saatchi, says legislation isn’t necessary since new televisions are equipped with technology that can easily mitigate the problem. (Our TV remote)

In their infinite wisdom, these "powers that be" forgot about the part where the average person has the “right” not to be bombarded by some loud, obnoxious, bearded guy hawking some cheap blue tooth device that you attach to your dogs solar panel back pack or some popeyed, girlfriend thumping character who wants me to clean up the beer he spilled with a “scam cow” made of space age polymers that was invented with the moon landing technology from 1969.

But I digress. Consumer advocates say viewers should not need the latest technology (I still love this pseudo scientific jargon for a TV remote) to avoid the annoyance of shouting pitchmen. “Advertisers simply do not have a right to scream at consumers in their living rooms,” says Joel Kelsey, policy analyst at Consumers Union. He calls the CALM Act “a common sense solution to a 45 year consumer complaint.”

If you can relate to this television phenomenon that is occurring nightly in homes across America causing you to shout expletives at your “video frequency monitoring device” thereby scaring cats, dogs, and the elderly alike, you can now voice your opinion. Simply click on the attached URL, create a login for Open Congress, and vote how you feel. If you think this is a really good idea, then please pass on this info to your friends. Who knows, maybe this democracy thing might work after all and in the future, one with the latest technology of course; we won’t be shouted awake by some crazy pitchman when we’ve accidentally fallen asleep with the TV on.

Happy trails.

http://www.opencongress.org/bill/110-h6209/show

H.R.6209: Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress

Source: www.opencongress.org

Official government data, breaking news and blog coverage, public comments and user community for H.R.6209 Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act

Ref:Intelligence Report/ Parade.com

Comments: 25

yogamomma ebayer Oct 3, 2009, 7:24am EDT

Just last night ....every night, I fall asleep with the t.v. on and get woke up by some obnoxious commercial.

Wade A. Oct 3, 2009, 7:52am EDT

It's so annoying.

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FRED R. Oct 3, 2009, 7:32am EDT

I just hit mute

Problem solved

Wade A. Oct 3, 2009, 7:55am EDT

That's using your "new technology"

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Danielle A. Oct 3, 2009, 7:39am EDT

Screw hitting mute or turning the volume down. We shouldn't have make up for their faults.
I hate being bombarded.

Wade A. Oct 3, 2009, 7:56am EDT

Amen! (and a woman too). That's the whole point. We pay for the TV, cable, and the right to monitor the airwaves so why not the right to select the volume of our choice?

Danielle A. Oct 3, 2009, 8:07am EDT

That's what I am talking about. I refuse to be ordered by the people who make the damn commercials to just "lower the volume" to rectify their lazy asses. ARGH! With this "new technology" we do have the right to select our preferred volume choice!

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RobbinLynn B. Oct 3, 2009, 9:03am EDT

Wade, Hi! Annoying, to say the least, most of he time, I Mute.

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sharon SugarMomma is a wise woman, Oct 3, 2009, 10:40am EDT

I have a high startle reflex due to physical abuse as a kid. I shocks the hell out of me before I can get it together to hit mute. It's one of the reasons I don't watch very much tv at all.

Wade A. Oct 3, 2009, 11:14am EDT

That's why I think the FCC reasoning was downright rude. Technology is great but do we have to rely on it for everything mundane? Simple "across the board recording volumes" would accomplish the same thing thereby eliminating one more social irritant.

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Joanne Vicente Oct 3, 2009, 12:39pm EDT

I was under the impression that controls werre placed on this many years ago. Recently, however, the commercials have become much louder than the programming again. It's very annoying, to say the least!

Joanne Vicente Oct 3, 2009, 2:57pm EDT

Advertisers should be bombarded with complaints, as should broadcasters, until they stop this ugly practice!

Wade A. Oct 5, 2009, 8:36am EDT

I agree Joanne. It's not that they don't realize what they're doing, they're trying to get away with excessive broadcasts to get the upper hand on whatever marketable device they may be selling. (In my humble opinion)

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David E. Oct 3, 2009, 12:52pm EDT

Why should we make laws for everything, one day we will wake up and be legally mandated for everything from our morning routine, to what car we drive. There are too many laws already. It is not up to the government but up to the consumer to let the producer of products know we aren't going to take it. There is technology that will automatically lower the volume, or even mute it, and I am talking beyond the remote.
Take responsibility and let's not have another law.

Wade A. Oct 3, 2009, 3:05pm EDT

To me it's as simple as regulation of excessive transmission volume, not necessarily laws. The FCC has regulated what we hear and broadcast for years. Physician heal thyself It's not about the producers of products either. People will try to get the upper hand in every aspect of business by whatever mean possible, I can't blame them for that. Such is the society we live in today. My opinion of course. I've worked in electronics for 20 years and I haven't seen the technology for automatic control of volume or muting with the average TV/cable package either.
This is my form of taking responsibility.

David E. Oct 5, 2009, 12:34am EDT

I am a libertarian and hate the government telling me or anyone what to do in a situation that should be handled in other ways.

Wyoming Catt (The Militant Midget) Oct 5, 2009, 1:11am EDT

What other ways?

David E. Oct 5, 2009, 4:40am EDT

What other ways, let us control and live our own lives. This is becoming a police state where anything you do can be wrong. There are plenty of examples on Gather of people getting in trouble for doing things that are natural and common sense, but the law tries to save one person by holding a whole community hostage with it's restrictions.

Danielle A. Oct 5, 2009, 10:01am EDT

It's not a law, it's a regulation. They are telling us to lower the volume, therefore telling us what to do with our lives. I really don't see how this would become a police state by them adhereing to a regulation.

sharon SugarMomma is a wise woman, Oct 5, 2009, 9:17pm EDT

David I hope you go through what I go through with this. Otherwise you have no knowledge of why this is so important.

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CC Miranda the artrat (or am i?) Oct 3, 2009, 4:59pm EDT

i've always been annoyed by that too.

Wade A. Oct 23, 2009, 10:05pm EDT

Ha ha! I can't respond in the right context when I see this photo CC. I just want to switch to ...ummm... you know... some other media with french maids using lubricants to dust my house..never mind....I've said too much.

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Angela <:3---}~~~~ M. Oct 30, 2009, 6:05am EDT

I hate tv ads you have to sit with the remote while you watch tv anymore

Wade A. Oct 31, 2009, 2:16pm EDT

That's my biggest peeve also. One minute you can't hear your show then the next some pitchman is blasting you out. Sheesh!

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Stephanie S. Dec 11, 2009, 3:45am EST

I hate it too. I just make a dive for the remote and mute. They do make tv's that keep the commercials at the same volume as the program you are watching. Unfortunately we don't all own tv's that have that feature. Commercials now are all Christmas and singing and annoying as ever. I especially hate the old songs that advertise some stores. Ick who wants to hear that crap?

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Are TV Ads Too Loud?

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