It doesn’t seem anyone really ever bought the official explanation that commercials were being played in a somehow different way from regular programming, causing advertisements to often sound far louder than regular programming through no intention of TV stations or advertisers- or that ads were never really louder to begin with.
The disparity seems to have grown ever further in the past few years, and you’ve probably experienced straining to hear programming dialogue only to have someone come in and chide you to “turn it DOWN” once the “super loud” adverts come back. It seems lawmakers are finally tired of shouty commercials blaring forth from their tee-vee sets, because both the House and the Senate have approved legislation to prohibit advertisements to play at a louder volume than regular programming.
Ars Technica quotes New York Senator Chuck Schumer’s remarks on the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act:
“It’s about time we turned down the volume on loud commercials that try to startle TV watchers into paying attention. This is a simple step that will keep ads at the same decibel level as the programs they are interrupting,” said Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), sponsor of the Senate version of the bill. “TV viewers should be able to watch their favorite programs without fear of losing their hearing when the show goes to a commercial.”
The legislation has to make one more trip back to the House before it goes to the President for approval.
