fresh squeezed thoughts…

…from http://usgovinfo.about.com/b/2008/06/20/bill-would-lower-tv-commercial-volume.htm

Have you ever noticed how some TV commercials sound louder than the programs you are watching? U.S. Rep. Anna G. Eshoo (D-California, 14th) has noticed, says it’s done on purpose, finds it annoying and has introduced a bill to make it stop.

Rep. Eshoo’s Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act, or CALM, would order the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to create and enforce federal regulations requiring that television advertisements not be excessively noisy.

“Most Americans are not overjoyed to watch television commercials, but they are willing to tolerate them to sustain free over-the-air television,” said Eshoo in her introductory remarks. “What annoys all of us is the sudden increase of volume when commercials are aired.”

According the Rep. Eshoo, advertisers too often record their commercials at maximum volume simply to grab the viewer’s attention. Her bill (H.R. 6209), would require that commercials be aired at the same volume level as the programs they accompany.

The Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act was introduced on June 9, 2008 and has been referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

UPDATE (Nov. 20, 2009): Rep. Eshoo’s bill, now numbered HR 1084 as re-introduced in the 111th Congress, was reported (approved) by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on Nov. 19, thus clearing the way for the bill’s consideration by the full House.