Loud TV commercials to leave quietly, thanks to FCC

The Federal Communications Commission is expected to pass regulations requiring broadcasters and cable and satellite television systems to maintain constant volume levels.

The order, which goes into effect Dec 13, 2012, "says commercials must have the same average volume as the programs they accompany," says FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski. While normal listening levels average about 70 decibels for a typical TV broadcast — 60 is equivalent to a restaurant conversation; 80 to a garbage disposal — levels on a TV channel can vary by as much as 20 decibels. To comply with the new law, broadcasters can use audio processors to measure the loudness of a program over its entirety and adjust the volume of commercials accordingly, says Joe Snelson, vice president of the Society of Broadcast Engineers. He said the goal is to avoid an abrupt change in volume when a show goes to commercial break. Some broadcasters and pay-TV providers already have begun implementing the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act (CALM).