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Front Page, Industry News
Conservative MP wants to dial down loud commercials
Friday February 11th 2011OTTAWA – A Conservative MP introduced a private member’s bill Thursday to force advertisers to turn down the volume on loud television commercials.
Surrey MP Nina Grewal says Canadians are “sick and tired of having to reach for the remote control every time a commercial comes on their TV.“
Bill C-621 would require broadcasters to make sure the volume of commercials is consistent with the programs they accompany.
“It’s a common complaint. You’re watching a program at a comfortable volume. The program breaks for a commercial and suddenly you’re jolted out of your seat by the loudness,” Grewal said in a statement. “While it may seem a small irritant, it’s a daily stress that could and should be relieved from the shoulders of Canadians.”
While there are no laws in Canada to ensure programming and commercials are broadcast at a consistent volume, similar rules exist in both the U.S. and the U.K.
The Commercial Advertising Loudness Mitigation Act – or CALM Act – was passed last December, forcing the U.S. Communications Commission to regulate the audio of TV commercials so that they match programming volume.
Under Grewal’s bill, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) would create new rules under the Broadcasting Act to limit the loudness of television commercials. The regulations would align with current recommendations from the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC), which is the standards agency for North American broadcasters.
MPs will discuss the bill in March.
In 2010, the CRTC received 304 complaints about loud commercials, a spokesperson told Postmedia News. That compared to 140 letters and phone calls received in 2009 and the 174 received in 2008.
The commission had no comment when asked about the bill.
On its website, the CRTC explained that program and commercial audio levels don’t always match for a variety of reasons, including “ad production techniques, contrasting sound levels, and steps involved from creating a TV program to watching it.”
The commission said changing sound frequencies alerts a listener’s ears.
“The result is a commercial that grabs your attention, but may also sound harsh.”
Bart Testa, a pop culture professor at the University of Toronto, called the proposal a “good idea.”
“The variable volume for TV commercials is a major annoyance to viewers and can be an inconvenience . . . they persuade people to turn off their TVs,” he said, noting the inconsistency has encouraged the use of PVRs and mute buttons so viewers completely avoid the disruption.
“Do we really need the government to correct this stupidity?”
Source: Vancouver Sun
Front Page, Industry News
Conservative MP wants to dial down loud commercials
Friday February 11th 2011OTTAWA – A Conservative MP introduced a private member’s bill Thursday to force advertisers to turn down the volume on loud television commercials.
Surrey MP Nina Grewal says Canadians are “sick and tired of having to reach for the remote control every time a commercial comes on their TV.“
Bill C-621 would require broadcasters to make sure the volume of commercials is consistent with the programs they accompany.
“It’s a common complaint. You’re watching a program at a comfortable volume. The program breaks for a commercial and suddenly you’re jolted out of your seat by the loudness,” Grewal said in a statement. “While it may seem a small irritant, it’s a daily stress that could and should be relieved from the shoulders of Canadians.”
While there are no laws in Canada to ensure programming and commercials are broadcast at a consistent volume, similar rules exist in both the U.S. and the U.K.
The Commercial Advertising Loudness Mitigation Act – or CALM Act – was passed last December, forcing the U.S. Communications Commission to regulate the audio of TV commercials so that they match programming volume.
Under Grewal’s bill, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) would create new rules under the Broadcasting Act to limit the loudness of television commercials. The regulations would align with current recommendations from the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC), which is the standards agency for North American broadcasters.
MPs will discuss the bill in March.
In 2010, the CRTC received 304 complaints about loud commercials, a spokesperson told Postmedia News. That compared to 140 letters and phone calls received in 2009 and the 174 received in 2008.
The commission had no comment when asked about the bill.
On its website, the CRTC explained that program and commercial audio levels don’t always match for a variety of reasons, including “ad production techniques, contrasting sound levels, and steps involved from creating a TV program to watching it.”
The commission said changing sound frequencies alerts a listener’s ears.
“The result is a commercial that grabs your attention, but may also sound harsh.”
Bart Testa, a pop culture professor at the University of Toronto, called the proposal a “good idea.”
“The variable volume for TV commercials is a major annoyance to viewers and can be an inconvenience . . . they persuade people to turn off their TVs,” he said, noting the inconsistency has encouraged the use of PVRs and mute buttons so viewers completely avoid the disruption.
“Do we really need the government to correct this stupidity?”
Source: Vancouver Sun
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Front Page, Industry News
Conservative MP wants to dial down loud commercials
Friday February 11th 2011OTTAWA – A Conservative MP introduced a private member’s bill Thursday to force advertisers to turn down the volume on loud television commercials.
Surrey MP Nina Grewal says Canadians are “sick and tired of having to reach for the remote control every time a commercial comes on their TV.“
Bill C-621 would require broadcasters to make sure the volume of commercials is consistent with the programs they accompany.
“It’s a common complaint. You’re watching a program at a comfortable volume. The program breaks for a commercial and suddenly you’re jolted out of your seat by the loudness,” Grewal said in a statement. “While it may seem a small irritant, it’s a daily stress that could and should be relieved from the shoulders of Canadians.”
While there are no laws in Canada to ensure programming and commercials are broadcast at a consistent volume, similar rules exist in both the U.S. and the U.K.
The Commercial Advertising Loudness Mitigation Act – or CALM Act – was passed last December, forcing the U.S. Communications Commission to regulate the audio of TV commercials so that they match programming volume.
Under Grewal’s bill, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) would create new rules under the Broadcasting Act to limit the loudness of television commercials. The regulations would align with current recommendations from the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC), which is the standards agency for North American broadcasters.
MPs will discuss the bill in March.
In 2010, the CRTC received 304 complaints about loud commercials, a spokesperson told Postmedia News. That compared to 140 letters and phone calls received in 2009 and the 174 received in 2008.
The commission had no comment when asked about the bill.
On its website, the CRTC explained that program and commercial audio levels don’t always match for a variety of reasons, including “ad production techniques, contrasting sound levels, and steps involved from creating a TV program to watching it.”
The commission said changing sound frequencies alerts a listener’s ears.
“The result is a commercial that grabs your attention, but may also sound harsh.”
Bart Testa, a pop culture professor at the University of Toronto, called the proposal a “good idea.”
“The variable volume for TV commercials is a major annoyance to viewers and can be an inconvenience . . . they persuade people to turn off their TVs,” he said, noting the inconsistency has encouraged the use of PVRs and mute buttons so viewers completely avoid the disruption.
“Do we really need the government to correct this stupidity?”
Source: Vancouver Sun
Leave a Reply
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