TV

Quieter Commercials From Now On? Yes, Please!

Looks like our seemingly futile requests for less obnoxious commercials have begun to have an effect: earlier today, starting at midnight, the volume of advertisements on television must be pre-approved by law so that they don’t surpass a maximum of 2 decibels(db). To mimic the hyper-excited exuberance of those infamous Herbal Essence commercials, all we have to say to this is “Yes! Yes! Yes!”

Even though DVRs have become the standard for at-home viewing, and Netflix has a loyal percentage of On-Demand streamers, this is great news for our grandparents who still watch the 5 o’clock news or those of us trying to host a Super Bowl party. Commercials have been getting steadily louder for years, finding sneaky ways around prior volume limitations:

Commercials are often so loud because the only real limit on programming volumes is the one set by stations so that the sound levels don’t damage their equipment. That level, however, represents a peak sound meant to accommodate for when something like a gunshot or explosion goes off during a show. Advertising content creators routinely crank the sound of their ads to just shy of that peak level, so the entire commercial is playing at the equivalent of a 30-second bomb blast.

Well, the tyranny is over. Moreover, if they suspect that a TV ad isn’t playing by the rules, viewers can still dial 1-888-TELL-FCC (1-888-225-5322) to complain. So now that we got the volume ol’ boob tube squared away, what are they going to do about those pesky ads on YouTube that keep interrupting my guilty pleasure: watching nostalgic clips of ’90s pop culture events? Get on it, Congress.

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