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RayJ's avatar
RayJ
New Contributor

Commercials Louder than Programs

What is Cox Communications doing about channels that are violating FCC rules about this issue? Tonight we watched a movie on the CMT channel. Every time there was a commercial interruption, and there were a lot of them, the sound increased to blaring so loud that we had to mute it. FCC says: Q: Does the FCC currently regulate loud commercials? A: Yes. The Commission adopted rules on December 13, 2011 that require commercials to have the same average volume as the programs they accompany. The rules became effective on December 13, 2012, one year after the date of their adoption. Broadcast television stations and pay TV providers were given until this date to be in full compliance. The CMT channel is by no means alone in engaging in this practice. It is happening more and more as time goes by. To add insult to injury, we measured the time devoted to commercials versus to the program and were shocked to discover 7 minutes of commercials versus 2 minutes for the program. It gets worse as you get closer to the end of the program. It something is not done and done soon, Cox and other cable/dish companies are going to find us moving to high speed Internet streaming. That will hurt their pocketbooks hard if they don't take notice. Maybe it is already.
loud commericial

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  • CarolLM's avatar
    CarolLM
    Former Moderator

    Hi , You're referring to the CALM Act. At Cox, most commercials on our lineup are provided directly by the programmers, and Cox simply passes them through. We can report this issue for you, but we'll need some information from you to do so. You may email the following required information to us at cox.help@cox.com or send it privately using either Facebook or Twitter:
    - Your best contact number
    - Date Commercial Aired
    - Time Commercial Aired
    - Commercial Topic
    - Channel number
    - Network Name
    - Device You Viewed On: (i.e. TV/TV w/Receiver/ Cox TV Connect/Contour App)
    - Any Additional Comments you 'd like to add.
    Thank You,

  • RayJ's avatar
    RayJ
    New Contributor
    Since you no longer allow me to look back in the schedule, your request for more information is difficult. I will answer what I can. As the cable provider, you should be able to access the remaining information. From: TV Forum - Automated Email [mailto:cox-notification@coxforums.com] Sent: Monday, January 2, 2017 12:27 AM Subject: RE: Commercials Louder than Programs RE: Commercials Louder than Programs Reply by CarolLM Hi , You're referring to the CALM Act. At Cox, most commercials on our lineup are provided directly by the programmers, and Cox simply passes them through. We can report this issue for you, but we'll need some information from you to do so. You may email the following required information to us at cox.help@cox.com or send it privately using either Facebook or Twitter: - Your best contact number: I believe I had to provide you with contact information when I registered for the forum. - Date Commercial Aired: 12/31/2016 - Time Commercial Aired: Evening - Commercial Topic: Who cares? - Channel number: 1179? It is hard to tell with so many channels in the lineup. I do know it was CMT in the HD section. - Network Name: CMT - Device You Viewed On: (i.e. TV/TV w/Receiver/ Cox TV Connect/Contour App) - Any Additional Comments you 'd like to add.: Regular television Thank You, As I said in my original message, this was not an isolated incident. It is happening more and more often, not just on CMT but on many of the cable channels.
  • CarolLM's avatar
    CarolLM
    Former Moderator

    Hi, I've submitted the CALM form with your information. I was able to find this site that provides valuable information regarding the CALM Act including suggestions on how to stabilize overall loudness on your television sets: https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/loud-commercials-tv
    Please don't hesitate to reach out with any additional questions or concerns.

  • T-Zone's avatar
    T-Zone
    New Contributor

    AFAIK the FCC only regulates (/has authority over) broadcast channels (NBC, ABC, CBS, etc). Cable channels are fairly self-regulating.

  • RayJ's avatar
    RayJ
    New Contributor
    T-Zone said:

    AFAIK the FCC only regulates (/has authority over) broadcast channels (NBC, ABC, CBS, etc). Cable channels are fairly self-regulating.

    According to the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation (Calm) Act, broadcast stations and cable system operators are subject to the rule.