TV ads really ARE louder

See Al Tompkins blog here.

FCC Moves to Tone Down Loud TV Commercials

Posted by Al Tompkins at 12:01 AM on Jun. 16, 2009 Congress is pressing the Federal Communications Commission to do something about loud TV ads, the kind that seem to scream at you through the TV screen. The government may act soon, but broadcasters may act sooner.

McClatchy Co. reported:

"Currently, TV ads can't be louder than the loudest peak in a show, said David Perry, the chairman of the broadcast production committee of the American Association of Advertising Agencies in New York. Ads often seem louder to viewers, he added, because a program's volume peak rarely comes just before an ad.