Coming in only behind parents locked in bitter custody battles that wanted news coverage, prisoners who didn’t do it who wanted news coverage and people who knew our signal was controlling their thoughts, complaints about loud commercials has always been among the biggest gripes coming into a TV station. 
What’s funny, is that the industry ALWAYS (and still does really) denied that this was happening. It was like age discrimination, or having an affair… as long as you never “admitted” it – common knowledge and even nearly direct observation could be rebutted with another version of “The Big Lie.”
The causes and efforts to control “loudness” are actually a lot more complex than you would think. It’s not just a matter of turning down a knob at a TV station.
Be that as it may however, all viewers care about are the results! And for years, the results stunk.
Because of that, Congress was forced to get involved. The industry’s inability to control the problem invited them in, and that’s what you get – a Congressman as your chief engineer.
So welcome the “CALM” Act – which is soon to go into effect. It says stations have to fix this problem, even if it doesn’t officially exist. Thank God. Finally.
Having worked in the integration industry for about a year, I can tell you that devices used to fix the alleged problem have multiplied like rabbits. Everybody has a solution for sale, and they’re not all that expensive. It’s been a real boost to equipment manufacturers who have product to meet the demand.
So here’s to getting audio under control and fixing the problem!
Even if it doesn’t exist.
