CALM act goes into effect today, should keep TV commercial breaks quieter
After waiting a year so broadcasters could get ready, the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act is officially in effect. That means ads and promos are required to remain on par with the average audio levels of scheduled programming, hopefully bringing an end to jolting transitions in the middle of the reality TV drama you were enjoying. At the time it enacted the measure, the FCC said complaints about loud ads had "diminished" since 2009 (R.I.P. Billy Mays) when it was originally proposed, hopefully this will eliminate them entirely. The only problem now? Finding a new wake-up reminder for those times you happen to doze off in front of the TV.