CRTC Tells Broadcasters to Turn Down the Ads

Peace for our time!

Thanks to the ever-responsive minds at the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, broadcasters will no longer be allowed to air their ads at volumes significantly louder than the programs they interrupt. Public consultations earlier this year were swamped with thousands of complaints over the volume levels of commercials, which are often jacked up to grab the attention of the audience. The CRTC says there's no good reason for commercials to be so jarringly loud, ruling that "viewers will no longer have to reach for their remotes to manually control the volume." Whew. Glad that matter's resolved. They've given broadcasters until next September to get their volume levels in check. Now, let's just hope the CRTC is as keen on the public's input for far weightier issues, such as over-the-top services or usage-based billing.