Italy to turn down volume on TV ads

Something that would never happen here (U.S.) now that the FCC is as
corp.-friendly as ever.

(ANSA) - Rome, August 8 - Italy is to crack down on television
broadcasters who increase the volume during commercial breaks in order
to grab their viewers' attention .

Pidge...

Oh, how I wish for that. They're lucky.

A survey presented on Tuesday said that 83% of the adverts shown on
three important Italian TV channels were broadcast with a volume level
about 50% higher than the programmes they interrupted .

RichA...

TAKE NOTE F------ CANADIAN AND AMERICAN BROADCASTERS!!!!!

"We have to stop TV advertising that raises its voice. It shows a lack
of respect for TV viewers and I don't think it even helps get their
attention," said Communications Minister Paolo Gentiloni .

Agent Smith...

I've heard that teachers of public speaking classes tell their students
that, to get the attention of their listeners, they should whisper. That
makes people lean in real close.

Anim8rFSK...

Nowadays it makes people yell SPEAK UP.

Agent Smith...

Because THEY'RE LISTENING.

Italy's communications authority will set up monitors and work out
fines for guilty broadcasters in September, he continued .

The practice of cranking up the volume for adverts is expressly
forbidden by Italian law. The ban was reiterated only last month by the
authority itself .

As well as being illegal, it is also "arrogant" to treat viewers this
way, Gentiloni said .

The minister voiced the hope that it would never be necessary to hand
out fines. "I hope that our initiative will lead broadcasters to change
their ways of their own accord," he said .

The survey showing the extent to which broadcasters adjust sound
levels, usually on the basis of an agreement with advertisers, was
published by the state-run Higher Institute of Communications and
Information Technology .

It focused on advertising shown by the RAI state-broadcaster's flagship
channel, the most popular channel of the Silvio Berlusconi-owned
Mediaset network and La 7, an independent national broadcaster .

The volume-boosting practice was spread evenly across all three
channels.