The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) established new rules for the volume of television commercials that started on December 13, 2012. The new regulation, known as the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation (CALM) Act, requires commercials to have the same average volume as the programs they accompany. The CALM Act requires TV stations, cable operators or other multichannel video program distributors to apply specific FCC practices to commercials they transmit.
If you hear a commercial louder than the TV show it accompanies, you can file a complaint with the FCC by providing detailed information about the commercial.
Learn more about the CALM Act.
Image description: First Lady Michelle Obama participates in a tug of war with Jimmy Fallon during a taping of “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” on January 25. The First Lady was on the show to recognize the second anniversary the “Let’s Move!” initiative.
Photo by Chuck Kennedy, White House
People who watch two or more hours of TV a day are much more likely to have severe health problems than people who do not, according to a study from the Harvard School of Public Health that analyzed data from the past 30 years.
Too much TV is linked to:
- a 20 percent increase in diabetes
- a 15 percent increase in cardiovascular diseases
- a 13 percent increase in death by any cause.
A key reason is that TV time is often spent sitting and eating unhealthy food instead of exercising.
Replacing TV with other common activities can make a big difference to your health.
Use these suggestions from the National Institutes of Health to find ideas of what you can do instead of watching TV.
