A Los Angeles couple recently paid an artist to paint a mural on the wall in front of their house. As you can see from the picture, it is filled with cute, cuddly forest creatures.
Now the city is threatening the couple with half a year in jail and $1,000 in fines for violating outdoor advertising regulations.
It is worth noting that the mural is clearly not an advertisement. Tacky, maybe. But definitely not an advertisement.
Comments Off on Regulation of the Day 108: Murals in Front of Houses
Posted in Nanny State, Regulation of the Day, The Arts
Tagged advertising, john stossel, los angeles, mural, outdoor advertising, phil lumbang
The House passed the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act on Wednesday. If it becomes law, the FCC would control the volume level of television commercials. Some of them are noticeably louder than regular programming. This is, to put it tactfully, irritating.
Rep. Rick Boucher told the Associated Press that “It’s an annoying experience, and something really should be done about it.”
He was talking about the commercials, though his remarks better fit the regulations he voted for.
Still, he’s right that something needs to be done. Loud commercials are a nuisance. They are also avoidable. For example, I avoid them by watching as little television as possible. Maybe read a book or spend time with loved ones instead. There are other ways, too. Here are a few:
-Use the mute button on your remote.
-If you have DVR and you’re watching a show you recorded, you can fast forward through the commercials.
-Change the channel.
-Let broadcasters know how you feel. Tell them not to run loud commercials. You can contact ABC here; CBS here; Fox here; and NBC here. They’d rather you watch their channel than not, after all. And the best way to prevent a viewer exodus is not alienating them.
Besides, they’d probably rather hear from you than the FCC.
(Hat tip to Fred Smith)
Comments Off on Regulation of the Day 87: The Volume of TV Commercials
Posted in Media, Nanny State, Regulation of the Day, Technology
Tagged abc, advertisements, advertising, cbs, commercials, dvr, fcc, fox, nbc, regulation, Regulation of the Day, rep. rick boucher, rick boucher, tv. television
Inertia Wins! 