The House on Tuesday voted to level off the abrupt spikes in volume felt by television viewers during commercial breaks.

The bill -- approved by a voice vote -- is aimed at stopping TV ads from playing noticeably louder than programs.

Right now, the government doesn't have much say in the volume of TV ads. It's been getting grievances about commercial loudness for decades.

Correcting sound levels has its complications. Managing the transition between programs and ads without spoiling the artistic intent of the producers poses technical challenges and may require TV broadcasters to purchase new equipment. To address the issue, an industry organization recently produced guidelines on how to process, measure and transmit audio in a uniform way.

The bill requires the FCC to adopt those recommendations from the Advanced Television Systems Committee as regulations within a year and begin enforcing them a year later.

An identical measure has been introduced in the Senate.

Some experts have said they are unsure whether viewers will notice much difference if the bills become law. Different volume levels can be part of storytelling. And some commercials may just seem noisy because they follow a quiet, intense scene. (Ann Sanner, Associated Press)

'GMA' ratings flat

It looks like George Stephanopoulos didn't get a very hearty welcome from viewers as the new co-anchor of ABC's "Good Morning America."

Preliminary numbers from Nielsen Co. show that his first day on "Good Morning America" on Monday had questionable impact on the audience size. NBC's "Today" beat "Good Morning America" by 1.3 million viewers, widening its advantage from last week's average margin of 1.1 million viewers. (AP)

Letterman update

A TV producer accused of trying to blackmail David Letterman for $2 million said he needed money to visit his son and would mask the transaction as a business deal, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Robert J. "Joe" Halderman also told the comedian's lawyer he would keep copies of his information on Letterman's love life for "protection," worrying that he could be fired -- or even killed -- in retaliation for the scheme, Manhattan prosecutors said in court papers.

"The issue is your client does not want this information public," Halderman told Letterman's attorney in a secretly taped conversation, according to prosecutors. "I have said, for a price, I will sign a confidentiality agreement and I will not make this information public. That's, that's the deal."

A judge is expected to rule next month on Halderman's argument for dismissal of the attempted grand larceny case, which prompted Letterman to disclose on-air that he had had affairs with staffers.

Halderman says he was just shopping a thinly veiled screenplay about Letterman's life to the late-night TV icon. The Manhattan District Attorney's office says his conduct and comments make it clear his goal was hush money to keep quiet about Letterman's dalliances. (AP)

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