Trade ministry seeking fines over loud TV adverts

The Belarusian trade ministry is pushing for fines on Belarusian television networks over loud adverts run by them.

Between May and June, the Dzyarzhstandart state standardization agency monitored what levels programs and ads sounded on various channels, establishing that commercials were invariably louder.

Under the country's newly-enacted advertising law, the peak sound levels of commercials should not be higher than the levels of average programs.

Volha Krawtsova, chief of the consumers' rights and advertising department at the trade ministry, said that the heads of Belarusian TV networks had been warned about the requirement as far back as this past February.

"We raised the issue and informed all television channels that such control will be conducted," the official said. "The channels were aware of the requirement and the requirement was broadly discussed."

The ministry applied to court, asking it to impose fines on the channels. Minsk's local The Eighth Channel has already been fined, according to Ms. Krawtsova.