Re: "Music" in TV Docs - Too loud, too repetitive, too irritating !

I agree with everything above, and I'm sure I've complained about this sort of thing before on here.

Why? Well, I suspect it's something to do with an increase in the 'arty farty' type of TV producer/director and, at the same time, the decline in professionalism amongst the sound technicians.

I once wondered whether it might be something to do with these new flat-screen television sets - ours also has an additional sound system which could account for the increase in certain types of sound, such as 'background' music. However, I have played around with the sound settings (which, incidentally, are quite complex) but have been unable to overcome this excessively loud background music which, I have to say, often results in some of the dialogue becoming virtually inaudible.

Re: "Music" in TV Docs - Too loud, too repetitive, too irritating !

I think there is some sort of urge on TV and Radio to include so-called 'background' music at every opportunity.

Over a year ago I was driving my car and I had the radio on - it was our local BBC channel. I quite enjoy listening to the local news, keeps me up-to-date with what's happening near where I live. Then I heard a peculiar noise, a sort of low rumble while a presenter was giving out the local road report, and I thought something was wrong with the car ! When the road report was over, the 'rumble' disappeared !

I got home and I switched BBC Radio Nottingham on to catch the local news. It was followed with the weather forecast and then the local road situation. I was surprised to hear that same 'rumble' I heard in my car ! Strange that I had not noticed this before when I had Radio Nottingham on in the house. I realised that it was some sort of background 'music' ! I really wasn't surprised that I was concerned about that noise in the car - it was sort of a rumble tone with various taps, knocks etc. running through it !

It caused me to send an email to BBC Radio Nottingham, asking them why they thought it was necessary to have this boring noise at the back of the road reports, as it could make people, driving in their cars, think that they had got some trouble with the engine or something.

I did get a reply a few days later on, and was told that it was just something that the producer of the traffic report thought was interesting, and they felt that it was not so intrusive as to cause people to think they had a mechanical problem ! I thought, what the heck did they think I was complaining about ?

It was obvious to me that they were not intending to change anything, so I thought "sod 'em", and when I had the radio on the other day, the road report came on and there was still 'music' at the back of the spoken report, but it had been changed and was at a much lower volume level. Perhaps they had had quite a few complaints over time Mind you it has taken an awful long time for them to take any notice and improve matters.