© 2024 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY · WNPR
WPKT · WRLI-FM · WEDW-FM · Public Files Contact
ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Cancer Answers is hosted by Dr. Anees Chagpar, Associate Professor of Surgical Oncology and Director of The Breast Center at Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale-New Haven Hospital, and Dr. Francine Foss, Professor of Medical Oncology. The show features a guest cancer specialist who will share the most recent advances in cancer therapy and respond to listeners questions. Myths, facts and advances in cancer diagnosis and treatment are discussed, with a different focus eachweek. Nationally acclaimed specialists in various types of cancer research, diagnosis, and treatment discuss common misconceptions about the disease and respond to questions from the community.Listeners can submit questions to be answered on the program at canceranswers@yale.edu or by leaving a message at (888) 234-4YCC. As a resource, archived programs from 2006 through the present are available in both audio and written versions on the Yale Cancer Center website.

Should Noise in Connecticut Movie Theaters Be Regulated?

Kenneth Lu
/
Creative Commons

Connecticut lawmakers are considering a proposal that would establish a maximum decibel level at movie theaters across the state. The General Assembly's Public Safety and Security Committee heard testimony during a public hearing on Tuesday, including from Joseph Masher, the chief operating officer of Bow Tie Cinemas.

Under the proposal, theater license holders could not show a film or preview that exceeded 85 decibels, a unit used to explain the intensity of a sound wave. Masher said his company installed digital equipment and hasn't heard complaints about loud films or movies since -- instead they heard that two films were too quiet. He said Bow Tie sets their sound limit slightly under 85 decibels.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration allows workers to be exposed to 90 decibels over eight hours. Noise at or above 90 decibels can seem too loud, according to the Centers for Disease Control, although a rock concert might be as loud as 110 decibels. The proposed movie limit matches levels consistent with city traffic heard inside a car:

Chart: Patrick Skahill for WNPR. Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and gcaudio.com.

"We have a way of calibrating movie theater sound systems that doesn't work very well."
John Allen

John Allen, a Massachusetts-based movie theater sound expert, said 85 decibels is dialogue-level in a movie theater. The problem, he said, has more to do with distortion, and with sound level calibration in the theaters themselves.

"We have a way of calibrating movie theater sound systems that doesn't work very well," Allen said. "If you go to a live concert of a symphony orchestra, you will hear peaks much higher [at 105 to 115 decibels], which is perfectly fine. As long as it's peak, nobody complains." You reach a point where your ears hurt, he said, when the sound is distorted.

"Legislation will not work," Allen said. "There's no way to enforce it." He added that the movie industry is exceptionally good at consistently modulating high-quality sound levels, but trailers are often too loud. "The people who make the trailer are really in a bind," he said. "They need to sell the movie."

Credit Instagram
/
Instagram

Cosmo Catalano of Hartford, who occasionally uses his iPhone to measure decibel levels when he goes to the movies, recently shared an Instagram photo showing a measurement in the theater at the Showcase Cinemas theater at Buckland Hills. It showed an average noise level of 78 decibels, with a max of 98 decibels. His caption: "The audience is now deaf."

"I started noticing some theaters felt uncomfortably loud," Catalano said. "I wanted numbers to attach to the discomfort, to see if I was just getting old or not. It's not something I do every time I watch a movie, just when my ears hurt. [I'm] not sure on highest levels, but peaks in the mid-90s are standard if it feels loud enough for me to check. It's almost always during the previews rather than the feature."

But Allen said as annoying as distorted loud sounds can be, no one is being harmed by the decibel levels in movie theaters. "People are so irritated by the sound experience," he said.

This report includes information from The Associated Press.

Stand up for civility

This news story is funded in large part by Connecticut Public’s Members — listeners, viewers, and readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information.

We hope their support inspires you to donate so that we can continue telling stories that inform, educate, and inspire you and your neighbors. As a community-supported public media service, Connecticut Public has relied on donor support for more than 50 years.

Your donation today will allow us to continue this work on your behalf. Give today at any amount and join the 50,000 members who are building a better—and more civil—Connecticut to live, work, and play.

Related Content