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I think that too often there is a lack of proper audio level maintenance at the TV station. Commercials come into the station from different production houses and may have been recorded at different levels...some stronger, some weaker. If the audio level is not watched and adjusted as the programs are aired...yes, some will be louder and some softer.
In a lot of TV stations, at least those still using video tape, when they are playing network or tape programs, they do not use a separate audio mixing board. There is a knob to adjust audio level but a lot of the time the master control op. is more concerned with punching up the video of the next source to play and does not constantly adjust the audio and check the audio meters...which you must do to maintain a consistant level.
Automatic gain control and compression of the audio at the station can help compensate for variations in source audio level but many times the processing is not set up optimally.
At cable companies audio signal control is more difficult as they can have hundreds of different audio sources for the different channels...and usually the CATV head end is not staffed. There is no one there to adjust the levels if the source level varies. Again, compression and AGC of all inputs would help but in a lot of cases may not be used.
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