Below are general guidelines for FOX Entertainment Promo Editors to follow for the best possible outcome for your audio mix presentation for Creative Review, handoff to Audio Finishing, etc.

Loudness Explained 

Unlike volume (a specific measurable unit, in dB), loudness is the perceived level of noise. Loudness, while subjective to the individual listener, is impacted by qualities like compression, gain levels, dynamic range, etc., and is relatively measured in units called LKFS (Loudness, K-weighted, Relative to Full Scale).  The International Television Union established the broadcast loudness standard ITU-R BS.1770 (updated to ITU-R BS.1770-4 in 2015) to avoid extreme variations of perceived loudness in spots and programs that are aired back to back.

The best practice in order to achieve an overall desirable loudness level is to look at the average LKFS of your entire spot. This is preferably done while initially mixing the original spot, however if the spot LKFS levels are high, this can be adjusted post mix using a WLM (waves loudness meter) plugin and adjusting using the master WLM Fader Tool in Avid. It's important to note that you should never remain in the red on your loudness and volume meters for more than a brief hit, if at all. 

Promo Audio Finishing Audio LKFS Level Specifications

As a general rule, all FOX Audio engineers finish their mixes around an average LKFS level of -24dB (+/-2 dB).

This is the best practice for the editorial team to follow so that both creative editorial and audio finishing are on the same page. 

Average LKFS:  -24 dB (+/-2 dB)

Peak LKFS: Avoid the Red!

FOX Media Cloud (FMC) Broadcast Audio LKFS Level Specifications

FOX Broadcast specs that FMC uses to send to air are:

Average LKFS:  -26 dB (+/-2 dB)

Peak LKFS: -2 dB