I sympathise with Lizzie Cornish. I used to work in a unit that had the appalling local F.M. station piped into it which just broadcast the same trashy pop records interspersed with repeats of adverts; I don't know which was the most irritating. As I worked by myself most of the time a bit of attention from a Swiss Army Knife muted the speakers. The result was a much more pleasant working environment.
I think the problem with T.V. sound is age related. My son can pick up dialogue that I find fuzzed out by background noise.