FROM THE EDITOR
Calendar
July 25·27:
Montana Coin Machine Operators
association, annual convention. Out·
law Inn, Kalispell, Montana.
Sept. II·U:
norida Amusement Merchandising
Association, annual convention.
hera ton Towers Hotel, Orlando,
Florida.
ept. 18·20:
West Virginia Music and Vending
Association, annual convention.
Heart O'Town Motor Hotel, Char·
lestion, West Virginia.
ept.19·28:
Illinois Coin Machine Operators
Association, annual convention.
Lincolnshire Marriott, N. W. Sub·
urban Chicago, Illinois.
ept.27·28:
North Carolina Coin Operators As·
sociation, annual convention. Holi·
day Inn, Charlotte, North Carolina.
Oct. 2·4:
Music Operators of Virginia, annual
convention. Howard Johnson Motor
Lodge, Richmond, Virginia.
Oct. 16·19:
NationaJ Automatic Merchandising
Association, annual national con·
vention and exhibit. The Rivergate,
New Orleans, La.
Oct. 17·19:
Music Operators of America, na'
tional annual convention and exposi·
tion. Conrad Hilton Hotel, Chicago,
Illinois.
6
We passed a sort of halfway mark when we published the May issue of
Play M e le r. It was issue number six. It was our first issue on which we
used our own typesetting equipment. It marked an achieved paid
circulation of nearly 20 per cent of our original complimentary mailings.
And it wa our largest advertising revenue producer up to that point.
But amidst all that progress, I still felt we had failed in one of our
goals--getLing operators and other readers to give us a piece of their
minds. While we receive many letters praising us in general for our good
work, we eldom receive any mail commending us for a specific article,
criticizing us for something we've said or commenting about personal or
indu try· wide problems.
It's not that I don't appreciate those generalized letters we get-owe
thrive on them. But, to cite an example, we sometimes hear, always
second-hand, that o-and-so had this or that to say about something they
read in Pia M l e r. Yet, only once have we ever seen anything in writing
or heard anything by phone from the horse's mouth.
To me, uch incidents point to a severe problem within the industry, a
problem that may be too widespread to correct. It's called apathy. But
it's not apathy alone; it's coupled with a sort of industry isolationism.
From my experience, apathy in the industry starts at the top, with the
manufacturers. Too many of them care only about their newest product.
Problems that have developed with earlier models rarely concern them,
even when those early machines continue to be money-makers for
operators located out of the industry mainstream.
This apathy tends to spread downward to the distributor, though
di tributor apathy isn't caused by a lack of concern for the operator. The
operator is his bread and butter. What happens to the distributor is that
he gets caught in the middle, which forces him to become the chief
buck-passer. Warranties shrink to nothing, but he still must sell his
manufacturer's product. Parts dwindle in supply as time passes until
they're as carce as buffalo nickels, yet he has to try to keep his
cu tomers happy by having repair facilities available.
The complaints and the problems mount impossibly until he's just too
tired to do anything about it except point at the the other guy and say,
"What do you want me to do? It's their fault."
This apathy and apparent inability to find common goals drifts further
downward to the operator, who, faced with flimsy excuses and false
promi es from the people who are supposed to help him, gets tired of
banging his head against the wall. He finally just shrugs his shoulders,
scratches his head and wonders what he's doing in this business
anyway. If he's been around a while, he'll probably just go on struggling
in the dark , bitter and apathetic about trying to improve his lot or the lot
of his peers.
I hope to change that with this issue of PLay Mel e r. We've ~reated a
ne w "Bull Sheet," a tear-out, postage-paid card that will hopefully teU
us a little about our readers and a little about us, too. You'll find it on
page 51.
If you feel you've been ripped 0((, abused or treated fairly or if you
think omething we've said makes sense, i inaccurate or just plain .
crazy, we invite you to fill out the card, fold it and mail it to us.
We aren't trying to create dissension or controversy within the
indu try by doing this. We're only trying to open lines of communication
that seem to have rusted shut long ago and let fresh air into stale rooms .
I hope you feel tha t wa y, too.