Play Meter

Issue: 1980 December 01 - Vol 6 Num 22

UPDATE EDITION
Volume 6 , Number 22
December 1 , 1 980
Not launching at once
Roc k-Ola maps video entry
By RAY E. TILLEY
Rock -Ola Manufacturing Corp. is
considering three approaches to
entering the coin -op video games
market, but the signal for launching
prior to the 1980 AMOA Show is "no
go," said its officials .
The Rock -Ola route to video was
disclosed in a September 29 new pro -
duct presentation to distributors in a
Lincolnshire, Illinois meeting. One
option actively pursued by Rock -Ola
at late September was a purchsae
into an existing video manufacturing
concern .
The phonograph manufacturer had,
in the past several months, "field
tested" the play appeal of 11 game
units which Rock -Ola had considered
licen sing from a reputable supplier,
said Hugh Gorman, vice president!
sales for Rock -Ola.
PLAY METER.
By contrast to the projected image
of corporate experience over five
decade and of reliability in prod uct
development, Rock -Ola saw t he
video ·market as "wild and wooly," in
Gorman's terms. And a conservative
stance was taken, with the aim of
eventually prod ucing a game piece
t hat wo uld have high play ap peal and
a desir ed level of income.
It is "very possible" that Rock-Ola
will acq uir e "a fu lly -integrated video
game produce r in t he near futu r e,"
said Gorman. Negotiations were
continued on page 6
Results showed income from the
two upright versions and one cocktail
table were "average" and below
standards set by the Chicago firm in
earlier huddles with its distributors.
"We said, 'What does it take to make
a winner?' And they set up a
criterion,' ' a Rock -Ola spokesman
told PLAY METER, explaining the
company's strategy.
P honograph line on v iew
The main thrust of the Lincoln -
shire meeting on September 29 was
to unveil the 1980 -81 Rock -Ola
phonograph line to distributors. The
new 484, Grand Salon II. 507 wall -
box, compact 508wallbox, and Max 2
upright compact jukebox will be
detailed in the December 15 issue of
Pizz a Tim e Th eatre, led by its mascot Chuck E . Cheese, sponsored the
f irst "R oll forMS" National Sk ee -Ball Tournament Octob er 6-16 at -its 14
lo cations in California, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona, with proceeds from
th e ev ent go ing to local chapters of National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
Boy s and girls 12 years and younger entered "Roll forMS" and Pizza Tim e
Th eatre will donat e fiv e cents for every 50-point ticket redeemed to the
charity. Mor e details inside Update .
Update
Edition
Vol. 6 , No . 22
Dec . 1 , 1 980
Staff
Publisher and Editor:
Ralph C. Lally II
Editorial Director:
David Pierson
Managing Editor:
Ray E. Tilley
Adminis trative Assis tant:
Va lerie Cognevich
Art Director:
Katey Schwark
Circulation Manager:
Renee' Piers on
Technical Editors:
Zac Oliver
Randy Fromm
Jim Calore
Correspondents:
Roger C. Sharpe
Pat Matthews
Tony Licata
Stephen N. Czetli
J.W. Sedlak
Dick Welu
Charles C. Ross
Classified Advert1smg:
Valerie Cognevich
Advertising Manager:
David Pierson
European Representative:
Esmay Leslie
PLAY METER , December 1, 1980.
Volume 6, No . 22 . Copyright 1980 by
Skybird Publishing Company . PLAY
METER ( ISSN 0162-13431 is pub-
lished twice mont hl y on the 1st and
15t~
of the month . Publishing
offices: 320 Old Hammond Highway ,
Metairie, La . 70005, P. 0 . Box
24170, New Orleans 70184 . Tel.
504/ 838-8025. Subscription rates :
U. S. and Canada - $25; Europe and
Japan - $45; elsewhere - $50. Mul-
tiple-subscription orders: 2-9, $20
eac h; 10-24, $1 7 each ; 25 or more ,
$15 each . Adve rtising rates available
on request . No pa rt of this magazine
may be reproduced without ex-
pressed permission. The editors are
not responsible for unsolicited manu-
sc ripts . Second-class postage paid at
Springfield, Mass. 011 01 and addi-
tional mailing offices. Postm aster:
Send Form 3579 to PLAY METER ,
P. 0 . Box 24170, New Orleans, La .
70184.
European office: PLAY METER
Pro motions, " Harescombe " Watford
Road , Northwood Midd x. England,
Northwood 29244.
Sega earnings drop in FY '80;
forei gn exchange losses key
Sega Enterprises, Inc. reported net
earnings of $11.6 million, or $1.62 per
share on both a primary and fully
diluted basis, for the fiscal year
ended June 30, 1980. This compared
with $12.5 million, or $1.92 per share
on a primary basis and U.83 fully
diluted, for fiscal 1979.
Revenues for fiscal 1980 were a
record $136.6 million, compared with
$101 million the previous year.
Net earnings for the fourth quar -
ter of fiscal1980 were $1.4 million, or
19 cents per share on both a primary
and fully diluted basis, compared
with $5.6 million, or 82 cents per
share on a primary basis an 78 cents
fully diluted, fo the prior year's
fourth quarter.
Revenue for the fourth quarter
were $29.8 million, compared with
$44.7 million for the prior year's
quarter.
Net earnings for the fourth quar -
ter include losses from translation of
foreign currency denominated assets
and liabilities into U.S. dollars and
foreign currency transactions of
$548,000, or 8 cents per share,
versu foreign exchange translation
gains of $174,000, or 2 cents per
share for both primary and fully
diluted, in the 1979 fourth quarter.
For the year ended June 30, 1980,
net earnings include similar losses of
$1.3 million, or 18 cents per share,
compared with gains of $475,000. or 7
cents per share for both primary and
fully diluted, for fiscal 1979.
David Ro en, chairman of the
board and president, said the decline
in net earnings in the 1980 fourth
quarter versus the 1979 fourth quar-
ter was attributable primarily to a
significantly lower demand level in
Japan for coin -operated electronic
amusement games and the foreign
exchange losse
in the current
quarter as compared to gains in the
previou year quarter. However,
Ro en said, demand in the company's
United
tates market during the
fourth quarter was, and continues to
be, strong.
, ega, which designs, manufac -
tures, distributes, and operates
amu ement games in the United
State and Japan, is an 87 percent-
owned ubsidiary of Gulf +We tern
Industries, Inc.
The Golden Valley House in Minneapolis was site of the recent Profit
Seminar hosted by Sandler Vending Company for 29 operators. After
lunch, the group previewed Bally's new Viking pinball. Bernie Powers,
field service manaqer, Bally Pinball Division, was the speaker on the
seminar theme, "Operating Games Profitably."

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