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10
This month 's Coin man is none other than PLAY
METER's founder and publisher, Ralph C. Lally II. The
occasion of the interview is PLAY METER 's fifth
anniversary , perhaps not a long time compared to most
business operations- but at least it makes PLAY METER
the oldest publication serving the U.S . coin-operated
amusement industry exclusively . In those five years ,
Ralph Lally has guided PLAY METER to its prominence
today as the most widely read magazine in the industry .
But just five years ago the chances for that success
looked pretty dim. For there were many who said back
then that a magazine devoted entirely to the
coin-operated amusement business didn 't have a chance .
For such a magazine to be a success, they said, it had to
rely heavily on the record or vending industry .
Fortunately , they were wrong, and PLAY METER has
prospered and flourished as the industry itself has
prospered and flourished.
The time was right for a magazine such as PLAY
METER to burst onto the scene in 1974, said Lally. "The
trade press at that time had deteriorated to the point
where industry news was usually featured in back
sections of record publications and vending magazines .
The industry was being treated like a stepchild by these
two larger industries.
"I thought it was an insult to this industry to have to
read a trade press that almost seemed ashamed of itself.
And, not only that, the material that was printed was for
the most part press releases , which were designed to
glorify or sell some manufacturer's product . So there was
no useful information to be gained through these
publications.
"I saw that there was a desperate need for getting the
word out," said Lally , "because I could see the
tremendous growth potential for this industry at that time.
Video games were coming on strong. The legalization of
pinball in major cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, and
New York was right around the corner. Also, the mass
media turned its favorable attention towards this industry
at that particular time ."
Ralph has been associated with the coin industry since
1968 when he started working for a vending company in
Lafayette , Louisiana to help him through school. He
worked full time for the vending company , taking a class
every day in lieu of his lunch hour, and carrying as many
night classes as were possible. But he didn 't seem to be
missing much of his college life either. He was a member
of his college 's golf team , a member of a professional
band, and an active fraternity m ember also. In addition ,
PLAY METER, January, 1980