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UP FRONT
Thanks For Ten Successful Years
Welcome to the second decade of Play Meter!
It's hard to imagine it's been 10 years since Play
Meter was born. I could burst forward with 100-
year old cliches, but that would bore you to death.
So, instead, I would rather take this opportunity to
extend our most sincere appreciation to those who
made Play Meter what is is today- the largest and
most widely circulated trade publication exclusively
serving the coin-operated entertainment industry.
Those who have been reading Play Meter from
its inception, know it was the overwhelming support
of our charter subscribers, that gotPiay Meter off
the ground. Looking back, I would say it was our
unique editorial philosophy that would m.a ke the
difference between success and failure . A magazine
written by operators and for operators was, to my
way of thinking, the only way to go. That may have
not been the most profitable way of going, but I felt
it was the right way to go.
Being the first publication to serve this industry
exclusively, I had a feeling a publication written by
manufacturers for manufacturers would never
make it. The manufacturers didn't need any help, it
was the struggling operators across America that
needed help. It stands to reason that if the nations'
operators were healthy and prosperous, the
manufacturers would prosper as well. Most of the
manufacturers couldn't understand that philosphy
in the beginning, but most of them do today. Those
Ralph C. Lally II
few who still don't are paying the price for their
ignorance.
It's a common fact the vast majority of trade
publications are circulated free of charge to
qualified recipients. Play Meter is one of the few
trade publications in the country whose circulation
is entirely paid. And that means one thing- we give
our subscribers their money's worth. Play Meter is
read from cover to cover, and that's the most
gratifying experience a publisher can have.
I doubt any other trade magazine could have
survived a boycott by its major advertisers, but Play
Meter has. It's been well over a year now, and all
efforts to stamp out the voice of the nation's
operators have failed.
Like the rest of you, we have survived, and
together we will continue to survive in the years to
come .
Operators need timely information and honest
advice. That's beenPiay Meter's goal from the
beginning. The survival of th~ operator should be
the primary concern of everyone involved in this
industry. The future of the industry depends on the
health and welfare of the operator.
With this being Play Meter's lOth anniversary, I
can only hope the next 10 years will be as rewarding
and satisfying as the past I 0 years. I love this
industry and my publication and, like a loved one,
will cherish them both forever.
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