Play Meter

Issue: 1984 October 15 - Vol 10 Num 19

PIZZA TIME PLANS FOR FUTURE • AT ARI CLOSES DISTRIBUTORSHIP • LEGISLATURES CONSIDER BREATH
ANALYZERS • TWO JOHN PHILLIP TUBAS OPENED • MEDVETZ AT SUNN • TAITO CONSOLIDATES
OPERATIONS • NAMA PROJECTS EXCELLENT SHOW TURNOUT • STOP DRUNK DRIVING • AGMA
MANUAL DETAILS COPYRIGHT PROTECTION • BALLY DISTRIBUTING HOLDS ANNUAL MEETING • PHILIP
MORRIS REPORTS REVENUE, EARNINGS GAINS • AMOA SPONSORS PROGRAM • DAVID ROCKOLA TO
RECEIVE FIRST MERIT AWARD • BOBBY VINTON HEADLINES SHOW
PIZZA TIME PLANS FOR FUTURE
Although Pizza Time Theatre is
operating under Chapter 11 of the
Federal Bankruptcy Act , it is revising
management procedures and trying
to prove to vendors that it will con-
tinue to operate.
"We are currently working on
new manager procedures because if
the fish stinks, you must look at the
head ," said John Beckman, Pizza
Time 's vice president of fun and
entertainment.
Pizza Time is working to improve
its external image as well. During
April, May, and june, Pizza Time
operated with vendors primarily on
an immediate cash basis to demon-
strate that the company will con-
tinue to operate. However, suppliers
have agreed to return immediately
to normal invoice/ payment pro-
cedures as opposed to COD or
advance payments.
All debts incurred before March
28 are in the hands of the courts, but
" all current debts must be paid. We
don ' t have a choice about that,"
Beckman said . The Chapter 11 filing
AGMA Executive Director Glenn Braswell answers Cable News
Network reporter Cameron Brown's questions on the revival of
pinball during a late July interview. CNN , the 24-hour cable news
channel, aired the segment during the weekend of July 28-29. AGMA
President joe Robbins reports that amusement game associates in
Japan saw the broadcast in their country as well.
PLAY METER. October 1 5, 1984
authorized Pizza Time to use future
proceeds for future operations and
provided continuing priority status
for payments to the suppliers who
service these operations.
Meanwhile, negotiations dealing
with Pizza Time's merger with
ShowBiz Pizza Place are continuing,
Beckman said, to incorporate the
best of both companies.

AT ARI CLOSES
DISTRIBUTORSHIP
Atari, Inc. closed Atari Distri-
bution in Elk Grove Village, Illi-
nois, and began liquidating the
machine inventory on july 27.
"We felt like one distributor-
ship didn't give us an impact in
the industry," explained Atari's
Jerry Marcus. "One distributor-
ship didn't make any sense, espe-
cially the way the industry is
now."
Marcus said about 20 people
were laid off, but Atari Distribu-
tion General Manager Ed Pelle-
grini is presently with the com-
pany.
It has been rumored that some-
one in the Chicago area may take
over the distributorship, but
Marcus said he was not "at
liberty" to give details.

9
r
"OUII/ty Is Our Flm/ly Tfldltlon·
nEWS
TAITO
CONSOLIDATES OPERATIONS
TOKENS
800-227-5813
IN CA 800-227-5814
Quality control personnel at Hoffman & Hoffman
checking diameter of token with m1crometer
• Immediate same-day ship-
ment on stock tokens
• Quality artwork and design
service at no charge
• Hoffman & Hoffman tokens
are minted under the most
rigid quality control
standards.
• We match Old World crafts-
manship with advanced
technology.
• Hoffman & Hoffman has
the best prices and fastest
delivery for stock or custom
tokens.
• You can buy the best
tokens for less. Check
our prices and see.
HOFFMAN (J HOFFMAN
P.O. Box 896, Carmel, CA 93921
10
Taito America is reducing its staff
and facilities at its Elk Grove Village
site "to a level that can operate pro-
fitably in a much smaller market,"
Taito America President Paul Mori-
arity revealed in late August .
" In an effort to react to the
realities of the current video game
marketplace," Moriarity said, " we
are in the process of consolidating
our operations.The video game
business has no need for the pro-
duction capability now available. To
think that factories designed to
build 300, 500, or 1,000 games per
day can be profitable in this market
is just unrealistic," he continued.
"At Taito America , we believe that
you have to adapt to the present
market conditions and not live in
the past."
Details on the number of employ-
ees to be laid off and information on
which facilities are to be eliminated
were not available.
A spokesman for the company
said that despite rumors to the con-
trary , Taito America is not getting
out of the business. "We have every
intention of being around for the
long haul in coin games," Moriarity
added . " We figure that it will be a lot
easier to do if we concentrate our
efforts on new approaches to
amusement games and let others
preserve dinosaurs."
" Taito Corporation , as the largest
operator in the world , will always
have product," said Marty Glazman
of Taito, " but the manner in which it
is delivered to the U.S. market may
undergo some changes."
Moriarity, who became president
of Taito in 1983, said that there are
many new and exciting things in the
works for the upcoming season
which would likely be introduced at
the JAMMA and AMOA shows.
The company's recent releases
include Elevator Action, Exerion ,
and 70- Yard Fight which continue to
appear on the " National Play
Meter."
Taito America is a wholly owned
subsidiary of Taito Corporation of
Tokyo, which was founded in 1953.
The company formed its American
branch in 1973 and licensed a variety
of video games to U .S. manufac-
turers. Taito introduced Space
Invaders in 1978, and by 1981 there
were more than 300,000 Space
Invaders machines throughout the
world. Taito America began manu-
facturing games in 1979 and com-
pleted its first all-American made
game , Qix, in 1981.

THE CALENDAR
S.ptemb•r 20-29
1964 Michigan Coin Machine
Operators Association Convention
and Exhibit. Plymouth Hilton Inn. Pty-
mouth.MI. For information. contact
MCMOA or 517/372-2323.
S.pt•mb•r 20-29
WA.M.O. Foil Conference. Midway
Motor Lodge. Brookfield. Wisconsin .
For more information. contact Joe
Phillips at 414/529-4704.
Jock Rielley. NAMA. 7 South
Dearborn St.. Chicago. IL 60600.
Telephone: 312/346-03 70.
Octob•r 11-14
13th National Exhibition of Auto-
matic Amusement Machines
(ENAOA). Congress Building ot the
EUR. Rome. For more information.
contact SAPAR at Via dl Villa Potrizi
10. Rome. Italy 00161 . Telephone:
84-41 -505: 84-14-81 .
Octob•r 11-14
Octob•r 24-27
1964 NAMA Notional Convention-
Exhibit of vending and food service
management. Georgia World Con-
gress Center, Atlanta. GA. Contact
1984 AMOA lntemotionol Exposition
of Games and Music. Hyon P..egency.
Chicago. IL. Contact AMOA at
312/654-AMOA.
PLAY METER. October 15. 1964
I
....I.

Download Page 9: PDF File | Image

Download Page 10 PDF File | Image

Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).

Pro Tip: You can flip pages on the issue easily by using the left and right arrow keys on your keyboard.