Play Meter

FROM THE EDITOR A very special year T Valerie Cognevich Editor PLAY METER his year is a very special one for all of u s here at P lay Meter. Although it's hard to believe, 1994 marks our 20th anniversary of serving the coin-op industry. We love to brag about being the first trade magazine to keep coin machine operators up to date on what is happening all over the coin-op world. Founder Ralph Lally was like thousands of other operators back in 1974, who were curious about how operators in other states were handling their businesses and what issues they faced. He felt that there should be a way for operators to keep track of what was going on in other cities, states, and towns that affected the industry. His curiosity about the industry compelled him to formulate a plan to start a magazine that would cover the entire industry. Realizing that it was an ambitious plan and not quite certain he could make a living at it, he kept his day job. At nights he worked on the new project. Ralph was soon overwhelmed with the support he got from just about everyone h e talked to. He was beginning to realize that there were a lot more like him who wanted industry information. Although the ads di d n 't start dropping from heaven, there were enough to m a ke Ralph realize that a magazine for the coin-op indu stry was an idea whose time had come. Play Meter was three years old when I came to work here. I remember thinking that there couldn't possibly be enough to write about every month on coin-operated games. At that time, of course , "games" usually r eferred to pinball; video games were a new breed and referre d to as novelty or arcade games. I soon realized that not only was there enough to write about every 10 month, there was enough for twice a month. It was during the video boom that Play Meter fired up the presses for 200-plus-page issues twice a month! I have some fond memories of those early days, from donning an old pair of jeans to cut the grass in front of the building to taking my first cab ride at my first AMOA in Chicago! Was I ever really that young? Many pre dicted that the magazine would fade into oblivion without Ralph's guidance, after he was killed in a car accident 10 years ago. However, they hadn't figured on the determination of his wife Carol, who had been by Ralph's side from the beginning. Being both mother and father to two young daughters made Carol 's tas k seem insurmountable. But as she says, "This magazine was our dream. I was not about to let it fail. Ironically, while we all will be commemorating the magazine's 20th year of serving the industry, I will be celebrating m y 10th year as publisher. I can honestly say that I can't wait to see what's ahead for the next 10 or 20 years. I do know, though, that Play Meter will be here to report it! " All of us at Play Meter are excited about b eginning our 20th year. Throughout the year, we will be taking a look back five, 10, and 20 years at how the industry has changed and m aybe how it has stayed the same. We'll probably even dig through our archives for some snapshots of our industry friends from way back . Remember those checked pants and really long sideburns! If you have a story you'd like to share about Play Meter's first years or a memory of Ralph, please give me a call so we can share it with our other readers. We'd love to hear from people like Gary Stern a nd Chuck Arnold , who were the first to commit to full page ads, and others who have a tale to tell. Thanks to all of you , our loyal readers, who have been the real story behind our success. I'd like to propose a toast to all of you and to our next 20 years! 0 JANUARY 1994