Play Meter

'Our image is improving because the younger generation doesn't take things at face value.'
things a t face value" ever-improving soc ial
connotations to indu stry t rm
and increasing
co m m u n i ty-mindedncs
among ope rators and
distributors are already helping the indus try to
overcome socia l stigma that have long muzzled its
image.
And equall y important, Granger tressed i th e
expan ion of tate and local operat rs' associati n
which ha helped indu try I aders in battles such as
the copyright law, while making favorable
impression on the nation s lawm akers.
I ndustry terminology like the differen e in
connotat ion between terms lik e "juke box' and
'coin-o perated phonograph' or 'arcades" and
'family fun centers" attracted Granger' comments.
"Some people in MOA have uggested changing
the term 'juke box' to 'coin-operated phonograph , '
Granger aid. 'But I ay no. Let s stick with th
term juk box and someday soon it will be a
perfectly accepta ble term. It s as Am erican as apple
pie. You don ' t try to think of a different term for
ho tdog ; a hotd og is a hotdog."
THE RECORD-BREAKING crowd of 3,259 MOA conven-
tion-goers buzzing all around them, MOA Executive Vice
President Fred Granger and Play Meter Editor and Publisher
Ralph Lally discuss the image of the coin amusement
10
Bu t
on erning other term
which have
consi tently brought bad vi ion to certain egments
of c mmunitie
everywhere, Granger took a
different vi w .
" If you call an arcade an 'amu ement cent r' r a
family fun center,' it is received much easier than it
was as an arcade,' he said. "Of course it actually is
abou t the same thing, and ha the same kind of
equipment, but pe pIe tend to think of an arcade as
a place down in the bad part of town, with p ep
-shows and a ll that kind of tuff, while they think of.
a family fun center a a place for mom and dad to
take the kid fo r healthy entertainment."
He pointed out that an expanding new market for
these' family fun centers' is opening up in shopping
malls, where an "arcade would never have been
welcomed.
'But the image of the industry is alway im-
proving even without our help,' Granger continued .
"Of curse, the younger genef b cause the younger members of the community -
this younger generation - doesn't take things at face
industry in the press lounge . Granger said upgrading the
industry's image will garner heavy attention from MOA
during the coming year. (Del Leggett - Staff)