Play Meter

Rock·Oia tags
market chiefs
Dr. David R . Rocko la recently was
elected senior vice president - mar-
keting, and Hugh J . Gorman to vice
president - director o f sa les .
Rocko la will assum e overall re -
sponsibility for all marketing and
service fun ctions o f th e phonograph
and vending divisions in th e United
States and in all other markets
throughout the world.
Gorman will direct all domestic
sale activities of Rock -Oia 's phono-
graph and vending divisions .
"The rapid rate o f technological
changes in both the phonograph and
vending industries. plus Rock -Oia's
ambitious development plans now
under way. demand th at we expand
and intensify our marketing and sales
supervision ." Edward G . Doris .
execu tive vice president. noted .
" There is a grea t potential for
future growth and progress in both
th e phonograph and vending indus-
tries for those organizations that are
prepared ." he con tinu ed . 'The
expansion of our marketing team is
just on e. additional step Rock -
Oia is taking to make sure our
di stributors and operators are in a
sales position to capitalize on this
opportu nity for grea ter sales and
profits."
Kaye has pool
agent for Alaska
Ala ska Music Company has been
appointed distributors of th e Irving
Kaye lin e of pool tables for the state
of Ala ska .
Dan Tho mpson , o wner of Alaska
Music , is delighted with this move
and "is looking forward to an
overwhelming acceptance of the line
o f Kaye products in th e Ala ska area ,"
he noted .
CIa rHicatlon
re: Seeburg
John Chapin. president of See -
burg Corporation o f Chicago, re-
ported that Seeburg's filing o f a
petition under chap ter 11 of the U .S .
Bankruptcy Code in federal bank-
ruptcy court is not a bankruptcy
proceeding (U PDATE . December 1.
1979 . page one) .
It is. the executive said. a financial
reorganizational proceeding.
A typographical error in the third
paragraph was the reason th e lead
sentence read . "the buyers fail ed to
upply them ." when " th e suppliers
fai led to suppl y th em ." was th e
intended phrase .
By Ray Tilley
Lake Placid arcade
to draw world's eye
Everything is "go." says an
industry spokesman , for an arcade
games "tricathalon" to be held during
the 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake
Placid. New York. February 13-24 .
Competition among the athletes in
the special arcade will be conducted
on Bally pinballs. Midway videos and
Irving Kaye foosball games. with the
actual contests set for February
18-22 . Gold, silver and bronze
metals will be awarded to the winning
Olympians .
The games also will offer a
diversion for any of the 2 ,000 world
athletes who are "tuning up this
early." said Tom Nieman. chief of
marketing . pinball division . at Bally .
Some 40 games are operational and
ready for use upon the Olympic
Village's opening on January 25 . he
reported . These will give " leisure
time activity . like a theater that is
made available to them .·· he noted .
"They can stay in the village and
have entertainment."
Bill Currier. sales manager for
!rving Kaye . told PLAY METER.
" Last week we oversaw the instal-
lation . and everything is go'' for the
use of pins . foosball. and video
games by the athletes. The logistics
of the "olympic arcade tricathalon"
competition is in the hands of TRG
Communications. a New York-based
firm which has worked with Kaye on
foosball tournaments . At UPDATE's
press time. TRG was finalizing entry
requirements and rules for the
tricathalon events.
Credit went out to a local
operator. Jack LaHart. of Upstate
Vending . for maintaining the equip-
ment at no charge. Currier said
LaHar!. who is in business with his
son Bill in upstate New York . has
"worked tirelessly for a year and a
half. and he deserves a vote of
thanks from the whole industry."
World stature of the amusement-
games competition was pointed out
by Nieman. who noted that this is the
first international collection of people
in North America for such a tri -part
event.
Currier recalled a small arcade.
consisting mostly of video games.
that was provided for Olympians in
the 1972 Munich Games . At Lake
Placid. however. the U.S. manufac-
turers are providing "a more rep-
resentative sample of what would be
found in an American arcade to
show the athletes o f the world our
kill-oriented. rath er than gambling
games."'
Arrangem ents are being coor-
dinated on the distributor level by
Bally Northeast in Boston .
Irving Kaye pool tables - in th e
six by-three-foot sizes common in
European
coin -operation .
said
Currier also will be available for the
Ol ympians· use at all times. But
Ol ympic billiard competition was
rul ed ou t because "the time and
logistics involved in running pool are
more difficult." Nieman said.
Indu stry officials seemed to agree
that a positive image will be cast on
th e amusement games by their
inclusion at Lake Placid. "I feel it will
be a terrifi c opportunit y for the
coin -o perated
industry."
said
Nieman.
"The Winter Olympics is probably
one of the mo t documented and
covered even ts by the media on the
face of the earth . The coin machine
industry will get an incredible amount
of exposure from
newspapers .
magazines. wire services. and ABC's
live telecasting ." he observed
"It is ou r hope and intent that this
will project a very positive image for
our incl ustry . There ·s a potential here
for good public relations ...
Good will was extended to the
winter athletes for their usual quad -
rennie! competition. al o. "We hope
they get a lot of snow up there ."
Nieman s<~id . adding that the out -
doors conditions will benefit the
amusement games competition and
spur the use o f the free games hy the
Olympians.
Bally. Mi dway and Kaye person -
nel had equipment installed at Lake
Placid by January 8.
The game room. now "up and
running"' for free play 24 hours a
day. is located between the disco and
theater in the recreation leisure time
area of the village. The approxi -
mately 2.000 ath letes residing in the
specially constructed Olympic Village
complex will be bussed from the
village to the winter games