Play Meter

JB Awards show
aired on NBC·TV
The success of the NBC -TV
telecast of the AMOA's 15th Annual
Jukebox Awards has been apparent
to the music operators' industry, and
a 1981 performance like the January
show will be considered in the
AMOA board of directors' mid -term
meeting next month .
AMOA President Bob Nims said
the jukebox "tribute" on network
television January 8 has rebounded
favorable publicity on the business of
jukeboxes and the whole coin -
operated industry , by association.
The NBC show was a first , he
ri oted . It gave natio nwid e co verage
to th e indu str y award s which began
the year Paul McCartney and Mick
Jagger became jukebox hit attrac-
tions .
Show focus was directed to the
rich history of the jukebox when
Teresa Brewer honored the music
machine with her rendition of the
song , "Music , Music , Music" ( "Put
another nickel in .... ") . The Bob
Stiivers Associates producers brought
the winner of five 1979 Jukebox
Awards , Kenny Rogers , to television
viewers by film from Tucson , Ari -
zona, where he is acting in the movie
of "The Gambler". ( Rogers sang his
song "The Gambler" and voiced his
appreciation for the song's being
voted both Top Country Record and
Record of the Year.)
The star in the two-hour show, of
course , was the jukebox itself, in its
design evolution and entertainment
value over more than three decades.
The jukebox play area framed
close-ups of on -stage performers
including Glen Campbell , Paul
McCartney and Wings, Peaches and
Herb , the Kingston Trio , Chubby
Checker , Judy Collins , Roberta
Flack, The Oak Ridge Bovs, Tanya
Tu cker . Barb ara Mandrell. and
Bobby Vint o n - ho t vocalists who
span th e entire range o f the p ostwar
jukebox er a.
Co-host George Segal said in
closing the two -hour NBC show that
500 ,000 jukeboxes are in play today.
"The golden age may be over ," said
popular actor Segal, "but the jukebox
is always there when you need it, like
a friend. "
It has been a friend to many of the
"greats" in entert?.ining , such as the
late Nat King Cole . His ageless
"Mona Lisa" on film footage and the
original Modernaires singing "Juke -
box Saturday Night" in person
provided nostalgic notes.
Winners of the 1979 awards who
performed on the show included The
Commodores , The
Bee
Gees ,
Blondie, and Crystal Gayle .
Popular singer-songwriter Mac
Davis introduced and , with Segal ,
handed out the awards to winners .
Nims in New Orleans said recently
the TV package was "a terrific
coast-to-coast
spectacular ... an
accomplishment on behalf of the
industry in general and particularly
the jukebox indus try ."
Viewer ratings were high for the
January 8 prime-time program , and
it will be the NBC network's option to
televise another Jukebox Awards
show . Nims said , "If they do ,
naturally AMOA will be working for
an even better show this coming
year. " The question of what form
national TV coverage would have in
'81 will be taken up in the April
mid -term meeting of the AMOA 's
board .
" The show was a giant step in
positive public relations for the
jukebox industry ," commented for-
mer AMOA President Wayne Hesch.
It was during his term of office that
the project was started for the NBC
air date . Since air time , AMOA
spokesmen have saluted the " good
PR " stemming from the musical
special 's positive image of the
jukebox as wholesome entertain -
ment .
Appreciation for the audience of
the jukebox was expressed by Kenny
Rogers , who thanked patrons for
" putting those coins in the jukebox ."
It is those millions of people , after all ,
that are in large measure responsible
for the success of Rogers and other
stars of the AMOA Jukebox Show .
Gorgar pays up
Ron Crouse , marketing manager
of Williams Electronics , presented a
donation to the Las Veqas Chapter
Am eri ca n H ea rt A ssociatio n rece nt -
ly. Procee ds were collected fro m two
talking Gorgar machines set up at the
Tropicana Country Club and the Las
Vegas Racquetball Club in conjunc-
tion with the AMF Voit/ Self Maga -
zine Racquetball Classic finals .
This invitational tournament cul-
minated a six-stop series of tourna -
ments in major cities . More than 120
players competed in the two-day
event. Prizes worth $25,000 were
awarded , including two Williams
Gorgar machines and products by
Datsun, Hitachi , American Airlines,
Rollei Cemeras , Conair , Robert
Bruce , Danskin , Racquetball Illus-
trated, and Tred 2 .
Bonnie Geller , promotion director
of Self Magazine , was also involved
in the promotion . TRG Communica -
tions , Inc ., a New York sales
promotion company , coordinated
the series .
Ron Crouse, Bonnie Geller