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Home My WebLink AboutV 378; NTN Communications; Variance (V) (2)COMMUNICATIONS, INC. Dan Downs Executive Vice President 2121 Palomar Airport Road, Suite 305 Carlsbad, California 92008 (619) 438-7400 December 2,1986 Adrienne Landers Community Development 2075 Las Palmas Drive Carlsbad, CA 92008 Dear Ms. Landers, Enclosed please find some articles that have been written about our company, all of which have mentioned the City of Carlsbad. I thought it might be helpful. Cordially , 6 Dan C. Downs Executive Vice President Enclosures DCD/slw Creators of @Jfl COMMUNICATIONS, INC. DATE February, 1985 April 15, 1985 April 22, 1985 May 15, 1985 May 23, 1985 May 28, 1985 May 28, 1985 June 14, 1985 June 17, 1985 August 30, 1985 September, 1985 September 15, 1985 October, 1985 October 9, 1985 October 14, 1985 October 20, 1985 October 23, 1985 October 24, 1985 2121 Palornar Airport Road, Suite 305 Carlsbad, California 92008 (619) 438-7400 NEWS STORIES: NTN/QBl CARLSBAD MENTION PUBLICATION SCA: Radio Subcarrier Report Los Angeles Times - Sports San Diego Daily Transcript The Citizen and Del Mar Citizen San Diego Union Newsday - Los Angeles Times New York Post Escondido Times Advocate Sports Dallas Business Courier USA Today Sports PSA Magazine The Mississippi Sun/Daily Herald Hotel and Resort Industry San Diego Union Financial Pacific Business News Tri-Valley Herald (San Francisco area) Tampa Tribune Newport Beach - Costa Mesa News Irvine Today Newport Ensign Creators of u-flrn The National TV Game of LIVE Football Strategy NEWS STORIES Page 2 DATE October 24, 1985 November, 19 8 5 November, 1985 November, 1985 November 11, 1985 November 14, 1985 November 18, 1985 November 25, 1985 December, 1985 December 13, 1985 December 23, 1985 January 3, 1986 January 8, 1986 January 9, 1986 January 13, 1986 January 22, 1986 January 27, 1986 February 1, 1986 February 4, 1986 February 21, 1986 March, 1986 August, 1986 August, 1986 September, 1986 PUBLICATION The Reporter Alaska Airlines International Videotex Teletex News Hotel and Motel Management Electronic Media The Kiplinger California Letter Business News Technology Update Lodging Hospitality San Diego Tribune Electronic Media San Diego Daily Transcript Neighbors Daily News La Jolla Light Multichannel News Restaurants and Institutions Evansville Press The Ames Tribune Simi Valley Enterprise Pennystock News San Diego Magazine Frontier Magazine Alaska Airline Magazine Restaurant Hospitality NEWS STORIES Page 3 DATE October, 1986 October 20, 1986 October 22, 1986 PUBLICATION Sport Magazine Jacksonville Business Journal San Diego Union . -- f i ISSN 0738-2588 Volume 2, Number 9 ,February 1985 READLINE INDEX NFL FOOTBALL OPENS MASS MARKET FOR SCA RECEIVERS: 'QB-1' game lets viewers play along at home, p. 1. this time is Tymnet packet network, p. 3. test I kbit/sec system on clear channel KSL, p. 4. interview with Swanzy and Kozlowski, p. 5. 1.- -BONNEVILIS CLOa TO ANOTHER JOINT KARKETING DEAL: Partner . LEONARD KAHN EAS An SUBCARRIER: AM stereo promoter will MUTUAL FOEUULLY ANNOUNCES KULTICOMX: SCA:RSR's in-depth 'QB-1' Played at Super Bowl, Could Sell Lots of Receivers NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE LICENSEE PLANS TO DELIVER 'PLAY-ALONG' GAME OVER SCA OR VBI An ambitious electronic game that allows fans to match strategies with the quarterback in National Football League telecasts may create enornous consumer demand for digital SCA me, called "QB-1," will -be marketed by Vationab e '-8Setwork (IPTN), an official NFL licensee kls'bad, CA. QB-1 received its first public demonstration during last month's Super Bowl. NTN plans to use either FM subcarrier or television vertical blanking interval (VBI) technology to deliver NFL game information to home receivms. .The hush--hush project has been in development for a year and, while company officials decline to comment on its source of funds, we have learned that seed money for development was put up by Home Box Office, Inc. According to NTN president Pat Downs, the company has been watching the developing SCA market and is waiting for it to "mature" before putting its system into place. "We don't want to re-invent the wheel ,'I we don't want to uild a network. services to those kinds of people." But, he adds, "it's hard to cast your lot with somebody if you just aren't sure where they're going to be six months from now." "We don't want to design an SCA receiver and ' he sar' We want to be a provider of Wren Infomadon Services, Inc. Security Mutual Building. Suite 322 Einghamton, NY 1390 1 Page 2, SCA: Radio Subcarrier Report February 1985 The company has quietly discussed the QB-1 venture with many of the leadinn firms in the FM-SCA business. With 40 million fans watching NFL Monday Night Football, Downs says, "we can move a lot of product for somebody." much of a load to anyone's network, since it operates off-hours, on Monday nights and Sunday afternoons. Second-Guess the QB In addition, the service would not add to in The QB-1 game works this way: On each down, the viewer tries He enters his guess guess what play the quarterback will call. to the QB-1 receiver -- called the "Playmaker" -- which is directly linked to the game clock via NTN's national SCA network. The fan has the same 30 seconds as the quarterback in which to call the play. At the snap of the ball, a signal is sent from the stadium to lock the keyboard -- so the player cannot cheat. After the play, NTN officials in the stadium press box enter the actual call into a host computer, which calculates a point value and sends this information out over the network. Each fan's score is updated and his Playmaker is enabled for the next down. Point values are assigned to plays based on NFL statistics. Obviously, some calls are harder to guess than others. At the end of the game, the fan hooks his Playmaker to a phone with a standard RJ -11 jack and calls NTN's host computer, which logs his name and score. Players are ranked nationally, regionally, and locally, with awards and published weekly results ensuring each fan a shot at "bragging rights," says Downs. Bowl, with fans at the Jockey Club in Miami playing against fans at the Washington Square Bar and Grill in San Francisco. The demo was not over SCA or VBI, however, but "a telco-based system," says The game was demonstrated for the first time during the Super r 1 SCA: Radio Subcarrler Repow ~mo738-2588) I in Chiif: Denrss P Wters We Reudent/pubi: Larra 0. wstm I a0inesMWagcr:Merrill~ sch. Radii subcarrier Repon is publatwd monthly byW3m lnftxmaaon ' Services, Jnc, kanity Mutwl Building, Suite 322, Subxriptionpricein~USandCaMdaUSS185peryear--ehwherrUSS215per~ar. Wllk rnesonrrquen BCopynght 1985 Wters lnfonnarion SeMces. ~nc. All rights resewed. CoWng in any form is a vidation of Federal statme and st??C@y prohfbmd PemLssiun to copy granted by: NY 13901. RKKle (607) 770-1945. Waters Information Serivces, Inc. February 1985 -Page 3, SCA: Radio Subcarrier Report Downs. All three of NTN's consulting NFL coaches were at the Super Bowl, he says, Bill Walsh and Don Shula on the field and Hank Stran in the announce booth doing radio color. 'What Else?' The company plans to launch QB-1 in "commercial escabl ishmerzs" (i.e., bars) on a market-by-narket basis during the 1985-56 seasc2, with national SCA or VBI distribution to the consumer market following year, says Downs. Its significance for the SCh business, he says, is that "you can actually use television to reinforce what you're doing with the SCA." notes: can you do with it?" for the San DLego Padrss and western reglonal xT,ar.ager for Tickstr:n, his brother Dan Downs, fornerly business mar.ager of the Eouston Oilers and general mazager of the Hollywood Park racetrack, Kiosterman, formerly general manager of the L.A. Rans and now president of the USFL's L.A. Express. the It also opens new opporzunities, he "Once that receiver's in the hands of the pblic, what else NTN has three focders: Par Downs, former!:; business manager and Dcn 'Air?.cst Exactlv' the Sane as Recent GE Pact BONNEVILLE TELECOM NEARS MARKETING PARTNERSHIP WITH TYMNET Bonneville Teleccnmunications Inc. is negotiating a Zarketizg agreement with the Tyrr.net division or McDonnell-Douglas Corp., uzder which Bonneville can package Tynnet's nationwide packet data network with its own FM-SCA network, and vice versa. The deal is similar to one Bonneville signed recencly with GE Information Services CO. - (SCA:RSR, December 198A) "It would be premature to discuss any arrangement with Tyrnner," says Bonneville Telecom president Ken Bentley, who confirns that negotiations are in progress but "are not yet concluded." A source close to the negotiations says, however, that terms of the deal will be "almost exactly" the same as those reached with GE. We have not officiallv released it for the sales reps to sell," says Bob Nelson, a senior Tymnet rep based in Denver, whose territory includes Bonneville's Salt Lake City headquarters. Nelson , expects the marketing pact to be in effect, however, before the end Of the first quarter. Tynnet is enthusiastic, he says: "I swear if they release it next week the saies rep inNew York will have six closes within a week." I1 I I the way the player has to select what he ' coverit. . . - thinks it will be. A player can * It is played during a five ' . football telecast, with the Ob- . keep it simple and pi& my or my type of pass. type of Friday, April 5, 1985 the development of QBl, and ing session, a 31-13 victory by other investors have followed. - ' ~e Arizona outlaws over the . Pat Ihwns is a former bd- . New Jersey Generals, none oT ness mariager of the San Diego the s+ven participants lost in- I i MONDAY, APRIL 22,1985 Charger Fans May Now Match Wits With Fouts New TVNideo Game Provides Involvement DuringNFL Games By LIBBY BRYDOLF San Diego Dairy Transcript Std Writer Most football fans, when quizzed, say that much of the fun of wat- ching the Monday night and weekend games is in the guessing - the armchair strategy huddles anticipating the quarterback’s next move. Pretty soon aficionados will have a chance to put their football knowledge and guesswork to a more quantitative test by mat- ching strategies with the field quarterbaek in a new interactive .=me* produced by ications,’ ‘Inc. of Although not on the market yet, the new game, QBl, tests the abili- ty of living and bar room watchers to guess just what Joe Montana or Dan Fouts will do during each play. And just like the office foot- ball pools, QBl turns the single pro game into two - increasing the odds and the enjoyment, according to NTN President Patrick Downs. Part video game, part television and part mental rigor, QBl uses a hand-held electronic device called a Playmaker to call the plays. The messages are transmitted through phone lines and the airwaves in a complex interactive system that scores each guess. Scorw compiling performance points - for correct anticipation of the mbJes, and skiil points for the players’ actual ex- ecution of each play - flash on the television screen. As the scores build, so does the excitement, says Downs. One of the best things about the game, its creator claims, is that it never gets old. “It’s not a computer game,” Downs said. “It’s not a video game. It’s not television. You’re com- peting against another human be- ing. Since each (football) game is different, the software is dif- ferent.” The game, ’developed under an exclusive licensing agreemeat with the National Football League,, is the first product for the Carlsbad- based firm. Using seed money from Home Box Office, Downs worked with brother Daniel and other em- ployees to design the game that they say is the first interactive “V sports game made. NTN today has 15 employees in its 3,000 square- foot leased ofices at 2121 Palomar Airport Road. Last week, the privately held, low profile NTN came out of the closet to become the public NTN Communications. The deal was ar- ranged through the acquisition of the company by Ahoy Industries. Less than a year old, the Salt Lake City, Utah-based Alroy was formed by a group of investors looking for acquisitions or mergers. Ahoy agreed to buy the firm and the new company became NTN Com- munications. NTN’s original man- agement and board of directors will remain in place, Downs said. NTN stock has begun trading on the New York Stock Exchange in the $2 range. SAN DIEGO DAILY TRANSCRLPT, Continued. New TVNideo Game- Public status gives NTN the higher profile it once shunned but now seeks as QB1 heads for the market. In addition, the merger gives the fledgling firm access to capital without the restrictions or expense of going the venture capi- tal or public offering route, Downs said. And capital is just what NTN needs as it begins marketing &SI. Plans are to refine the game this year and sell it in numbers fewer than 1,000 on a test basis during the fall football season in selected Southern California commercial markets such as bars, taverns and restaurants. If all goes well, 1986 will be a year of full sales. Downs declined to predict next year’s rev- enues, but said he expects “a suc- cessful year.” How much will the new game sell for? Downs won’t say. QBl got its start in years of discussions between the sports- loving Downs brothers on how to involve more Americans in spec- tator sports. In those days Downs was business manager for the San Diego Padres. “We came up with the idea years ago, but the techno- logy wasn’t there,” said Downs. But two-and-a-half years ago, Downs, having picked up computer know-how with Control Data Corp., decided the time was ripe to devise the new game. One-and-a- half million dollars later, the game is just about ready to go. Downs expects to hire 10 more employees this year, with the staff doubling in 1986. Other games are in the works for NTN, including an interactive trivia game, baseball game and quiz show game. But the NTN strategy of deemphasizing the technological complexity of its games will be the same. Unlike high-tech firms who trumpet their technological advances, NTN isn’t out to invent new electronic gadgets. “We’re not out to create any new technology traumas,” Downs said. “There’s a lot of tech- nology looking for a market and what we do is find a market and apply the technology. A lot of peo- ple don’t understand ... how their telephone works, We’re not going to confuse you with a a lot of tech- nical jargon.” What Downs couldn’t hide, in a recent telephone interview, is the actual Complexity of the unique game. Although he claimed the basics of interacting with televi- sion and computers using tele- phone and radio waves were ob- vious - “It is so simple that you wonder why somebody hasn’t done it before” - he was hesitant to reveal the actual workings of the game. Basically, it utilizes vertical blanking interval, FM radio and telephone lines to transmit com- puter data to ana from each game. The vertical blanking interval consists of the 525 vertical lines of resolution on the TV screen. These lines can send computer data while transmitting the picture. That technique has been tested in closed caption TV, Downs explained. And with federal deregulation of FM radio waves, the company was able to obtain subcarrier authorization for its game. With over 75 million pro football watchers of all ages, financial means and cultural backgrounds, Downs appears to be itching to market his new game. “It’s a ter- rific group to go after,” he said. In addition to Downs, company directors include Daniel Downs, NTN chief operating officer; Ronald. E. Hogan, chief financial o-fficer; Michael Downs, president of The Coupon Express; and, Alan P. Magerman, a Philadelphia in- vestor, also chairman of Omnimax, a high-tech energy company. A 10 I- The Citizen and The Del Mar Citizen Wednesday. May 15, 1985 _-- ___ - rJ W technology connects ew aa e for Bo t ies fan to game via computers By KEVIN BRASS Associate Editor of The Citizen DEL MAR - At least 14 people were actually watching Monday night’s epic USFL contest between Orlando and San Antonio. They sat behind a semi- / circle of tables facing two televisions and a computer. In front of them were small electronic keyboards. The group cheered wildly at dif- ferent times, cursing the quarterback, insulting the coaches’ heritage - displaying the type of intensity usually reserved for-NFL playoff games. The Orlando-San Antonio game, however, was just a tool for the game that really interested the group. They were playing QBl, a new com- puter game developed by NTN, Inc. In the game, players predict the calls of ‘the quarterback from both teams. Points are rewarded ‘ for correct guesses and bonus points for stellar performances. The key to the game is that ‘its players can interact with the televi- sion. A main computer sends informa- tion to the players of the computer game, who can respond and talk back to the computer. Players are rated on their ability to predict what the call will be before each play. The computer compiles a a running score for each player. The football game is just a tip of the proverbial iceberg as far as applica- tions of the technology. Garry Shirts of Del Mar, working as a consultant with NTN, helped develop the game. Noted for developing several “simulation” games, Shirts is con- sidered an expert in educational games. “The idea of having interactive tele- .vision was always thought to be in the future,” Shirts said. “The football game is just the beginning.” QBl is the product of Pat Downes, former business manager of the San Diego Padres, his brother Dan, who worked as assistant general manager of the Houston Oilers, and sports exec- utive Don Klosterman. Klosterman served as general manager of the Oilers and is president and general manager of .the Los Angeles Express. In the 1960s they came up with the idea of a football game that would allow spectators to choose the plays. But they didn’t have the technology to carry it off. Now, however, the development of “vertical blanking intervals” and “sub-carrier authority’’ has made it possible. The developments, commonly used for the transmission of closed- caption television programs, mean that data can be sent along with the broad- cast transmission. QBl will have spotters at all games which will send out pertinent informa- tion, such as down and distance, to a main computer that will relay the data to the individual games. Customers will buy the main receiverlcomputer and then subscribe to the service. Its inventors expect to market the game to bars and clubs by next year and to customers at home by 1987. The cost of the basic kit is expected to be less than $200, with subscription somewhere in the $10 to $20 range. Football is just the first game plann- ed. They hope to expand to baseball, basketball and other sports. “We think that instead of being passive watchers, people can become active participants,” Dan Downes said. NTN. which acquired seed money from Home Box Office, has already sunk more than $2.5 million into the project and plans to hit $6.5 million by the end of the year, Downes said. The three businesslsports executives came .to Shirts because of his knowl- edge of games. Shirts had already been considering ways to utilize interactive television. “When they came along it was like talking to somebody who was on the same wavelength,” he said. Shirts is looking ahead to other ap- plications of the technology. He envi- sions interactive televison being used . for educational games and as a learn- ing tool. Right now, however, the emphasis is on football. The Carlsbad-based NTN is licensed by the National Football League, which has begun test-marketing the game. For the last Super Bowl game, the league had teams in bars in three cities competing against each other. The group playing QBl Monday night was enthusiastic. And they proved one major use of the game: It keeps even the most boring game interesting for spectators. The Citizen / Steve Whalen Blake Baxter, Joe Delano and Brian Ogden prove that QB1 increases spectator involvement. - --- .. I ., '! The Citizen / Steve Whalen The players' name, call and score appear on the screen. - .. Thursday, May 23,1985 **-hion F-11 \?e-? 4 tP DonFreeman + ... Point of View he Once-Over: Why, you ask, was I watching a USFL game the other night between the San Antonio Gunslingers and the Or- -T lando Renegades? Well, that is a fair auestion and I shall ga&e was beixig televised on e offices of QBl, a division of e time I was watching well raptly playing QBl, which is a new co6puter game involved with the actual football game being shown on TV. It looked like fun. One day, in fact, the entire country may be numbed in a happy form of gridiron lock. The viewers compete by predicting, among other things, what plays the quarterback on the screen will call. Usually this is done in conjunction with NFL games but this is springtime and the USFL is, more or less, in flower. “If something good - or bad - happens to the quarterback, it happens to you,” says Dan Downs, who helped create the game along with his brother, Pat, formerly business manager of the San Diego Padres, and Don Klosterman, an old football hand now running the LA. Express. They have knowledgeable technical advisers in two present NFL coaches, Bill Walsh of the 49ers and Don Shula of the Dolphins, and one former NFL coach now a TV announcer, Hank Stram. And the game was tested last year during Monday Night Football telecasts in various places acm the land where the cognoscenti mingle, includ- ing the Washington Street Bar & Grill in San Francisco. “QBl,” says Dan Downs, “is the beginning of two-way interactive network television during live events.” It’s also our chance - you and me - to live out our fantasies as NFL quarterbacks. I don’t know how all of this electronic gadgetry works but I don’t see how QBl can miss.. . ’ NEW YORK .POST ,\ 1 TUESDAY, MAY .2?, 1985 a, Communications Commission malntalned strlct guidelines' for the use of thls part of the FM band. But then the FCC relaxed Its regulatlons. greatly lncreaa- Ing the avallablllty of the unused part of each FM statlon's bioad. cast eapaclty and expandlng the klnds of lnformatlon that could be carried. Prlvate entrepreneurs are beglnnlng to take advantage of the expanslon. Already, some companles rlde plggyback on regular FM statlons to actlvate personal paglng devlces: others dlstrlbute prlclng lnformatlon to thelr retail outlets. The FM opectrum Is becomlng an alter- natlve to telephone llnes - often watch subc Mutual Satelllte munlcatlona snld For the privilege of plggyback- hopes to send Its news servlce to, Ing on an FM statlon's little brokers. banks and other finan- share of the broadcast spectrum, clal instltutlons In major CltkU subcarrler operators typlcally . by the end of September. pay $1000 to 110,oOO a month, de- Until now, Dow Jones has been pending on the statlon's Iocatlon relylng on telephone lines to and power That's markedly less transmlt Its news service But expenslve than buying a radlo recent FCC.approved rate In- statlon. especlally In large citles, crenncs In the Amerlcan Tele- where stations have mllllon-dol- phonc k Telegraph Co's private lar prlcc tags Operators of FM dedicated lines are forclng busl- ' subcarrlers become telecom- nesses to consider less expensive . a cheaper alternatlve - for any- one who wants to transmlt Infor- matlon of elmost any klnd. from atock market ;quotations to weather reports. 4 "Radlo stations are'changlng." aald Alan A. Relter. edltor of fiubcarrler Communlcatlona. a Washlngton-based Industry newsletter. "They are becomlng Informatlonplpellnes." 3 . All thh Is possible because each FM staUon occupies not ]rut a polnt on the radlo dlal but a range; a statlon at 91.5 megahe* for ex- ample. has authorlty to operate from about QL4 to ~16 MHz But statlonu do not need that entlre range to nerve up thelr standard fare of rock musk or news or golden oldlea \ On the unused part of thelr 11t- tle sllce of the FM radlo band, atatlond can transmit addltional munlcatlons entrepreneurs alternatives wlthout needing FCC llcenses One of the ploneer subcarrlera was Muzak. whlch waa atarted In 1934 and now goes to 185 cltles around the country, mostly through leases wlth . FM statlons Muzak. t subcarrler network. la Westlnghouse Broadcast1 Physlclans Radlo N begun In 1974, provldes a tors In 70 Th& one.hour broadcast, repeated continually and Interspersed with drug in. duslry advertlslng, la sent vIa -_ Pays an FM satclllte from Stamford, Conn., to FM aubcarrlera that carry the telephone transmlss'ona. - newsletter to subscrlbers. - In Vermont. the Greater Re- Weather Servlce tranamlts con- tlnuous forecasts to subscrlbers who pay about $30 a month. com. tars a month that telephone lines would cost. For Its *ccesS to the airwaves. the weather service abut $4000 a month. leas than half the cost of * "audio newsletter** to 73,000 doc- pared wlth acveral hundred dol: lnformatlon - lnformatlon that does not reglater on ordlnary vldes skl condltlona to hundreds . FM radlos and can be plcked up of hotels and condomlnluma only by apeclal recelvers: over a subcarrler leased fro In lechnlcal jargon. thehnused -: WNCS-FM In Montpeller. The I segment of each FM statlon's formation Is dlsplayed on pro 'plece:oi.the'radlo'hpe'ctrum -- . is - - erly cqulpped televla!on acts, sort Area Informatlon Ltnk pro-. Wmt to be a quarterback? Your chance is coming soon Dan Downs was working as ticket manager in the 1960s when the Houston Oilers moved from Rice Stadium into the gleaming, new Astrodome. His boss was Don Klosterman, the Oilers’ general manager. Downs had a gimmick for in- creasing the Oilers’ sagging at- tendance: wiring the Astro- dome’s 47,652 seats and allow- ing the fans to call plays as push-button quarterbacks. Lacking technology, Downs and Klosterman, a former pro quarterback, decided the time wasn’t right for 40,000 arm- chair quarterbacks. Now, almost 20 years later, they’ve refined the old seat- wiring idea and developed an interactive television strategy game called QBl. The object is the same as Downs’ original idea, to anticipate the plays called on each down while watching on television. Fans, utilizing a hand-held device called the Playmaker, compete with friends in tav- erns or restaurants, or with ri- val fans from other cities. “They’ll be able to play against a celebrity quarter- back, like Bob Griese, or Joe Namath,” said Downs. “The ce- lebrity might be playing in his home and hooked into us. His score will be shown on the screen, and the fan can com- pare his score to Griese’s. No PRO FOOTBALL BY GORDON FORBES question, it’s a cerebd game.” Let’s say the San Diego Char- gers are playing It doesn’t take a genius to know the Chargers like to throw, so you instinctive- ly press the “pass” key. If Dan Fouts indeed passes, it‘s worth 100 points. QBl can get risky. You can get more specific, pressing the “pass,.” “left” and “deep” keys and nsking 50 points. If Fouts dumps the ball off to a screen receiver in the right fiat, 50 points are deducted for the wrong zone and direction. But, if he throws deep for Charlie Joiner along the left sideline, you earn 150 points. The Playmaker has 20 basic plays, 14 passing and six run- ning. The ultimate call is the “gamebreaker,” worth double points if the team gets a touch- down. Scores are shown simul- taneously on the Playmaker and a 26-inch monitor., So, what happens if’Marcus Allen, the shifty Los Angels Raiders running back, starts wide, then cuts back inside over the guard-tackle hole? If you’ve pressed the “run” and “right” keys, you earn 125 points, 100 for the run and 25 for the direction, since the play called was a sweep to the right. A presbox spotter will be in touch with a QBl referee at a central computer site to rule on tricky plays (scrambles, rollouts, cutbacks). For exam- ple, if Fouts is forced to scram- ble, you would get 100 points for a pass (the original call). QBl is being developed by National Telecommunicator (NTN), a Carlsbad, &i communications firm founded by Downs, his brother, Pat, and Klosterman. NFL coaches Bill Walsh and Don Shula, along with broad- caster and former coach Hank Stram, are consultants. NTN, which has refined QBl since it was tested at three sites during Super Bowl XIX last January, will be reintroduced Oct.14 during a Miami-New York Jets Monday night game. Fans at Hilton Hotels in New York, Los Angels and Irvine, Calif., will participate. Dan Downs says a typical tavern, hotel or restaurant will offer fans 16 QBl sets. After the 1986 Super Bowl, NTN will market about 100,000 sets to the public. “It helps if you do your homework and know your team’s tendencies,” said Don Klosterman. “The thing is, you can’t change channels. It‘s like you’re in uniform. You can’t leave the game.” WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO CALL? When Dan Downs was ticketlstadium manager and director of sales of the Houston Oilers in the old but ever-ex- citing AFL, Don Klosterman, the team’s general manager, challenged him on how to sell more tickets. “I’ve always believed people like to be in- volved,” Downs says, looking back on those glorious days. “So I came up with the wild idea of wiring Rice Sta- dium, whereby people would be able to enter the playcall and see it on the scoreboard before the team broke the huddle .” Originally called “Armchair Quar- terback,” the execution was unfea- ‘WE COULD IN EFFECT CREATE TELEVISION, AND FOOTBALL WOULD BE THE GREAT VEHICLE TO DRIVE IT INTO THE MARKETPLACE! TWO-WAY -DAN DOWNS. COFOUNDER: NTN COMMUNICATIONS j sible, but the thought had enough merit that Dan, his brother Pat, who was the director of sales and ticket manager with the San Diego Padres, and his brother Mike, who was presi- dent of the leisure division of 20th Century-Fox-the operator of Marineland-copyrighted the idea in 1967. They tried again in the seventies when Monday Night Football became a visual institution, with people playing against a panel of experts by using IBM cards. Analyzes Downs, “That didn’t work because it didn’t give you that instant gratification.” Then, in 1982, as general manager of Hollywood Park racetrack, Downs was approached by an owner in the neophyte USFL and asked to be a gen- eral manager. The idea of trying to fill up another football stadium didn’t thrill him. What did excite him was the conversation he had with his brother. They decided that the technology had 1 Entreprenezlrs Continued from Page 71 corded and displayed. Or it could be connected to an individual’s personal computer screen. The unit has been tested for a year- and-a-half, with one bar in Garden Grove reporting that because of QB1, business went up 312 percent on nights NFL or USFL games were tele- vised. The cost is $200 per device, with additional market testing rolling out this fall. Some eight to sixteen bars in San Diego and Los Angeles, as well as 160 homes throughout the state, will be equipped with this strategic chal- lenge during the 1985 football season. Minimum projections for QB1 in 1986 are sales to 1,600 bars and 25,000 homes, totaling into a $15-mil- lion gross and a $2-million pretax in- come for the (Mbbad-based entrepre- neurs. But according to Downs, the former ticketmeister, “as a minimum we believe we’ll double that.” arrived and that “we could in effect create two-way television, and football would be the great vehicle to drive it into the marketplace.” With $300,000 in start-up money collected among themselves, the Downs brothers incorporated NTN Communications, Inc., in April 1983. With an additional $780,000 from HBO, the entertainment triad devel- oped QB1-an ingenious, hand-held, wireless computer play box that turns the passive viewer of a televised foot- ball game into an armchair competitor. The viewer punches his or her pre- diction of what the next play will be into the computer and receives or loses points for the accuracy or inaccu- racy of the call. While watching a game in a home or bar, a viewer could also play against one or more fellow quar- terbacks. A small monitor is attached to the unit so that scores are instantly re- Continued on Page 106 Former ticket manag- ers Pat (left) and Dan Downs, along with a third brother, Mike, tapped the market of the frustrated armchair quarterback with an ingenious hand-held playbox called QB1. After kicking off the product with $300,000 in start-up money, the Downs brothers tested the device at a Garden Grove bar, where the owners reported a 312 percent business boon on game nights. With the $200 play-caller, a viewer can second- guess the likes of Jim Plunkett and Joe Montana- compete against other QE1 players-by punch- ing in the predicted play and scoring points on the accuracy of the call. I Thch Sun/THE DAILY HERALD I Mississippi Gulf Co There are quite a few things I consider luxuries that many people think of as necessities. By luxuries, I mean things that I don't have and am not particularly interested in acquiring. I have neither cable television nor a telephone. My television features two predominant colors - black and white. I don't have a washer or a dryer or a dishwasher. I drive a VW that is broken more often than not. I've never even thought of buying a VCR. a stereo or a home computer. But come next fall, by damn, I will have QBl. At the moment, very few people know about QBl, which explains why the doors at the offices of the National Telecommunicator Network, fnc., in Carlsbad, Calff., haven't been knocked down by prospective subscribers. publicity," says executive vice president Dan Downs. "So far, the publicity we've gotten has sort of sought us out." armchair quarterback a chance to match wits with NFL coaches like Bill Walsh, Don Shula or (Heaven forbid! ) Bum Phillips during live NFL games. membrane keyboard, selecting plays before the ball is snapped. The participant can play on three levels. He can simply choose pass or run; direction (left, middle or right) ; or depth (short pass or long pass). An expert, for example, might press a long pass down the left sideline. The more specific the player is in selecting plays, the greater amount of points he receives for a correct call. If, however, the player is incorrect, points are deducted. If you call simply a pass and the play is a run, you lose 100 points, If you choose correctly, you get 100 points. i BSB "We really haven't been out looking for QBl is a game that allows the average The concept is quitesimple. Players use a BBB Presently, QBl is still in development in the sense that the game is being played only at a dozen or so selected bars and restaurants located in major urban areas. But the response has been staggering, Downs says. During Super Bowl XIX, QBl was played at locations in Washington, D.C., Miami and Beverly Hills, Calif. It turned out to be an unqualified success. "This is different," Downs says. "This isn't a video game. You won't find our game over in a corner someplace with people dropping a quarter in a slot to play it. ast, Sunday, September 15, 1985 Slim Fe Smith SPORTS W R I TE R "It's entertainment. Our game is an extension and an enhancement of the game on the field. Judging from the reactions of the people that have played the game, our game becomes more important than tbe game on the field. We're moving the NFL into the 2lst Century and I don't mean that in any negative sense." BBB The brain trust behind the NTN. Inc.. the company that developed QBl. has close ties to professional sports. . Houston Oilers, while his brother Pat, NTN's president, was the former vice president of the San Diego Padres baseball team. The third member of the brain trust is Don Klosterman, former player with the Cleveland Browns, the Dallas Texans and the Los Angeles Rams. He is also the former GM of both the Houston Oilers and the Baltimore Colts and former vice president and GM of the Los Angeles Rams. Currently, he is the president of the USFL's Los Angeles Express franchise. born. Downs says. "I was with the Oilers back before the merger [with the NFL]. We were at Rice Stadium then, anticipating the move to the new Astrodome. We were trying to figure out a way to put warm bodies in cold seats. We were trying to develop a means by which the fans could interact with the players on the field." The idea - to wire the Astrodome seats so that the fan could choose plays, then watch the game to see is the coach came to the same conclusion - was solid. The timing was not. The idea resurfaced three years ago when Downs was faced with a similar problem, namely putting fans in the Los Angeles Coliseum for USFL games. Downs is a former assistant GM for the Against this backdrop, the idea for QBl was "The germ of the idea began in the late OS," + Again, the timing was bad. FinaIly, the trio ~~ Pro football executive-Don Klosterman, left,chaiman of Nnv, Inc., points out features of3 video game controller for NTN President Pat Downs, right, and James C. Collins, senior vi( HiltodQBl Launch Video For Football Fans BEVERLY HILLS, CA -Monday Night Foot- ball fans can match their play-calling skills against the pros in select Hilton cocktail lounges during the national launch of the HiltodQBl Challenge this fall. In a joint marketing effort of Hilton Ho- tels Corporation and the game's devel- oper, NTN, Inc. of Carlsbad, CA, the sat- ellite-transmitted video game will allow fans to call a play of their own on a hand- held "playmaker" controller while the pro team is huddling on TV. Fans accu- mulate points for every call that matches the play the quarterback ran, with their score immediately tallied and compared to up to 63 other players in the room on a separate video screen. Permanent installations wiU be tested at the Los Angeles Airport Hilton and the L president oj marketingjor Hilton Hotels Corporation, as they prepare for the national launch of Inrine Hilton in Orange County, CA. the HiltonlQBl Challenge this fall. Fans will be able to match their play-calling skills against- ney will participate in the national debut the pros during the actual telecast of Monday Night Football at select Hiltons across the country; of the system October 14 with the New York Hiiton as the kick-off for a national tour of seven Hilton cities. "QBl may be the most exciting thing to happen to televised football since the emergence of the Monday Night game," said James C. Collins, Hilton's senior vice president of marketing. "It is easy to play, and makes a spirited participant out of a Monday Night Football viewer." According to Don Klosterman, chair- man of NTN, Hilton is "the perfect part- nei' for introducing QBl across the coun- try. 'With prime locations in our key mar- maketing and catering, Hilton was the %ideal choice for launching QB1," the pro fooibdll exrcutive said. "We are delighted with our qew association." QBl is licensed by the National Football League and is the product of two years of research and development. Coaches Don Shula of the Miami Dolphins, Bill Walsh of the San Francisco 49ers and Hank Stram of CBS Sports make up QBl's Blue Ribbon Panel of Coaches who helped develop the game. ____- . kets, \ together with an excellent staff in - HOTEL & RESORT INDUSTRY NEW YORK, NEW YORK OCTOBER lg85 - - * - - .@ Wednesday, October 9,1985 - INVESTMENT TRIBUNE FlNANCJAl EDITOR ATRICK DOWNS, president of P NTN Communications Inc., says he’s taking that new public company on a “road show” later this month to promote investor interest, then will apply for trading status on NASDAQ. NTN, where many of the princi- pals trace their roots back to sports team management, is counting on its initial product, a rather amazing television football game called QB1, for a splashy entree into the market. QBl, described as a “game of skill,” allows people watching a Na- tional Football League game in prog- ress on television to call plays before the quarterback does. Then the game device figures out what the score would be if the quarterback had done as the player suggested rather than what he actually did. “The game has been tested for over a year and is designed to be played in restaurants and taverns, as well as in the home,” Downs said, It was offered on a limited, introducto- ry basis during the 1985 NFL season with a full national marketing effort scheduled for the 1986 season. Local investors will get a chance to see how the game works on Oct. 28, when it is installed at The Rusty Pelican on La Jolla Village Drive. Non-footba?l fans will be thrilled to learn that NTNs device, which looks something like a remote con- I trol channel-changer, eventually could be used, among other things, to play television show games - such as Jeopardy - right along with stu- dio contestants. Though a tag hasn’t been attached, Downs said the company is aiming at 1 a price of $100 to $150 for home use, where two people can play. “Taverns will pay an annual fee, based on the number of events used,” he said. The tavern would then either charge cus- tomers for playing or just use the game as a promotional entertain- ment. NTN has also contracted with IBM and Merrill Lynch to participate in a new interactive financial informa- tion network called Imnet. be- ha maneuver in which it merged with Alroy Industries. a shell corporation which was already public. Downs’ company then took majority interest and operation of Alroy and changed the name to NTN Communications. Downs was once business manager of the old San Diego Padres, then be- came regional manager of Ticketron for Control Data. Don Klosterman, chairman of the board, is best known for his tenure as general manager of the L.A. Express, the Los Angeles Rams and earlier, the Chargers. “We’re still a development stage company,” explained Ron Hogan, chief financial officer. “We have no revenues to date. We expect to start generating revenues and to finalize a portion of our research and develop- ment in mid-1986.” NTN, with paid-in capital of $2 million. now is traded onlv over-the- l i counter through the pink iheets. The ‘ I company has 15 million shares out- standing and 2 million shares trading in 30 states. Its most recent price was $4. *** ‘A game for armchair quarterbacks By Tom Goff Business writer - BEVERLY HILLS - You’re a football Einstein. You can outguess Bill Walsh. You have a Vulcan mind meld on Don Shula. Now the time has come to raise your Titanic intel- lect out of the armchair and put it on the 50-yard line. . Hilton Hotels has kicked off a showcase tour of a computerized,I satellite-transmitted game that lets I Monday morning quarterbacks in- teract with televised football games and pit their play-calling skills against the likes of Bill Walsh and Joe Montana. . Billed as “the national TV game of live sports strategy,” QBl was introduced to a group of sports ce- lebrities, broadcasters and writers this week at the New York Hilton, the Los Angeles Airport Hilton and the Irvine Hilton, south of Los Ange- les, during the N.Y. Jets vs. Miami Dolphins game on ABC‘s Monday Night Football. The game is booked for play at the San Fcancisco Hilton for the Dec. 9 contest between the 49ers and the L.A. Rams, QBl allows viewers to match their play-calling skills against the pro quarterbacks shown on Hilton’s big-screen TVs and video monitors. While the pros are in their huddle, QBl viewers enter the play they think the quarterback will call into a hand-held “playmaker” control- ler. Points are awarded for correct play calls and then displayed on a separate monitor with the scores of other QBl players in the room. The system is being tested during the football season in Hilton’s cock- tail lounges in Los Angeles and Irvine - and later this year at the Miami Airport Hilton - for possi- ble distribution to its entire system of hotels next year under an exclu- game’s tions ef Hilton Hotels is offering the game free to its patrons, execu. tives are hoping that QBl’s eventual : $9,000 per-month per-hotel leasing fee will pay off in sheer excitement, if not food and beverage revenues. NTN developed the game in con- junction with a panel of pro football coaches, including Bill Walsh of the 49ers, Don Shula of the Miami Dol- phins, and Hank Stram, former coa- ch of the Kansas City Chiefs and New Orleans Saints. QBl was demonstrated at the Hil- tons in New York, Los Angeles and Irvine in a coast-to-coast satellite hook-up with Giants’ Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., where the game was played. QBl staff members in the stadi- um press box relay the actual play called during the game to NTN’s control center in California where it is entered into the QBl computer. The computer compares the QBl players’ call against the quarterback‘s play selection and awards points for correct entries made on the “playmakers.” A signal is then beamed via satellite back to participating Hiltons where QBl players’ scores are displayed on a video screen in the lounge. The touch-button “playmaker” is a wireless membrane-covered key- board with various options dis- played on it for running or passing plays. Basically, if the QBl player chooses a run, he or she gets extra points for correctly predicting the direction, left, middle or right. Simi- larly, extra points are awarded on a pass play for correctly calling left, middle or right, plus predicting play action, whether or not it is a short or deep pass, or if it is a “back” pass behind the line of scrimmage. All point values have been deter- mined through a computer analysis of actual National Football League statistics by Professor Tom Cover of Stanford University. Lower scores are awarded for commonly called plays, and higher point values are assigned to plays called less often in the pros. For example, a pass/bakk/left receives more points than a pass/back/right be- cause moqt quarterbacks ‘in the NFL are right-handed and throw to their right more often. With QBl, games might never again be dull.’ “The game can be a blowout and you wouldn’t watch it under any other circumstances. But you’re there with your nose to the grind- stone trying to guess what play he’s going to call,” said Hilton Hotels spokesman Patrick Barry. NTN is working on expanding QBl for interaction with any broad- cast NFL game and, farther down the road, with baseball. A football trivia game is also in the works. By next year, QBl will be available for lease by any sports bar and restaurant. NTN is also working on non- sports applications for its interac- tive television system, including uses for finance, market research, network game shows and education. SAN AAMON. CA VALLEY HERALD 0 175J- S 17Yn SAN FRANCISCO MET ARM OcT 21: 8‘jh.Y -is- .,%.‘ DUBLIN-LIVERMORE PLEASANTON, CA TRI-VALLEY HERALD .- . 6-C THE TAMPA TRIBUNE, Wednesday, October 23,1985 10 0 Computer game gets rave reviews at Tampa debut By JIM HENRY Tribune Sports Writer The armchair quarterbacks were stationed in front of the television screen at the Press Box Sports Empori- um. Pregame warmups were over. Starting lineups had been announced. The anticipatim heightened. The Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears were moments away from renewing their longtime rivlary be- fore a national television audience. The Packers won the coin toss and quarterback Lynn Dickey was receiv- ing Iastsecond instructions from Coach Forrest Gregg. As was Tribune Assistant Sports Editor Jim Selman from former Dolphins great Larry Csonka. Others, such as Buccaneers Steve DeBerg, Steve Young and John Cannon, also were reviewing game plans with their partners. ‘QBl,” the computer football game that allows fans to compete against each other in playcalling skills, was introduced Monday at the Press Box. It also was played in Miami, Dallas and Los Angeles. Armchair quarterbacks who gathered at the Press Box included members of the Buwaneers and media, and prominent local figures such as Lee Moffitt, Boyd Dowler and Vic Prinzi, to name a few. They all attended for the same reason - to match the strategy of the quarterback on the playing field by correctly calling the offensive play in the same 30sec- ond span. phins Coach Don Shula, San Francisco 49ers Coach Bill Walsh and Hank Stram, former Kam City Chiefs coach. who showed up to watch included running back James Wilder, fullback Adger Armstrong and tight end Jerry Bell. Former BUC Hugh Green, now with the Miami Dol- phins, also took in the action. Only two things are required for a fan to be trans- e was developed by ti0m of * rmilr, along with consul 501- Csonka was present on behalf of NTN. Buccaneers. formed from a passive viewer to an armchair competi- tor - the QBI Playmaker, a hand-held, wireless com- puter playbox, and a live, televised NTN-monitored foot- ball game. At 9 p.m., it was showtime for the Bears and Packers. And quite a showing followed from the armchair quarterbacks. On Chicago’s first series, partners DeBerg and Mof- fitt, the former Speaker of the House who now is in pri- vate law practice, fumbled their initial call. DeBerg called for a run, then changed his mind to pass. Then back to run. Moffitt, during this exchange, was frantically pub- ing buttons on the Playmaker. Too late. McMahon handed off to fullback Matt Suhey. The DeBerg/Moffitt team wasn’t quick enough to insert its choice. “I was just wishing DeBerg would make up his mind,” said Moffitt. DeBerg claimed innocence. “Lee isn’t picking up my audibles at the line of scrimmage,” he said. DeBerg, coming off a 365-yard, four-touchdown per- formance against the Miami Dolphins last Sunday, said he enjoyed QBl. He started off slowly - for instance, on third-and-three at the Green Bay 12 in Chicago’s first series, DeBerg called for a play-action pass, Suhey swept left for a first down. But DeBerg called three consecutive correct calls in the second quarter to rally his team. Points are awarded for correct calls and results are displayed on the TV monitor after every down. There are 20 QBl plays to select from - four run plays and 16 pass plays. Armchair quarterbacks also can get specific by selecting where their play choice is head- ed, i.e., run middle, run left, pass deep left, pass short middle. Players are awarded skill points based on whether the play was successful, and bonus skill points if consecutive correct calls are punched. Players also are penalized for wrong calls. “I think this is a super idea,” DeBerg said. “I think it gives people a better understanding of what teams are trying to establish on Offe~e.” Tribune photos by JIM REED Tribune Assistant Sports Editor Jim Selman and former Dolphins great Larry Csonka watch the television screen, above, while BUCS quarterback Steve DeBerg, right, shares a laugh with partner Lee Moffitt. Young, a rookie from Brigham Young via the United States Football League, also started slowly. He was minus 40 points after Green Bay’s first series. Like De- Berg, he rallied his team in the second quarter. “I think it enhances their (fans) awareness concern- ing play calling,” Young said. “There is a lot of guess work involved, but it gives people a chance to see how well they know the game. “Because of this, though, there will probably be 100 million more experts out there.” DeBerg and Young were expected to fare well, be- cause for a quarterback, playcalling is almost second nature. For Cannon, the Bum’ fine defensive end, it was a change of pace. He was matching calls with McMahon, and despite reservations, he enjoyed the challenge. “Well, I think I will stick to playing and not coach- ing,” Cannon said. “I had butterflies before the game. I am out here going for the win. Hey, this is fun. I think it , gives people a sense of what they (offense) are trying to I do.” Th&e were several women engrossed in the game,:x. ; JoAnne Speck, who works with Essex Company, was+y feamed with Dowler. “Most of my calls are intuition, not knowing the game,” Speck said. “I have been making some great calls, even though all of them haven’t been right. I think it is a lot of fun. I think everyone is enjoying them selves.“ The Press Box will start weekly QBl games Monday for the general public. There will be no charge, but reservations are advised; next Monday already is sold out. Press Box co-owner Bill Free1 said his establishment is equipped with eight Playmaken, which means 32 peo- ple can participate. , OCTOBER 24, 1985 I Football Fans Calling Plays At Hilton Hotel ’ ‘. Monday Night Football fans ed football since the emergence . ;an match their play-calling of the Monday Night game,” skills against the pros in select James C. Collins, Hilton’s Hilton cocktail lounges during senior vice president of the national launch of the marketing said. “It is easy to Hilton/QBI Challenge this fall. play, and makes a spirited par- will allow fans to call a pLy of their own on a hand-held “playmaker” controller while the pro team is huddling on TV. Fans accumulate points for every call that matches the play the quarterback ran, with their score immediately tallied and compared to 31 other players in the room on a separate video screen. Permanent installations will be tested at the Los Angeles Air- port Hilton, the Irvine Hilton in Orange County, Calif., and the Miami Hilton in the national debut of the system October 14 as the kick-off of a national tour of seven Hilton cities. “QBl may be the most ex- citing thing to happen to televis- I /I According to Don Kloster- man, chairman of NTN, Hilton is “the perfect partner” for in- troducing QB 1 across the coun- try. “With prime locations in our key markets, together with an excellent staff in marketing and catering, Hilton was the ideal choice for launching QBl,” the longtime pro football ex- ecutive said. “We are delighted with our new association.” , ~. QBl is licensed by the National Football League and is the product of two years of research and development. Coaches Don Shula of the Miami Dolphins, Bill Walsh of the San Francisco 49ers and Hank Stram of CBS Sports make up QBl’s Blue Ribbon Panel of Coaches who helped develop the game. . LA- 1 Newport Beach, Costa Mesa News Newport Beach, Irvine Today Newport Beach, Newport Ensign i 7 . punching their own calls into a "play- maker," which looks suspiciously like a TV's remote control tuner. At game sites, QBl staffers commu- , I Stram of CBS Sports and coaches I Don Shula of the Miami Dolphins 49ers. The company has an exclusive 1 contract with the NFL. 1 Semi-permanent QBl test sites are , located in lounges at Los Angeles Air- 1 port Hilton (2W-410-4000) and Imine Hilton (n4-863-3111) in Orange Coun- ~ ty, California. NPN has tentative ar- 1 rangements to show the game at San Francisco Hilton (415-771-1400) December 16. More information is avadable from NPN Communications 1 (619-438-7400), 2121 Palomar Airport ! I , and Bill Walsh of the San Francisco 1 Rd., 6iddmd, CA 92008. 1 I .. . .. .. .- 4 .. , - INTERNATIONAL z37?iizy November 1985 Wd# -3 When Request was abandoned, 173 subscribers were buying the service on the Buena Park, California cable system which has a total of 9,.000 subscribers (IVTN #66). In August, Group W had lowered the. price of service to $4.95 per month--well below the $7.50 monthly fee used since Request was lauxkhed ten months earlier; the Request subscription charge was a premium on top of other cable and pay TV fees. Group W research found that in subscribing homes, several family members used Request daily. Local entertainment guides (including theatre show times) were the most popular segments, followed by sports and weather reports. Just before dropping the service, Group W added electronic greeting cards; customers could phone in orders for standard message frames to be cusbmized and cycled to other subscribers. When notified that Request was ending, several customers asked if they could keep or buy the Zenith Z-Text receiver used in the pilot. They had learned that the terminal could also pick up other World System Teletext transmissions, notably the continuing MetroText on KTTV, Los Angeles (IVTN #65) and Taft's Electra teletext on Satellite Syndicated Systems. However, Group W is requiring the Z-Text units be turned in. (Group W Cable, 888 Seventh Ave., New York, NY 10016; 212-307-3522.) QB1 USIE VBI FOR GAMES; HOME VERSION DUE WITH SHOPPING, FINANCIAL ENHAXEMEKPS NTN Communications hopes to roll out its QB1 interactive game into bars and other public sites nationwide next fall and expects to launch a home version by 1987. The system, which now lets armchair quarterbacks second guess the coach in profes- sional football games, may be expanded to include other sports, trivia contests, education and teleshopping features as well as real-time participation in televised talent, quiz and game shows. Future applications include audience surveys, polling and product testing. NTN envisions 100,000 home units in place by 1987, and may test a prototype home version next year on addressable cable TV systems. For the current test, the NTN package is delivered through the vertical blanking interval of the Public Broadcasting. Service's satellite/TV network in conjunction with International Marketnet, the IBM-Merrill Lynch data delivery venture (see below and IVTN #70). FM radio subcarriers may also be used for transmission. PBS carries the QB1 data although the sports events themselves run on commercial TV stations. For the current test, a Zenith teletext decoder (using World System Teletext format) is used, but NTN and PBS have not committed to that technology. The National Foot- ball League has sanctioned QBl, which is being tested during Sunday afternoon and Monday night NFL games this fall and will be installed commercially next year. "CN sees similar deals with other sports leagues. At the heart of NTN' s system is "The Playmaker" terminal with a membrane key- board on which players can type their names. A keyboard overlay lets each player enter his predictions such as "deep pass right" or "run up the middle." A micro- computer tallies results and shows how each player fared against others at that site, against other participants elsewhere in the country and against the actual game on TV. Armchair quarterbacks score points based on how accurately their calls reflect reality. Playmaker prototypes used in the current tests are wired to the CPU at the bar; future models will have wireless remote connections. About 16 units (each with two players) can now be used simultaneously; the system is designed for up to 60 Playmaker hook-ups. After a game or telecast, the Playmaker communicates with NTN Central's host computer via packet networks to develop local, regional and national rankings for participating players at various sites. The QBl set-up for public sites costs about $9,000 including the receiver, personal computer, a videodisc player and related control devices and 16 Playaakers. All sites can be monitored from the Nl" control center, which dispatches data, 5 0 Copyright 1985 ARLEN COMMUNICATIONS INC. ?d .+. __- - .. .. ". I.. .. .-. t ..Y ... .. ."a _- JRTERNATIONAL November 1985 including signals to trigger the videodisc players. NTN foresees that prerecorded data on those discs, including specially created commercials and games, could be run when televised games are nclt in progress. NTN won't predict a price for a'horne version, but the company sees QB1 as a service which, when married to home computers, justifies PC purchases. E$ NTN has already recruited affiliates in Texas and Florida to sign up sites in their territories. The company is seeking other regional affiliates. Bars and other public locations where fans gather could charge customers to use Playmakers or they could underwrite the set-up as a traffic builder. NTN has spent about $2 million on development during the past three years. Home Box Office invested about $780, one test phase but later dropped plans to continue working with NTN. ( ications Inc., 2121 Palomar Airport Rd., Suite 305, &ad, CA 92008: 619-438-7400.) IMNET: PILOTS BY NEXT SPRING; NEGOTIATING FOR TRANSACTIONAL SERVICE International Marke tNe t, the IBM-Merrill Lynch joint venture for business data delivery, expects to install pilots by next year in Merrill Lynch and other brokerage houses (IVTN #70). By next spring IMNet expects to be running commercially in Merrill Lynch's Lawrenceville, New Jersey retail' branch and at its capital markets (institutional) branch in Atlanta. In addition, the company plans pilot tests in other offices by next spring, although it will not reveal names of potential users. Currently, IMNe t's system is infonaation-only; the company is negotiating bo offer transac tional services from Instane t, an "electronic marketplace" which provides online stock purchasing capabilities. I.?.' e;lh :y IMNet is a real-time stock quote service delivered on the vertical blanking interval of Public Broadcasting Service channels or via Equatorial Communications facilities. Data go to a mainframe--usually an IBM Series 1000--and are then dis- tributed to desktop terminals. IMNet will not reveal prices for the system. The vertical blanking interval feed can also be used by individuals not connected to a mainframe. Using a decoder that will cost about the same as a TV set, customers can receive information from TV antennas at the rate of 19.6 kilobits per second per line. Such a system will be directed at individual investors as well as bank branches and corporate treasurers' offices. Price has not been set for this IMNet version, expected to be available in early 1986. Despite recent reports of cutbacks and layoffs, an IMNet spokesman says only a handful of employees have left: the company has about 250 people on staff-and may be hiring more. (IMNet, 2 Broadway, 20th Fl., New York, NY 10004; 212-510-1500.) Datacasting Silent Radio, which uses vertical blanking intervals to feed news and ads to display boxes at public sites, has signed up Stations in seven markets to carry the data service. New markets include Houston, San Francisco, San Jose, Philadephia and Chicago in addition to the original Silent Radio services in IDS Angeles and Las Vegas (IVTN #67). In addition, Silent Radio has entered its first "small market"-+anta Barbara/San Luis Obispo, California- using an,FM radio subcarrier rather than a TV VBI for.the first time, a situation dictated by the-nature of the market. TV (and now radio) stations which let Silent Radio use their _circuits receive royalties based on the ads carried on the system. Neither Silent Radio nor the stations will divulge the royalty rates. Altogether about 3,000 sites have Silent Radio units, about half of them in Los Angeles. Silent Radio is;looking..for a network of about 25 cities. (Silent Radio, 20732 Lassen St., Chatsworth, CA 91311: 818-998-0900.) .> La I4 W E 0 z Dear Client: THE KIPLINGER&FORUfi _, LETTER ' Circulated monthIy to business clients rince rsi&r-Vol. ZI. No. If THE KIPLINGER WASHINGTON EDITORS 1729 H SI.. N.W.. Washington. D.C. 2COX Tcl: Mz-887* Cab& Addnu. Kwlinger Wuhingron D c Nav. 14, 1985. What are your holiday shopping plans? The usual spending? Less? As a consumer, you have serchants wondering. We've queried then the past few days and find them more than a bit edgy. For these reasons: Fewer shopping days between Thanksgiviq and Chrismas.. .26 days this year, compared with 32 days last year, 30 days the year before that. Recent purchase of a nec; hme, a car ... monthly pa-jments of either putting a strain on fanily budget, forcing sone retrenchent in spending. State lottsry. I: may seen to be inconsequential on the surface, but over 400 MILLIONS was spent the first few ;ieekS on lottery tickets... ; money that ochervise might have gone for consimer goods h semiccs. Retailers may be overly worried, ve suspect. Consuaer confidence seens to be fairly sblid. Also, real disposable incane is still rising, thanks to a low rate of inflation and encouraging sig3s it will continue. which can represent as much as 40% of total sales for the entire year. for consmer' s dollar. From nov on.. . still nore newspaper ads, inserts, radio-TV, catalogs. Special shoxs in shopping centers for the famil:?.. . even Grandzia, Grand?a, Auat Liz h Uncle Joe. In any event, merchants are going all out to boost holiday .sales, - Pranotions so far are just the openiiig guns in this year's battle Prospective shoppers all. For consmers, "shop earl?' will sound like a plug by retailers. - Sound advice this year, nevertheless. When merchants grow wary, Oh, plenty to buy...but maybe not exactly what you want. they turn cautious on inventory. on orders. Even now, they're not going overboard Retailing next year? Well, a lot de?ends on consumer's mood.. . in turn, influenced by econonic trends, The main thing to note right now is that there are no econmic shockers in the offing to cause coilsumers to pull in their horns ... except for any debt load they have accmulated. Worriswe. But for most, it still see~s to be within nanageable bounds. . California job growth ... somewhat slower than this year's 4%-plus. Unemployment.. .rising next year to 7-84: frm this year's average Part of rising unemployment will be due to a slower pace of about 7.6%. in creating new jobs, also to the still-increasing number of job seekers. by 3i%-plus, per capita rising to $16,000 in '86 from $15,190 this year. Inflation.. .edging a bit higher in 86, probably approaching 5%. And finally, lower intere st rates.. .lower rates on home mortgages Personal income.. .up again in real terns ( inflation adjusted) .. Food, fuel, utility prices restrained. Includes health care costs too. will keep housing markets alive. Also will help to sustain auto sales. Next year doesn't look to be too much different from this year. Including tenacious competition calling for constant vigilance. Californians aren't drinking as much these days. Partly a result of campaigns against drunk driving, also because of concerns Over health. I Liquor sales off frm a year ago. Wine sales so-so. Seer flat. Many social drinkers are asking for "coolers," canbination wine & citrus. Competition among small liquor dealers is heating up in S. Calif. It's sparked mostly by Asians who have gone into the business. Not all are successful. But others, satisfied with low profits, .learn the ropes and become stiff canpetitors. We've noted this in other businesses too. Small bushess o?portunities in California: By any measurement, the state offers hope. Growing population receptive to the latest ideas. High-tech and specialized services in the vanguard of nationwide trends. Venture capital available. Asian markets opening up for snall business. outlook and opportunities, financing, franchising. For a copy, send $5 to Wells Fargo, Business Marketing, P.O. Box 7404, San Francisco 94120. X new report covers a wide range of small business activity... Supenarkets: You may not recoqnize then a fer years fran now. "Combo" stores are being planned in S. Calif., later up north. Heavy investneu involved Will canbine food with big appliances, TVs h stereos, more nonfood itas. probably seans another wave of mergers and acquisitions. Then, stronger stores with much better profit margins from carrying itens with higher markups than food. Note...for investing. Cellular phone sales are boaning.. .business use in autos. are easing sone, bringing sales for personal use. But.,.read fine print where viewer guesses the call Prices before buyirg. Sane ads skip details, play up only low monthly charge. ( 1 in L.A. and Imine lounges. -1 If it draws sore Monday night trade, BiG-night for food h beverage sales, will put the gane in other locations. Developer i based NTN. On enployer efforts to cut costs of workers' medical benefits... Pr ov id Encouraging results show up in a new survey by McGinn Associates Costs are still going up ... but more slowly than in recent years. LJat en?loyers in California are doing: Set up review program to monitor benefit claims. Join a PPO...Preferred ier Organization- I. -- . . Make the enployee get a second physician's opinion on electiva surgery. - Shift more of the costs for health care from the cunpany to mployees. Bnployee leasing is spreading in California. It works this way: Leasing firm handles details of personnel managenent... Company "fires" employees, a leasing firm hires them and leases them back to the ccmpany. payroll, record keeping, hiring, firing...€ee is a percentage of payroll. lawyers. For employees, it can mean better benefits...in a health plan, pension. Quite a few leasing firms in California. Appeals particularly to snall canpanies. And doctors, dentists, L. Avoids costly and time-consuming paperwork, personnel hassles. But check...VERY thoroughly. Unique Christmas gifts fashioned out of the marble, copper, etc., Developmentally disabled students saved from state Capitol' s remodeling. have made handsane items.. . Chrismas ornaments, jewelry, California poppy The students get the proceeds fran sales. Contact Capitol Books d Gifts, I in copper, desk sets, plaques, more...plus selection of hand-done cards. < -State Capitol Basement, Sacramento 95814...or call (916) 324-0313. BUSINESS NEWS NOVEMBER 18, 1985 .-. -. .-- Monday morning qua’Aerbacks. Organizers of the Hilton QBI Challenge get a lesson in football strategy from Hank econd from right) former NFL coach who helped design the corn- puterized game for -based~~rnrnunications, Inc. Observing are Hilton’s public relations director Patrick Barry (left), NTN president Patrick Downs (standing) and NTN’s Jerry McLaughlin. QBI, which is being tested in Hilton Lounges across the country, allows viewers of Monday Night Football to match their skills against the pro quarterbacks shown on big-screen TV’s and video monitors. 0 .. __ 7 TEC"0TSGY UPDATE November 25, 1985 WTN Calsbad, CAI w?ll offer an interactive football game in I-+ 1 6 The QBl will be delivered via Westar txansponders and data subcarriers on radio and TV channels to fans across the US. Using Playmaker, a small terminal unit, football fans watching a college or professional game can enter the play they think the quarterback has called before the ball is snapped. Points are awarded or deducted depending on whether the actual play matches the fan's guess. Satel News 11/11/85 p6,7 sml i I LODGING HOSPITALITY DECEMBER 1985 4 Armchair quarterbacks match skills via satellite The Monday Night Football Game on October 14 between the Miami Dol- phins and New York Jets had more than its share of quarterbacks calling the plays. That game marked the national introduction o-a satellite-trans- mitted game that allows players to match playcalling skills against other players or against the actual live football telecast. Developed by Nd nicator Network, fic. fornia. the game is now available in three locations: The Irvine Hilton and Towers in Irvine, California: the Los Angeles Airport Hilton and the New York Hilton. Under exclusive license of the NFL, coaches Don Shula, Bill Walsh and Hank Stram assisted in the game's de- velopment. "The game is simple and exciting, yet it is a true game of skill," says Walsh, coach of the San Francisco 49ers. Players predict each quarterback call by using a hand-held "play-maker." Points are accumulated for every call that matches the play the quarterbacks actually run. \ < San Diego, Friday, December 13,1985 , --- L 1 Carlsbad video firm signs marketing pact for TV - foot ball game By Ann Perry Tribune Financial Writer become a nation- r Please see $BZ, AA I *&SI Continued From AA-1 “Television is the greatest medium that’s ever come along,” said Downs. “But it is a passive system. We be- lieve we can make it a two-way par- ticipatory thing.’’ The agreement with Weststar rep- resents the first time the game will be available to home television viewers. “This is a tremendous break- through for us,” said Downs. QBl game is currently being test- ed in restaurants and taverns throughout the country, including the Rusty Pelican in La Jolla. During Monday night football games, participants try to guess what the quarterback will do before each play, using a computerized game board. Their efforts are imme diately scored via satellite, based on the rulings of professional referees monitoring the games fro$ NTN’s headquarters in Carlsbad. Downs said that QBl could be in- troduced to other markets as well next year, representing thousands of homes. He said that NTN will get a flat fee for the service, plus a per- centage of revenues. QBl will be offered to cable homes through Videotoken Network, a home entertainment system and computer providing contests, videotext infor- mation and pay-per-view movies. The system will be marketed first in Roseville, a community outside of Sacramento with 6,500 cable sub- scribers. QBl will be introduced to the subscribers during this year’s Super Bowl game. SAN DIEGO DAILY TRANSCRIPT JANUARY 3, 1986 1 Two Moved In, Five Went Public In 1985, One’s Still Pending By LIBBY BRYDOLF San Diego Dairy Transcript Staff Writer Although San Diego saw a number of companies ship out their administrative offices last year, “America’s Finest City” also had its share of corporate immigrants and public offerings that helped br- ing up its average. Two major companies are bring- ing their revenues, which total $234 million, to San Diego. And Handyman, with revenues of $268 million, again finds its corporate headquarters here. The biggest plum was Com- puter & Communications Tech- nology Corp., which in October quietly announced plans to move its corporate headquarters from Santa Barbara to Kearny Mesa. The publicly held company, whose revenues last year hit $122 mil- lion, decided to cut expenses by moving closer to its expanding 60,OO-square-foot Tijuana manu- facturing plant. Come January, CCT will move 75 administrative and engineering workers here and hire 30 to 40 en- gineering, marketing and admin- istrative employees locally, accor- ding to E.T. Bahre, chairman, chief executive officer and president of the computer storage peripheral and communication equipment .- manufacturing firm. The move will also mean additional business for local suppliers and toolmakers, I (Continued on Page 2C) A *.. , c . (_. e 1, I Moving In, Going Public-. tinue here despite a drop in com- pany revenues due to a slowdown in the computer industry. With a worldwide workforce of 2,500, CCT had earnings of $13.3 million in 1984. Nine-month results indicate that sales will not reach the heights this year: a net of $417,000 on sales of nearly $70 million. Four-year-old Titan Systems, a local privately held firm conduc- ting advanced research for the De- partment of Defense, departed briefly from San Diego last year. It returned triumphantly a few mon- ths later after acquring EMM, a firm that more than doubled Titan’s size, gave it public status and transformed Titan into one of the county’s top 15 publicly held companies. The merger, described by one analyst as a “pooling-of-interests” action, was hailed as a positive and exciting move by a number of stock analysts who subsequently recommended purchases in the up-and-coming company. According to stockbrokers Mabon, Nugent & Co., the merger promised to “transform an older, slow-growth electronics firm into a streamlined, faster growing and revitalized company with all new senior management.” (Continued from Page 10 Bahre predicted. Bahre and members of the Santa Barbara community predict CCT will be a visible addition to San Diego. Top employees have been active in United Way, YMCA, Red Cross and symphony activities, and Bahre predicted the company’s charitable contributions will con- ’ I Annual 1984 revenues for Titan and EMM were $24.2 million and $87.7 million respectively. Com- bined nine-month results for the period ended Sept. 28, showed a loss of $10.7 million on sales of $72.5 million. Dr. Gene Ray, Titan president, predicted the new com- pany’s growth will continue in the 40 percent range in 1986 despite declining profits at EMM. “We expect everything to con- tinue - earnings to continue to improve,” he said. Ray, formerly of SA1 in La Jolla, the University Towne Centre-based firm said is unloading unprofitable’ operations and expects to increase its focus on the defense business in the coming year. Of Titan’s 2,000-employee workforce;200 are working in San Diego: about 175 in research and development and 25 in corporate administration. Although Handyman has never really left San Diego since its in- ception 23 years ago, the control of the 54-store chain of do-it-yourself . *, n -- stores moved to St. Louis when the company was acquired by Edison Brothers Stores Inc. seven years 1 i later. Autonomy returned last 1 June when Handyman of Califor- nia regained its independence in a ~ spin-off from its parent. Employer of nearly 1,000 workers locally, Handyman is con- tinuing a program to regain some of the business it lost in the con- struction recession of the early 19801 and fight off new com- petitors, notably discount warehouse-style home improve- ment stores. The company is tightening up on its operations, I remodeling many of its stores and improving its customer service to help those home-improvers who have questions about how to han- dle repairs. Nine-month returns for the period ended Sept. 28, 1985, show- ed a profit of $6.1 million on sales of $174.3 million compared with 1984 szme period net of $5.2 mil- lion on sales of $219 million. But Harvey W. Rosen, Handyman president qualified those results, saying that sales in both years in- cluded one-time income from sale of properties in Texas. Sales of stores open during both years ac- I tually increased 6.9 percent, he said. Since its independence, Han- dyman has begun installing new point-of-sale computers that keep track of inventory at the time of purchase. The chain also sold three Portland stores to Pay ‘N Pick for $10 million. According to William Tilburg, a senior vice president, the Handyman stores were not on the selling block, but the chain agreed to accept an attractive offer from Pay ‘N Pick. Meanwhile, Handyman opened two new stores this fall in Fresno and Sacramento and plans four new openings during 1986. According to Irving Katz, direc- tor of research at San Diego Secur- ities, Handyman faces a tough road ahead. “It’s a very competitive business,” he said. Nonetheless, Katz expressed faith in Rosen’s ability to weather difficulties and said Rosen’s strategy of focusing on customer service and selling stores in unprofitable markets appears to be the firm’s “only chance” for success. I i -Pi .. . <.. % .~ Moving ‘In, Going Public 4. (Continued from Page 2C) , Headed by Patrick Downs, NTN The 35-person firm moved its was formed to develop and market operations to Sorrento Valley 1 an interactive video-W-computer March, but ’continues manufac game, QBl, that challenges g at aHawthorne plant players to test their knowledge of Founded in -1979, football strategy as practiced by went public in 1984, selling its . the National Football League. The stock out in a day. Fiscal 1984 sales game gives players -pints for cor- showed a loss of $183,000 on sales rectly guessing each play and just shy of $1 million. Company co-founder Patrick Kennedy has in a number of about to sign a‘lease in La Jolla for a second women’s center and plans to have four or five in opefation in 1986. The complete clinics will of- . ‘ fer preventive health care, early diagnosis and treatment of a number of women’s diseases. The centers, which will be staffed prin- cipally by women, will not- handle obstetrics, abortions or surgery of any kind. Each center will be predicted a doubling or tripling of spots last fall, NTN contracted designed to handle as many as with Weststar Technologies Inc. of public offerings this -year. The Cable Data. The agreement prom- Meadows, formerly vice presi- largest’ local company to shift to ises NV at least $1 million in dent of marketing for a Johnson & the public realm was Beeba Cre- revenues and will give the firm ac- Johnson subsidiary, is hoping to evenues in fiscal 1985. 14,000 procedures a year. San Diego also saw a number of Sacramento, partly owned by i ations, an importer and wholesaler of women’s sportwear. The company, which had sales of $46.5 million for fiscal 1985 ended Aug. 31, offered 1.1 million shares which sold out immediately. The 11-year-old firm, founded and run by Arjun C. Waney, imports clothing made in Third World countries where labor prices are lower. Marketing the clothes in junior, “missy,” and large women’s sizes, the firm has been profitable from the start. Earnings in fiscal 1985 were $1.8 million, up from Proceeds from the offering, ap- proximately $5 million, will be us- ed to aupent working capital and add inventory and new lines of sportwear in the women’s market. As of last July, Beeba employed 108 workers lodally, and has an- nounced tentative plans to expand its facilties and staff here. Video Library, a chain of 20 video cassette rental stores, also took the plunge and went public through a self-underwritten offer- ing last summer. Founded by Barry Rosenblatt in 1979, the company’s profits have dwindled somewhat in the face of growing competition and competitive pric- ing. Nine month results for the period ended Sept. 30 showed sales of $5.3 million up 37 percent over the prior year. The net loss was = $1.1 million the prior year. , went public in 1985: The public cess to a number of cable contract with health maintenance subscribers, Downs said. organizations and individual pa- tients for ‘service. Still in a devel- out of its development stage early opment stage, Women’s Health this year, and Downs predicts rev- Centers, which employs about 10 enues will start flowing in during persons, will use the funds from the the second quarter -of 1986. Con- public offering to begin building its more than 500 commerical spots such as bars,, restaurants and ’ hotels. Fiscal 1986 ending Jan. 31 NTN expects to move offiiallya 1 tracts are under negotiation with network. ’ . i; /’‘ -%*” I i I stages are a similar baseball game that will be tested this spring, a national trivia ‘game and an in- teractive game show. . America Inc. was another San Diego company with ambitions of going public in 1985. But although the health care company landed an underwriter, First Miliated Se- curities, and set the tentative amount and price of the shares - 3.5 million to 3.7 million selling at about $6 to $7 per share - the of- fering ‘bill not be ready until this month, according to Ron Meadows, Women’s Health Centers presi- dent. The firm, which does not expect profitability in the near future, has been working to organize a plan to , build a national network of freestanding outpatient centers to ‘ serve the health needs of women Women’s Health Centers of. status was achieved when NTN , andoperate was acquired by Alroy Industries of the Breast and board of directors did not other women’s health problems. TXT----’, TrPni+h romtnro ;- -1. - -- A new game in town to inspire football fans Piazza The good news for football widows: In the near future, your spouses will no longer be sitting around watching football on television all day. the near future, your spouses will be sitting around pfayihg football on television all day. They will be playing a new computer satellite football game called QBl. which will test the knowled e of football fans around the country. lB1, I predict, will become as much a part of football viewing as scantily clad cheerleaders and beer commercials. No longer will armchair quarterbacks be yelling. “Hey. Landry, why’d you call that stupid play?” Instead, they will be yelling at themselves, “Hey, bozo, why’d I call that stupid play?” Experimenting on Monday Night Football telecasts this season, QBl was a big hit at a dozen or so selected restaurants and bars located in m@r American cities. National Telecommunicator Network Inc.. which came up with the concept, plans to market a home version by next season as well as equipping more public places with the game. establishments which offer QBl are Tracton’s House of Prime Rib in Encino and Clancy’s Crab Broiler in Glendale. QBl, founded by Daniel and Patrick Downs, is based on a simple concept: armchair quarterbacks getting the opportunity to match offensive strategy with NFL coaches. Defense and special- team plays are not a part of the game. Using an electronic device, which is called the Playmaker, QBl players have until each hike to predict whether a team will try to run the ball or pasa What makes the game so interesting is that after every play, an accompanying screen shows how each QBl player or team did on that play and how many points were added or subtracted from his game total. More advanced - and risky - options include predicting short passes, long passes, passes to the left, right or middle of the field, runs to either direction, play- action calls and draws. It does not matter if a pasa is incomplete or a quarterback is sacked, the intention of the quarterback determines the points awarded. Refereeing a QBI contest is an NTN representative stationed at the site of televised games. After each play, the referee sends a satellite signal to the NTN’s Carlsbad offices, and within seconds - no matter what part of the country you are playing in - the screen flashes the play’s ruling. At the end of the game, the screen also shows which bar or restaurant was the nation’s best in that particular game. After playing the game, I realized that QBl could become a revolutionary way of watching football. as well as other sports (NTN plans on producing basketball and baseball games). When it comes into the home, a lot of lawns - or more than usual - are going to go uncut. The bad news for football widows: In Presently, the only two local “Judging from the reactions of the Football enthusiasts enjoy the new com- puter satellite football game at a Valley restaurant. Players have until each hike to determine a run or pass play. The computer keyboard is used in the new satellite football game which has people who have played the game, our game becomes more important than the game on the field,” Downs said. “We’re moving the NFL into the 21st century and I don’t mean that in any negative sense.‘‘ Personally, I think QBl‘s contribution been tested in several selected restau- rants and bars in major cities. will be providing a different type of bar or living room fun. It will no longer be Ram fans jeering Raider lovers and vice- versa. but John jeering Harry about who is the better QBI player. Bob Walker. one of the executives at Tracton’s. said, “You’d be surprised that grown men sit there four, five hours so engrossed in playing the game that they don’t move.’’ Surprised? I don’t think football widows would be surprised. I will be somewhat surprised if the game does not become the biggest hit since Pac-Man. At firat, I was Intimidated by the small Playmaker and felt it was too difficult to understand. I also felt that the game was dictated by luck. I was wrong on all accounts. “Given 15 or 20 minutes, you become comfortable with it. At first it’s scary,” said Erv Friedman. whose Van Nuys TPS computer company worked on the development of the QBl software. Jack Friedman, a marketing agent for NTN. said, “We’re trying to prove it is a game of skill. It is. You can definitely tell the difference between new players and the ones who play every week, who keep improving.” Sherman Oaks resident Dlck Hall, a frequent QBl layer at Tracton’s, said, “You realize kt the (real) quarterbacks are not as mart as you are. You get tied up in your own game and you’re not worried an much about the (actual) game.” WoodLand Hills’ Larry Walker (no relation to Bob), said. ‘It eta you more interested in the technic3 side of the game and not just the score. You actually fmd yourself missing some of the game because you’re concentrating on what play they are going to call next.” “You have to look at trends,” said QBl fan Jack Smith of Woodland Hills. “You really have to be payiq attention to the game, to watch the trends. I think it will stimulate an interest (in pro football) because you are involved in the game.’‘ Bob Walker L not complaining about how QBl stimulated Tracton’s business lhia past season during Monday Night Football telecasts. “Ekery year interest in Monday Night Football dwindled, dwindled and dwindled and (QBl) has turned it around and made it bigger than it ever was. You can’t get near this place on Monday nights.” Another facet of QBl is that 4M bores can be just as exciting as 20-20 games. “(Normally). in some of the games that blowoute. YOU lose htf%&,” Walker said. “But with (QBl). you don’t lose interest Sometimes it all comes down to the final play.” According to Friedman, the football coach at St. Francis High School of La Canada during the school’s glory days in the 1960s. the company hopes to “sell home eubacrlptions for around $400 a season.” starting wlth the 1986 sewn. 2 “We are going to give away fabulous prizes to national winners every week,” I he said. NTN will start the giveaways an. 26, f the date of Super Bowl XX. Local residents at Tracton’s and Clancy’s are U now competing in the QBl playoffs, -: which coincide wlth the televised NFL playoff games. The players who earn their way to the Super Bowl round will .7 get a chance to win what every armchair Z quarterback ha# dreamed about - their 2 own Super Bowl rings. Just think, Marcus Allen and his gang may not be the only L.A. people flashing 5 Super Bowl jewelry around. c “I’d go crazy if (I got a ring).” said Van 5 Nuys resident Danny Verdugo, who is a p, contestant in the QBl playoffs. “I’m -L I think the public will too - and the number of football widows will increase J 7 going to get hooked on this.” at an alarming rate. 0 W .. e- t, -- Thursday, January 9, 1986 ’ LA JOLLA LIGHT r ---------A---____*_d-- ;^~ .. . - l_i _.I. .- -i*.-- - . . = -. New-game lets you make the call QBl lets the fans get in on the action at the Golden Triangle’s Rusty Pelican By TOM STACEY, Light Staff Writer UT YOURSELF in Dan Marino’s shoes. P You’re down 21-10, and it’s third-and-goal from the 7. Your team lines up on the ball, and the center is getting ready to snap. All of a sudden Cleveland is showing blitz. That linebacker wants to add to his sack total, and he’s foaming at the mouth. A good time to call a draw play, you think. But you know Miami throws the ball 68 percent of the time. You call a short pass. Marino drops back and fires one over the middle - you called it right - but the ball is intercepted by Cleveland’s Don Rogers at the goal line, and he makes a long runback. Cleveland takes the ball over near midfield. But the good news is you get at least 100 points for correctly predicting Miami’s play. Since when do armchair quarterbacks score points for calling unsuccessful plays? The name of the game is QBl. Developed by FJTY Corn;; munications of*Car&bad, be high-tech football strategy game is being test marketed at the Rusty Pelican in the Golden Triangle, and nine other locations across the country. NTN plans to market 3 the game nationally next year. Judging by fan response at the Rusty Pelican, QBl is already a hit. totally into it,” said Barry Lockwood, who played the game for the second time last Sunday, during the Miami- Cleveland contest. “You’re the offensive coordinator, and you really get involved in the game.” the day a team will call on “I think it’s just great, I’m QBl players try to anticipate ‘each down. Using a small box with a digital readout, they ’ enter their calls, then watch the action live. Then, thanks to a satellite transmission directly to NTN’s man at the stadium, players receive their scores within seconds. mounted next to the game TV allows players to rate themselves against other players in the room. Occa- sionally the collective scores from each QBl location in the country are flashed, and Rusty Pelican patrons see how their A scoreboard monitor ‘You’re the offensive coordinator, you really get into the game.’ - Barry Lockwood play-calling stacks up against other would-be quarterbacks in places like Fort Worth, Tampa, and Los .$ngeles. like this could really take off,” said Mitch Bonilla, Lockwood’s partner in play- calling. “So many people are into football, I think it’ll do real well.” Lockwood agreed. “Let’s do some damage,” he said. “I can see how something Skillful play-callers are rewarded by a point system that uses 25 years worth of NFL statistics. Don Shula, Bill Walsh and Hank Stram served as consultants in developing the system. As a result, QBl players who know their team’s tendencies can build a respec- table score by consistently predicting what a team is like- ly to do - or at least try to do - with the football. - Photo by Hoper Renkas QBl players at the Rusty Pelican consider what call to make during last Sunday’s playoff game between the- Miami Dolphins and Cleveland Browns. Like real offensive coor- call is right. The more specific dinators, QBl players must calls are worth more points. A first make the basic decision pass to deep middle is worth on whether their team is likely 480 points, for instance. to run or pass. You can get more specific, by calling a run right for example, or very call was partially correct - if specific by calling a pass deep right, for instance. right - and whether the play . The basic calls - run or was successful or not. You can pass - are worth 100 points. change your call up until You get bonus points for con- about one second before the secutive calls, so it’s wise to snap, so you have time to stay conservative. Once every recognize offensive formations four downs you can hit the and read the defense - unless “gamebreaker” button, and get double the points if your Please see QBl, C6 ’ You earn points even if your , you call a run and it’s a run e- -“”- - ~ .QBl sweaters, ‘jackets, trophies ‘and rings. This inaugural season ’ Continued from C5 the camera is Qn the cheerleaders. . is strictly promotional, and the It all adds up to greater in- ,football game only scratches the ‘ vement by the viewer. . urface of what N ckwood. “And everytime I go ‘The game goes fast,” said ays the company.’’ 4 to someone’s house to watch a. ion,” said Duane Taylor of game NTN. “We’re really using foot:* ball to introduce interactiveA Th -d ring QBl to football fans since NTN is essentially a”tw&way, { the third game of the NFL privately held television network season. It has helped Sunday said Dan Downs, executive vice morning business’ greatly, said president of NTN. The company manager Mike Larue. “It’ll pay plans to use QBl to establish a for itself within a year,” he said. network of subscribers, who will The entire QBl set up, including have access,to NT”s database monitor, computer, and 16 and a variety of services in enter-.’ “playmaker” boxes costs $9,OOO. .tainment, information and “ especially education, he said. ’ free this season under a test- - Downs expects that in five market agreement with NTN. , years, one million homes will bc Play has been free so far this outfitted with devices similar to‘, season, but the Rpsty Pelican is the QBl playmaker, allowing contemplating charging $10 per people to study at home and test player next year, said Larue. in real time. have advanced to the playoffs, business is going to be and are now competing each monstrous,” he said. i The bar is using the equipment .. J _I Winners in the regular season - “The educational side of this 1 1 I Cable System Set TQ Test Interactive Super Bowl Game .~ “We’ll be able to (run the test) for virtually nil cost. There’s tre- mendous savings in being affil- iated with someone who’s a year, two years ahead in their busi- ness,” he said. Mr. Downs said he anticipates no problems with broadcasters or the football teams because of the By Linda Haugsted Los Angeles Correspondent ROSEVILLE, CA-The Rose- ville cable system will host a test of a cable-delivered game in which “armchair quaerbacks” can match their plays to the ones actually called in this year’s Super Bowl. Weststar Communications, the operator of the 6,500-subscriber system, is offering the game called QBl. Weststar will have an exclusive agreement to market the game, produced by nlWcations of Ca Ray Mattesonof Weststar said the final agreement between the two companies is still being negoti- ated. but they are expected to be completed this week. According to Dan Downs, executive vice president for NTN, the game has been under develop ment for two-and-a-half years at a cost of $3.3 million. Football greats such as Don Shula and Hank Stram contributed to the programming, he said. The com- pany has been offering the game in bars, restaurants and sport clubs for the last year. Consumers pay about $10 to play the game in commercial establishments, he said. Consumers play the game by punching out plays on remote control units. In the RoseviUe test this information will go to the sys- tem’s addressable CableCompu- ter. NTN places an obsemr at the football game and once the of- ficial play has been called, the in- formation is relayed by sate& to the information storage center. Playem are scod on whether or not their play matches the one actually called in the game “It gives people a chance to do the same things defensiw d natom do during the game, And they can change their pIays right up until the ball is mapped,” Mr. Downs said. The game has elicited gmat re sponse in the mmmd market, he said, where it is deli4 by satellite to the television’s deal blanking interval. “Armchair second-guessing MULTICHANNEL NEWS January 13, 1986 RESTAURANTS & INSTITUTIONS January 22, 1986 Thanks to ;ifiton, anybody can play football with pros - Hilton Hotels Corp. encouraged foot- ball fans to come out of their rooms and into the lounge by introducing a new interactive video game, called “QB 1 ,’* that allow armchair (and bar-szo’l) quarterbacks to play along with the pros. The game. first launched last Octo- ber at Hiltons in Sew York, Los Angeles and Irvine. Calif., gives fans the chance Monday morning quarterbacks (1. to r.) Patrick Barry, public relations di- rector of Hilton Hotels Corp., Patrick Downs, president of NTN Communi- cations, Hank Stram, former NFL coach, and Jerry Mchughlin, NTN, predict a play on a “QBl.” to score points by predicting what play the quarterback will call. Players’ predictions are punched in on hand-held playmaker controls. A “QB 1” staff member in the stadium’s press box enters the actual plays called into the “QB 1” computer. The comput- er compares the “QB 1” players’ calls against the real thing. Points are awarded for correct predictions and beamed back, via satellite, to participat- ing Hiltons; scores are displayed on a video screen in the lounges. Hilton hopes to offer the game systemwide this N Communications Inc., alif.. created the game, -c- EVANSVILLE PRESS JANUARY 27, 1986 I .. Super BOWI via computer I v may get viewers off bench. c On Super Sunday, 22 men squared off in the biggest football game of the season; Next year, maybe thousands of men, women and children will play in the Super Bowl - all at the same time. that allows people across the country to participate in televised NFL football games by guessing which plays will be run. “QBl” was tested in several bars and -taverns this season, and should be installed nationwide in time for next season. Here’s how the system works: Every player in the bar gets a ‘fPlaymaker,” a hand-held device with 12 buttons on it. While the teams are in the huddle, bar patrons punch into their “Play- makers” what they think the next offensive play will be. . . If the Bears have the ball, for ‘example. you’ve got to ask your- self: Will they run or pass in this situation? If they pass, will they go deep or short? If they run, will they sweep left or go up the mid- dle? You’ve got to read Jim .McMahon’s mind. You can change your mind up until the instant the .ball is snapped, even if McMahon b calling an audible. As you watch the game on tele- -yision, a second TV set constantly I Wplays the current down, yards -do go, field position, score and 1 {which team has the ball. This is <:necessary because the sportscas- )f&rs don’t always provide such !-Bformation for each play. C-7 When you enter your predic- :+on of the play, it zips from your qZPlaymaker”’ to a microcom- ; suter in the bar to NTN Communi- .. I- .. . cation’s mainframe computer in Virginia, where everyone’s play predictions are stored. Transmis- sions are carrield across phone lines. The Bears &n their play. An observer and trdned referee in the stadium records what actully happened on the field. The play gets relayed to the mainframe computer, to a satellite, decoded and sent back to the microcom- puter in the bar. The TV screen in each bar displays everyone’s play call in rank order from the best guesses to the worst. Players receive points according to the accuracy of their predictions. The entire sequence takes between one and two seconds, according to NTN’s vice president Dan Downs. “While they’re unpil- ing from the play you’ll see our official call in a window on the screen, and everybody’s score is updated.” It will be possible for ihn&eds of bars around the country to play “QBl” at the same time. Players will be able to compete with each other in the bar, as well as with other bars around .the country. The system can show, for instance, how Tommy’s Tavern in Cincinnati is doing against Sam’s Saloon in Ames, Iowa. 1. The greatest thing about “QBl” is that you don’t just sit there and watch the game with a beer in your hand. You get involved. This is a skill game. The more you know about football and the more you know about the indi- vidual teams, the better you’ll do. The game was put together with the help of coaching greats Don Shule, Bill Walsh and Hank Stram. Dan Downs reports that dur- ing the playoffs a few weeks ago, not a single “QBl” player got up , and left in the middle of a game. This is remarkable, when you con- sider that the Rams/Bears game and the Patriots/Dolphins games both were blowouts. In “QBl” it doesn’t matter what the score is; the only thing that matters is the next play. Most of the “QBl” players-so far have been men, but Downs r‘: said that women have been get- ting into it, too. “This is a way for women to enjoy football with their boyfriends or husbands,” he said. The youngest player so far has been an 8-year-old boy (he played in a restaurant, not a bar). NTN also is testing the game in 1.000 homes in Roseville, Calif. Their plan is to roll it out next season for home computer own- ers. In 1987, they hope to intro- , duce a dedicated terminal for consumers to play “QBl,” do home banking and use other infor- mation services. “We don’t talk about it being a computer, but it is. It‘s the mira- cleof the computer,” Downs says. If you’re interested in “QB1,” I contact NTN Communications, 4 2121 Palomar Airport Road, No. 305~lsbad. C9lif. 92008. ‘ i Wnle lo Dan Gurm$n in care of The Evansnne Press. P 0. 1 Bor 4%. Evansville. lpd 47703 Send electrWIic.rnail lo Oan GumnvlaCompustwe Hisuser I D.number s76174.7M)o. THEAMEsTRIl3lJNE February 1, 1986 - New computer system puts you in Super Bowl . ._ On Super Sunday, 22 men squared off in the biggest football game of -the season. Next year, there may be thousands of men, women, and children playing in the Super Bowl : - all at the same time. emmunications;: in 1 California has created a computerized system ; that- allows people across the country to participate in televised NFI, football games by guessing ; which plays will be run. QBl was tested in several bars and taverns this season, and should be installed ; nationwide in time for next season. : HERE’S how the system works: Every player in the bar gets a I “Playmaker,” a hand-held device ‘with 12 buttons on it. While the , teams are in the huddle, bar patrons * punch into their Playmakers what -‘ they think the next offensive play I a I’ Players receive points according to how accurate their predictions were. The entire sequence takes between one and two seconds, ac- cording to NTN’s vice president Dan Downs. “While they’re unpiling from the play you’ll see our official call in a window on the screen, and everybody’s score is updated.” IT WIU be possible for hundreds of bars around the country to be playing QBl at the same time. Players will be able to compete with each other in the bar, as well as with other bars around the country. The system can.show, for instance, how Tommy’s Tavern in Cincinnati is doing against Sam’s Saloon in Ames, Iowa. The greatest Liing about QBl is that you don’t just sit there and watch the game with a beer in your hand. You get involved.. This is a skill game. The more you know about football, and the more you will be. If the Bears have the ball, for example, you’ve got to ask yourself: Will they run or pass in this situa- tion? If they pass, will they go deep or short? If they run, will they sweep left or go up the middle? You’ve got to read Jim McMahon’s mind. You can change your mind up until the instant the ball is snapped, even if McMahon is calling an audible. As you watch the game on television, a second TV set con- stantly displays the’ current down, yards to go, field position, score, and which team has the ball. This is necessary because the sportscasters don’t always provide such informa- tion for each play. WHEN you enter your prediction of the play, it zips from your Playmaker to a mickocomputer in the bar to NTN Communication’s know about the\ Individual teams, the better you’ll do. The game was put together with the help of coaching greats Don Shula, Bill Walsh, and Hank Stram. Dan Downs reports that during the playoffs a few weeks ago, not a single QBl player got up and left in the middle of a game. This is remarkable. when you consider that the RamsIBears game and the Patriot/Dolphins games were both blowouts. In QBl, it doesn’t matter what the score is; the only thing that matters is the next play. Most of the QBl players so far have been men, but Downs claims that women have been getting into it too. “This is a way for women to enjoy football with their boyfriends or husbands,” he says. The youngest player so far has been an eight-year old boy (he played in a restaurant, not a bar). mainframe computer in Virginia, where everyone’s play predictions are stored. Transmissions are car- ried across phone lines. The Bears run their play. An observer and trained referee in the stadium records what actually happened on the field. The play gets relayed to the mainframe computer, to a satellite, decoded, and sent back to the microcomputer in the bar. The TV screen in each bar displays everyone’s play call in rank order from the best guesses to the worst. I ‘ NTN is also testing the game in 1000 homes in Roseville, California. Their plan is to roll it out next season for home computer owners. In 1987, they hope to introduce a dedicated terminal for consumers to play QBl, do home banking, and use other information services. “We don’t talk about it being a computer, but it is. It’s the miracle ~ of the computer,” rhapsodizes Dan Downs. (If you’re interested in QBI, con- tact: NTN Communications, 2121 [ Palomar Airport Rd., 305, Carlsbad, 1 CA 92008 ) . I HOT TIPS: Commodore to in- troduce new versimrtneir Com- modore 64 in a box that looks like the Commodore 128. Why? Beats me. , (You can send electronic mail to Dan Gutman via CompuServe. His 1 user I.D. is 76174,7600.) I -! I \ SLMI VALLEY ENTERPRISE FEBRUARY 4, 1986 I I I Computer QBl computer Report Today changes sports By Dan Gutman On Super Sunday, 22 men squared off in the biggest football game of the season. Next year, there may be thousands of men, women and children playing in the Super Bowl - all at the same time. NTN Communications in Carlsbad, ha5 created ‘w’ a computeriz- ed system that allows people across the country to participate in televi- sion NFL football games by guessing which plays will be run. QB1 was tested in several bars and taverns this season, and should be installed nationwide in time for next season. Here’s how the system works: Every player in the bar gets a “Playmaker,” a hand-held device with 12 buttons on it. While the teams are in the huddle, bad patrons punch into their Playmakers what they think the next offensive play will be. If the Bears have the ball, for ex- ample, you’ve got to ask yourself: Will they run or pass in this situa- tion? If they pass, will they go deep or short? If they run, will they sweep left or go up the middle? You’ve got to read Jim McMahon’s mind. You can change your mind up until the instant the ball is snspped, even if McMahon is calling an audible. As you watch the game on televi- sion, a second TV set constantly displays the current down, yards to go, field position, score and which team has the ball. This is necessary because the sportscasters don’t always provide such information for each play. When you enter your prediction of the play, it zips from your Playmaker to a microcomputer in the bar to NTN Communication’s mainframe computer in Virginia, where everyone’s play predictions are stored. Transmissions are car- ried across phone lines. The Bears run their play. An observer and trained referee in the stadium records what actually hap- pened on the field. The play gets relayed to tlpijmainfree computer, to a satellite, decnded and sent back to the microcomputer in the bar. The TV screen in each bar displays everyone’s play call in rank order from the best guesses to the worst. Players receive points according to ’how accurate their predictions were. The entire sequence takes between one and two seconds, according to NTN’s vice president Dan Downs. “While they’re unpiling from the play you’ll see our official call in a window on the screen, and everybody’s score is updated.” It will be possible for hundreds of bars around the country to be play- ing QB1 at the same time. Players NTN is also testing the game in 1,OOO homes in Roseville. Their plan is to roll it out next season for home computer owners. In 1987, they hope to introduce a dedicated terminal for consumers to play QB1, do home banking, and use other information services. “We don’t talk about it being a computer, but it is. It’s the miracle of the computer,” rhapsodizes Dan Downs. (If you’re interested in QBl, con- tact: NTN Communications, 2121 Palomar Airport Road #305, ‘ /I Qrslbad,@2008. / ) - wiil be able to compete with each . other in the bar, as well as with other bars around the country. The system can show, for instance, how ,Tom- my’s Tavern in Cincinnati is doing against Sam’s Saloon in Ames, Iowa. The greatest thing about QBl is that you don’t just sit there and watch the game with a beer in your 1 hand. You get involved. This is a skill game. The more you know about football, and the more you know about the individual teams, the better you’ll do. The game was put together with the help of coaching greats Don Shula, Bill Walsh and Hank Stram. Dan Downs reports that during the playoffs a few weeks ago, not a - single QBI player got up and left in the middle of a game. This is re- markable, when you consider that the Rams/Bears game and the Pa- triot/Dolphins games were both blowouts. In QBl, it doesn’t matter what the score is; the only thing that matters is the next play. Most of the QBl players so far have been men, but Downs claims that women have been getting into it too. “This is a way for women to en- joy football with their boyfriends or husbands,” he says. The youngest player so far has been an 8-year-old boy (he played in a restaurant, not a A bar). ’ i 0 m 5 a 5' '5 " 3 F I 5'3' U 00- mo z 0 (D *URBAN EYE. edited by Virginia Buttefield PurrING FANS IN UNIFORM which football fans watching live telecasts match their play- calling skills against other fans in the same room and across the nation by satellite. At present the game has been set up at only 15 test sites around the country. One is the Rusty Pelican in La Jolla, where it drew packed houses during the playoffs and the Super Bowl. A QBI player has until the snap of the ball between plays (the same period as the quar- terback on the field) to enter his or her play selection into a small device called a Play- maker. A central host com- puter matches the player’s performance against the ac- tual call and against the skill of other local and national pany, also has developed a game called the Bar Exam, a 1 quiz game to be played in bars, covering subjects from sports to he wines; it’s now being tested at the same 15 sites. A version adaptable to Academy Awards night will enable the viewer to predict selections as each Academy Award is an- nounced on television. Three versions of the game geared to baseball are in the research- - and-development stage and wiU be ready before the end of summer. If all this seems too fun- filled to be serious, be advised the QBI was developed as a catalyst to create a body of subscribers to a privately held NTN network. This network uses a little-known slice of the public airwaves called the subcanier, on which informa- tion can be transmitted that can be picked up only by special receivers. Down the line, NTN plans to focus on interactive education, bringing academic games and tests to classrooms nationwide. Two teams of brothers, Don and Bob Klosterman and Patrick and Dan Downs, fill top spots of the company. Chair- man of the board and ex-pro- football star Don Klosterman was most recently gened manager of the Los Angeles Rams, and President Patrick Downs began his sports- management career with the San Diego Padres. If the company stays on course with its commitment to interactive television, targeting the home consumer market by 1987, it could throw the coun- try, as Los Angeles sports columnist Diane Shah put it, “into permanent armchair gridlock.” After all, if you can spend all your spare time matching wits with Mike Ditka and Jim McMahon, or re- -spending to poKS after political debates, or calling the Oscar I I I and Tony winners, why leave your livingroom? - I i * MARCH 1986 1 i + 1 .- I FRONTIER ’ August11986 -7 I N T N COMM u N I c ATIO NS MAKING QUARTER- BACKING A SNAP THE DECLINE OF THE VIDEO-GAME industry didn’t prevent a group of West Coasr entrepreneurs, who also happen to be rabid football fans, from I coming up with a lucrative new twist football game designed to be played simultaneously with live broadcasts of NFL contests. This season, the NTN football league, if you will, kicks off 1 for the big time. I “This is really our roll-out year,” 1 ! - says Don Downs, forty-seven, who developed the game along with his brother, Pat, and Don Klosterman, former pro quarterback and former vice-president and general manager of the Los Angeles Rams. “We learned a lot from being aut in the field last year, and for this season we’ve de- signed a wireless system that’s twice as fast as last year.” Downs explains that the idea of _- turning a viewer’s instinct to antici- pate the quarterback’s call (just prior to the snap) into a computerized game goes back to 1967, when he worked as stadium manager and director of sales for the Houston Oilers. What was then admittedly an “impractical idea” to let fans in the stadium predict the plays from their seats became a reality eighteen years later when “the technology had finally caught up.” Last season, QBl, as the game is called, was played in a number of res- taurants, taverns and other test mar- kets to a very favorable response. This season, QBl opens in 500 outlets na- tionwide, says Downs, and, by Janu- , ary’s play-offs, that number could reach perhaps 2,000. That means as many as 96,000 viewers at any one I time will be playing QBl football while watching the real thing. I ---__ - - - - Brothers Dan (left) and Pat Downs are turning football- watching into a participatory sport with QB1, their satellite-transmitted game of armchair quarterbacking. By Super Bowl-time, about 2,000 taverns and restaurants will have the game. I I z i - c 4 4 c; < d - - - - 2 *, - - - - - ._ The game itself isvery simple. CUT’ I tomers are given hand-held QBl Play- makers and “call” a play before it happens by choosing what they think the offensive team, say the Chicago Bears, will do-run, pass or some variation of the two, such as a screen pass or bomb. Points are awarded for accuracy of the calls. That’s about it. But customers seem to love it. “It really turns Monday Night Football into a fun evening,” says Ju- lie Agrotti, director of entertainment for California-based Rusty Pelican Restaurants, Inc., who tested QBl in two restaurants last season and have it in seven this season. “What’s surpris- ing is that it makes watching football games more coed. I was shocked to find that I enjoy it as much as I do.” The actual play on the field, the scoring at each QBl location and a compgison of scores from all Play- makers in use nationwide during that game is broadcast on a frequency (VBI) similar to the one used in closed captioning for the deaf. The signal is picked up by a special receiver at ev- ery QBl site and broadcast on a moni- tor next to the TV screen. Downs, his brother and Kloster- man put up $150,000 each to start NTN in 1983. Following a year of research and development, they con- \ vinced HBO to invest more than $800,000 in the fledgling company. If QBl takes off anywhere near as well as Downs predicts, all parties should come out smiling. Already NTN is jponsoring a national QBl tourna- nent to be played during this season’s play-offs, and, beyond football, the QBl hardware is presently used to broadcast trivia quizzes, news, weath- er and sports briefs and a weekly game show. “It’s really a two-way interac- , tive TV system, a closed-circuit pri- vate network,” Downs says. Next April, NTN introduces a baseball version similar to QBl. If nothing else, that’s more good news for the beer breweries. -]on Laitin -. ._ hen you walk into Clancy’s Crab Broil- er’s 200-seat bar in Glendale, California, W this is what you get: Oysters and clams on the half-shell; a 40-foot mahogany bar with a pol- ished set of blue whale ribs and back- bone hanging behind it; potato skins; six television sets plus a large-screen monitor; croissant sandwiches; a baby grand piano hanging in the rafters complete with a courageous pianist during Happy Hour; stuffed avocados; dancing nightly. Tricks and whistles, owner Jeff Wil- liams calls this eclectic array. When football season opens this fall, he’ll add another. It’s called QBl, and if you heard it here first, forgive us. Chances are by the time the first -AIRLINES AUGUST 1986 coach gets fired this autumn, a lot of folks are going to be mighty sick of hearing about it, particularly if that‘s all a lot of other folks are talking about, which it probably will be. QBl, you see, bids fair to becoming the Hula Hoop of the 80s. Before we get back to the bar at Clancy‘s, an explanation is called for, one that won’t make your eyes glaze over. That won’t be easy, for describ- ing QBl is akin to describing, say, Wheel of Forhrne to a Papuan. (On the other hand, exists there a Papuan who has never seen Wheel of Fortune? Ah, never mind, you get the point .) To start with, QBl is a game. A tele- vision game. A television game in- volving football. The objective is to calculate (or guess) what play is coming next in the Gentlemen, start your playmakers: and get ready for interactive television. QBl Anyone? A new gamefor armchair quarterbacks. By Fred Brack football game being shown on televi- sion. Run or pass? Like Red and Black in roulette, choosing Run or Pass in QBl gives you a 50-50 chance of being correct. With odds like that, of course, the payoff is minimal. So stick your neck out a little farther. You think a team is going to run? Which way, left or right? Or, up the middle? Choose the direction correctly and you’ll win even more points. Or maybe you think a team is going to pass. If you want to score more points than merely the minimum for declaring Pass,. there are many op- tions specdying pass plays for you to choose from, thereby increasing the risk you might b> wrong but, of course, increasing the number of points you1 receive if you are right. So far, simplicity itself. What foot- I . - L' . ! ; F son for free but who now will be lay ing out 10,000 bucks a year for th service. "I'm usually very conservative, Williams said. '% something hasn been tried out, I'll wait for someone t ball fan hasn't sat before the television and made those guesses anyway? Now comes the more complicated part. QBl players use a Playmaker- a cordless electronic device-to record their selections within the same time span, of course, that the offensive team on the field is making its choice. This wizard bit of hardware connects electronically with QBl headquarters in Carlsbad, California, where the QBl referee is stationed. After a play is run, the referee classifies it accord- ing to the 20 options (six Run, 14 Pass) available to QBl players and instant- ly zips that information back to all Playmakers in the country. The Play- makers then tabulate the score. Put some people around a Play- maker-four is considered ideal-and you have competition, with each per- son making selections and gaining points when he is correct. Or, put a group of people in, say, Clancy's in Glendale and another group in, say, Sneakers in Seattle and have the two bars compete against one another. A television monitor, set up next to the set showing the game, will post scores after each play. In fact, the QBl com- puters will send that television mon- itor information about how every QBZ player in the country is doing during that particular football game, enabling a player in Clancy's to compete against every other player everywhere. What we have here is something called "interactive television," a con- cept that's been around for a long time but is just now becoming reality. QBl heralds one company's entry into in- teractive television by tapping direct- ly into the nation's mania for televised football. QBl is the brainchild of @2", Inc. of Carlsbad. phis coming football season will mark the first widespread commercial availability of QBl, fol- lohg two years of testing. For the 1986 football season, QBl's availability will be limited to bars and restaurants. By the 1987 season, however, NTN ex- pects to be offering QBl to private homes, with equipment priced under $100 plus a monthly fee. According to Bob Klosterman, NTNs director of advertising and creative services, QBl will be tied in- to at least 82 professional and college games this coming season. Kloster- man anticipates that 500 bars and restaurants around the country will have the game by the opening of the season and 1,800 will be hooked up by business. I'm very optimistic.'' What caught Williams' attention was the food and drink business QBl generated. The &Inchair Quarter- backs, he said, "were very, very en- thusiastic about the game. It would hold their attention through a whole football game, even a lousy game. Let's say it was 40 to nothing. You'd still have these people sitting there drinking beer, buying appetizers and spending money for two or two-and- a-half hours no matter how good the game was." The QBl service, Bob Klosterman said, will not be limited to football. From its studios in Carlsbad, NTN will also be offering news, sports ' fairto bechinx the Hula goup ofthe 80s. scores and trivia games. It will tie in- to Academy Award and beauty-con- test telecasts and so on, so that "players" can have the opportunity to guess award winners. Klosterman also said he envisions the day when the QBl technology will be used for instant polling during and after, say, a presidential debate. One of the first aspects football writers around the country noticed when QBl was tested was that the game is a natural gambling device. Klosterman tries to dampen that en- thusiasm, pointing out that QBl has been licensed by the NFL, the Cana- dian Football League and colleges, and that those institutions are, public- ly, at least, opposed to betting. "If gambling becomes part of QBl at a location," Klosterman said, with heavy resignation, "we'll probably pull out of that location." Ironically, NTN and its financial backers have gambled many hun- dreds of thousands of dollars on QBl themselves. But then they think they've got a sure thing. Jeff Williams at Clancy's is inclined to agree. "It'll be just one more toy for us," he said happily, toting up his tricks and whistles. A Fred Brack is a frequent contributor. I I CouponCoup January and February-not ex- actly months that inspire thoughts of stupendous profits. Krystal’s, however, couponed their way to in- creased customer counts during these chilly months. How did the chain manage this coupon coup? Step One: Krystal’s passed out ten-coupon books worth $5 in free food to customers from Nov. 25- Dec. 22. During this period, only two of the brightly hued coupons could be redeemed. Step Two: From Dec. 23-Feb. 23, patrons could redeem the remain- ing eight coupons. In-store POS info reminded customers to use the due bills. Result: January and February customer counts outdid counts reg- istered the month before and month after the Chattanooga- based chain’s promo. Who says January and February are bad months sales-wise? Not Kentucky Chords No, the Colonel doesn’t make customers sing for their supper: Kentucky Fried Chicken‘s Gospel Music Competiti’on is only for the musically inclined, who compare notes for $9,000 in prize money- not chickenfeed-donated by KFC. KFC takes the show on the road for preliminary auditions in local churches open to choirs, en- sembles, and soloists from the Washington D.C./ Baltimore area; these tune-ups lead to eight final- ists (chosen from over 100 entrants this year, the competition’s fourth) in a sing-off for top honors in Washington’s Kennedy Center. Re- sponse to this vocal promo con- tinues to be loud, strong . . . and right on key. Up, Up, and Away The folks at Church Street Sta- tion are getting carried away with advertising. A colorful collection of helium and hot air balloons and airplanes fill the Florida skies with good time wishes from the dining, shopping, and entertainment com- plex. Rosie OGrady’s Flying Cir- cus, which handles the aerial ad- vertising, has brought national media attention to the Church Street Station and its oldest attrac- tion, Rosie OGrady’s Good Time Emporium. Visitors, tourists, and residents of Orlando enjoy the four-plane team’s aeronautical art of aerial ballet and skywriting, but they love getting in on the fun with The Barchair Quarterback A recently introduced solution to the nation’s drooping beverage sales allows customers to interact with live sports and entertainment events. It’s called QBl, and it’s for bar or restaurant customers to use their sports smarts to anticipate the next move in a live game. For exam- ple, customers would have until the snap of the football to enter their anticipated play into a simple, hand-held electronic device. Vari- ous points are awarded for predict- ing a pass, run, or other move, in- cluding the move’s direction and length (such as a long or short pass). QBl comes from the sports- minded people at ment Network in For more informa circle 400 on the Reader Service Card. Showcase Residuals Pierce’s 1894 (Elmira Heights, N.Y.), one of the top restaurants in the country (Travel/Holiday, Mo- bil 4-Star, etc.), hosts annually what it calls the New York State Wine Dinner at which nearly 150 people, each of whom has forked over a princely sum, celebrate New York wines. It’s obviously a show- case event for Pierce’s, the residual effect of which is to increase traffic at the restaurant for the months that follow the dinner. After all, reasons Joe Pierce, ”If this restau- rant can put out a splendid feast flawlessly for 150, it stands to rea- Eon-doesn‘t it?--that we’ll do splendidly for a table for four. Right?” Right. Of Delectables and Collectibles As far as interest-grabbers go, Tastee-Freez International‘s an- nual Collector Car Sweepstakes is a whizbang on wheels. President David H. Chapoton has channeled his own passion for collecting vin- tage cars into an annual promotion. Since acquiring the Utica, Michi- gan-based chain in 1982, he’s parted with a ‘55 Chevy, a ‘48 Willys Jeepster, and a ’49 Ford. This June it was a fully restored 1960 Studebaker Lark Convertible (along with great shakes, parfaits, I 9/86 Restaurant Hospitality 99 SPORT MAGAZINE October 1986 A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO THE SPORTING LIFE I I QB1: BRINGING THE GAME-INTO THE BAR You’d like to play quarterback in the NFL? Forget it. Ter- rible things can hap- pen to you. Better you should try QBl, a new electronic game that allows you to match your wits against the quarterbacks and coaches of the NFL. All you need is a quick mind and a nimble finger, and only your pride can get hurt. QB1, marketed by National Tqe- communicator Network (NTN) of arlsbad, California, is the game that % lows you in The Game. While watching a football telecast in your favorite bar, you sit in front of a con- sole that enables you to call plays sim- ply by pushing a button. A red, white and blue,cover, divided into 11 squares, lies over the console and pro- vides the game board. You push the square for the play you want, and that decision is registered on a computer behind the TV screen. You make your call before every play (except for punts and place kicks). If you call the play the offensive team runs, you get points. If you guess wrong, zip. There are three levels of complexi- ty for the calls; the higher the level, the more points you get for the right call. On the basic level, you can call run or pass. The next level, you call direction-a run to the left, a pass to the right. On the highest level, you guess whether it will be a short play or a long one (more than 10 yards). The computer at the bar is linked to one at NTN headquarters. After each play, an “official” at Carlsbad pushes a button corresponding to the play that was just run, and that shows up on a TV screen at the bar, along- side the one showing the game. Im- mediately after that, the scoring screen registers points for that call and cu- mulative game totals for QBl players. Bar Owners phone in the top scores from their teams to NTN. Weekly re- sults and “standings” will be pub- lished in an ad in USA %day and will also be displayed at the bars. ‘ b’ The teams with the highest point 5 . totals during the season will partici- pate in their own “playoffs” during the NFL playoffs. The winners will earn prizes, including paid vacations in Hawaii. The idea for ail this was born when Don Klosterman was general manager of the Houston Oilers in 1967 and Dan Downs was his assistant. “We were trying for some way to get peo- ple to interact more with the game,” says Downs. Nothing was done at that time, but by 1983, Downs, his brother Patrick and Klosterman, realizing that the technology was available for a so- phisticated game, formed NTN. Coaches Don Shula and Bill Walsh, and former coach Hank Stram were called in as consultants. Among other things, they suggested that a play- action call be incorporated, and they determined what qualified as a “long” pass, for example, or an “up the mid- dle” (between the tackles) run. QB 1 was test-marketed in a handful of bars last fall. This year, it will be put in approximately 2,000 bars and restaurants around the country. It will be in at least one location in every state. (To find the location nearest you, write: NTN, 2121 Talomar Airport Rd., Suite 305, Carlsbad, California 92008.) Be warned. This is not an easy game to master. Sitting at home you may think the 30 seconds between plays lasts forever. But it’s not quite the same when you are talking to team- mates and trying to decide on a call in the pandemonium of a bar. The seconds go zipping by. You welcome the TV timeouts. I speak from experience. When NTN was demonstrating the game last fall, I played on a team with colleagues from The San Francisco Chronicle, for a Monday Night matchup between Miami and New England. Frankly, I’m not much of a game player, but it’s difficult to resist the ex- citement of trying to guess strategy along with Miami coach Don Shula and New England coach Raymond Berry. At one point, I found myself screaming at the screen because Berry had called three straight funs from the Miami ninq while I was predicting pass. Embarrassing. (But I was right: the Patriots didn’t score.) . I learned one other thing: QBl is so exciting, you tend to lose track of the game. When I got back to the office that night, I couldn’t answer when I was asked the score. ILLUSTRATION By SUSAN COHEN Downs estimates that more than three million people will play QBl at some time during the ’86 season. And when the Super Bowl is played in Pasadena this January, more than 100,000 people are expected to be call- ing plays on NTN consoles. That, of course, is approximately the same number as those who will be watching the game at the Rose Bowl. And if Super Bowl XXI is anything like Super Bowl XX, there will be far more excitement in the bars than in the stands. -Glenn Dickey x THE SAN DIE UNION October 22, 1986 NTN games in Canada Participants in the live-action foot- ball spectator games operated by NTN GL mmunications Inc. of the next three years under a sponsor- ship contract announced yesterday. Canada’s Molson Breweries Ltd. signed a three-year $1,780,000 con- tract to sponsor the interactive pro- gramming in Canada. NTNs programming, sold to bars, lounges and other hospitality indus- try outlets, features “QBl,” a system by which players predict I football plays as they watch live telecasts. Game programming is carried on one screen; players also watch a sec- ond screen with NTN programming from its control center at Carlsbad, transmitted to participating estab- lishmen ts by satellite. Teams of players compete for awards. Carlsbad tw ill include Canadians for NTN spokeswoman Jill Pucci said the system, in its first year, is’repre- sented in 14 cities, including La Jolla. The 24-hour NTN programming in- cludes news, weather and sports, participatory Trivia 1 and Trivia Showdown competition and soon will include “Diamond Ball,” an interac- tive baseball competition, she said. Molson will sponsor QBl and Triv- ia programs in Canada under the contract. Pucci said additional US. and Canadian sponsors are expected. Subscribers to the NTN service pay about $10,000 per year and are furnished with a satellite dish, a 25- inch color television set and the play- er-held controllers. More than 250 or- ders for additional installations are , on hand, Pucci said.