CoasterBuzz Podcast #98 posted

Posted | Contributed by Jeff

Jeff, Mike, Greg and Pat review this week's news in the amusement industry.

Morey's upgrading their Hang-n-Bang with a new train. Now with less bang!
Kid contests, adults and the joke that was RollerCoaster Tycoon 3. Gonch picks on 10-year-olds.
Grandma got busted packing heat at the Magic Kingdom. Um, why? Rose McGowan had a machine gun leg in "Planet Terror."
Kennywood gets a new dark ride. You call turkeys, not shoot them at Holiday World.
Kennywood Entertainment purchased by Spanish Parques Reunidos. Discussions ensued about foreign ownership, but as time has passed, perhaps it's almost a non-issue.
A new slide for the water park at Six Flags Over Texas. Too much like the Tornado? Increase in overall capacity?
SeaWorld San Diego boosting line up with Sesame Street attractions. The crew reminisces about growing up on Da Street. An off-topic discussion ensues about No Child Left Behind, education and DVD's.
SeaWorld Orlando temporarily converts simulator to Polar Express attraction. Jeff wasn't that fond of the movie.
Ed Markey's CPSC bill doesn't even make it out of committee. He panders to voters instead of actually getting things done.
Six Flags is getting really stupid about season pass sales again. So much for going in the right direction.
PointBuzz, the unofficial Cedar Point site, was relaunched last weekend and ready to celebrate the site's 10th birthday. The guys recount their early Web exposure.

I always thought that the Sesame Street brand wasn't properly exploited as far as parks go. There's a HUGE market there, and it seems that Busch is sitting on a goldmine. If I ran that company, there'd be a Sesame Place kiddie area in every theme, water, and marine park. (There'd also be a whole lot more Count von Count and Cookie Monster and a lot less Elmo, but I digress.)

I really don't understand the Six Flags pass thing, either. The only thing I can think of, and someone mentioned it I believe, is that they feel the level of customer service and cleanliness is up to a higher standard and they want asses through gates to prove it.

I would like to say that after speaking to park management last week at Lake Compounce when i was there taking pics, I was told that there would be no changes with any of their plans and in fact they would probably be getting more money from the new owners. So it looks like the new ownership is going to be better than the old as far as making investments into their parks.

I really don't see why people are making a stink about the SF pass sale. It was a one day thing. My take is that it makes a great Christmas gift and it puts these sales into the 2007 revenue.

You can kind of compare it to Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving). You find deals on this day that you normally wouldn't find otherwise.

It's a big deal because they're giving it up like cheap whores. That's not in the best interest of the company or its shareholders.

What is wrong with cheap whores? :)

Seriously though, it was a ONE DAY THING. Is it really that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things?

The duration is unimportant if they sell a lot of passes.

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