Mad Money's Jim Cramer Interviews Mark Shapiro

God, I love Mark Shapiro! :)

Check out a video clip of the interview here. (from last night's show)

Good stuff.

I knew I'd be replaced someday....

It's good to hear it from the man himself.

They know it will take time, they acknowledge the problems, and they have reasonable expectations.

I am curious about what deals that have working that they expect to announce soon.

Let the speculation begin.

Mad Money, indeed.

Shapiro knows what it takes to turn the parks around, that's for sure. But so does everyone else, and unfortunately, knowing is only half the battle; turning that ship around is the hard part. And in doing so, it's going to be tricky to draw in families AND keep the teens happy. I've said it before, rides like the Tony Hawk spinners cater to both audiences, but they need to keep adding rides, attractions, and shows like that. Most of the bigger parks have enough coasters (and there's not really anything exciting coming up that Six Flags is going to miss out on, that they haven't already got... well, save for mini-Ka's).

I <3 Jim Cramer... Booyah, baby!

I am just *chock full* of contradictions (a riddle wrapped in an enigma wrapped in a.... wonton wrapper?)...LOL!

Gator, you closet capitalist, you. :)

That's another thing I like about Shapiro, is he gets out of his office and gets known to the public.

^ Of course, John, look where that got Abraham Lincoln. ;)

Wow. I've never heard the man speak. Very aggressive and blunt. I like it. So is it a better idea to sell the parks to clean up the ones they keep? I am kind of new to this whole situation.

As I've said, I'm willing to give the guy a chance, but if they're going to "execute," it has to be at every park, not here and there. The company was already doing that in many cases, where you'd hear glowing reviews at SFGAm and nothing but complaints from SFGAdv.

Think about it. He was on a nationally syndicated television show. What else is Shapiro going to say?

"Yes it sucks, we admit it and we aren't going to do too much about it."

Granted he has a very rah-rah cheerleader style of tone...which plays out well for this host and venue...but actions speak louder than words.

I would LOVE for the chain to be successful and fun again for all ages...but many of last season's early improvements were negated and neglected by the summer's end.

How much more time (and moeny) do we give them? One year...two years?

I think he did say that, just not in those words. He basically said we're going to fix it. By saying they are going to fix it, he is implying it's broken. Shapiro has said several times the brand is damaged beyond what they ever believed before they ever bought the parks. He also said the value of all the land the parks are sitting on is enormous.

More on Cramer:

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/Extra/CramerBetterWithoutBellsAndWhistles.aspx

I havent ever seen Shapiro before and in that picture he looked very young, I always pictured him some old man, but really I think he gave me some hope for Six Flags.

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I havent ever seen Shapiro before and in that picture he looked very young, I always pictured him some old man...

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Shapiro is 35. :)

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More on Cramer

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Oh man that article gives me goosebumps:

"Some businesses are so reprehensible, so impossibly exploitative that they simply must be bought. Okay, that may not sound like sage investment advice, but given the Bush administration's wanton embrace of corporate interests, investing in a portfolio of companies you couldn't stand to work for without having a camp-guard mentality, a collection of stocks so motley in morals on the face of it, might be a solid bet right now. In a country where the top 1% of households controls 57.5% of corporate wealth, if you aren't thinking about ways to profit from our squeezed middle class, if you are still stuck in the mindless chasm of politically correct investing, you could be leaving fortunes on the table."

There simply aren't enough smileys in the world to express my hapiness with Jim Cramer.

The fact that Shapiro is young has always made me wonder. I mean, he's two years older than me. I don't know anyone my age that I'd trust to run a public company. Then again, at age 27, I felt better qualified to run the public company I worked for over a bunch of guys in their 60's. :) I guess it just depends on the situation.

Yeah, but that's exactly what I find interesting. Like you said, he's basically our age. He's a guy that under different life circumstances, could be someone you or I could (in theory) hang out with. Like if one of my buddies happened to have a seven figure job as CEO of a theme park chain. How screwed up is that?

It also means he was even younger when he kicked ass at ESPN.

^Would you rather have the old farts that ran SF into the ground in past years or someone in touch with our generation? I suggest some of you meet and talk to him in person before you pass judgement.

I'm willing to cut Shapiro some slack because he inherited a company in total disarray. It will take time to turn Six Flags around because it was such a mess. However in the interview with Cramer, he basically promised that SF will turn around this year. That sounds like an impossible promise to make, but now he stuck his neck out and promised to deliver. If he doesn't follow through with this promise, he'll find himself in trouble and people will lose all hope for SF.

One good thing about Cramer is he's a passionate Philadelphia Eagles Fan. E-A-G-L-E-S-- EAGLES!