VF Renegade - Media Day Q:

This is just a question to those who have attended any media day events.

Basically, how does one get to participate? Besides being in the media, I mean. Especially for anything comming up next spring for Renegade at VF.

I have read on other postings about ride expiriences during these events. Who has been to a media day? It doesn't matter which park. I would think it is different for each one. How is someone able to attend one?

Thanks.

Insert annual media day lecture:

Media events are, obviously, for the media. The park invites a group of enthusiasts and friends of the park that they can count on to give glowing reviews, and that's that.

Oh, and they typically involve a whole lot of sitting around.

I like going to media days, because sitting around is a break from every other day.

Who doesn't like sitting around? ?:)

They added some more photos on their official site

Yeah, I think I'm going to Renegade's one if they have one for people at Rideworld.
That'd be fun. I mean, who wouldn't like sitting around at an amusement park?

---

Swoosh said:
It helps to be on a first name basis with the PR department from the park as well.

---

But folks, even though Swoosh may know that person, dont be an enthusiass and start calling up the park asking to be invited. That kind of stuff gives enthusiasts a bad reputation. If you get invited through an organization or somthing, great!

edit: for clarification - the post was not a flame @ Swoosh. *** Edited 10/29/2006 12:21:46 AM UTC by Peabody***

Hows come Josh got invited and I didn't?

No fair!

~Rob "Sorry I don't give a rat's butt about media days" Willi

Unless it gets you on a Wendy's place mat. ;)

I don't think I'd want to be put in a position where I'd potentially have to lie about how great a new ride is. Actually I've done it before for WoF's Mamba. Lucky for me, the ride was running in top form with minimal trims that day so I didn't have to lie. I told the local news it was a great ride as far as steel coasters go, but I still preferred Timber Wolf. :)

I did the Batwing media day. Expect to get up very early in the morning. I believe we had to be there at 5:30 a.m. Naturally, they want the local media to show up to get footage on their morning shows.

You might get an awesome breakfast. You might get to meet a celebrity or two. Expect some riding and some sitting around. They might have to do some tweaking to the ride. We also attended the media press event where the ride was officially introduced by the GM, the PR person and of course, the cape crusader.

Jeff is right about one thing–they are looking for people who are going to be enthusiastic about the ride for interviews. Paul Ruben was there if that gives you any tips. I was one of several people who volunteered to be intereviewed. Hey, at the time it was a really cool ride.

Paul Ruben blackmails parks into these things.
Not a good example

Chuck

Someone said Paul Reuben? That sound we just heard was the can of worms opening ;)

I don't think I'd want to be put in a position where I'd potentially have to lie about how great a new ride is.

Imagine being at Windjammer's media day ;)

LOL...I was at Outer Limits Flight of Fear Media day, I didn't have to lie because I was bleeding from the mouth and wouldn't have been good on the camera.....no kidding :) It was 100 times worse that day than any other time I rode it with OTSRs. (My friend the Navy Seal was lying down after his ride due to the savage beating) I had a similar experience at the Mr. Freeze media day. They offered us to ride it between shootings. Not a single enthusiast took them up on it!

LOL Moosh and Jeff. Wow, that would REALLY suck!

The one time I rode Freeze (SFStL) with the OTSR's, I didn't have a problem with it. Wish I could say the same for Flight of Pain. :(

Honestly, media days are kind of boring. I mean, it's cool to get a couple of rides in on something, but it mostly involves a LOT of sitting around and figuring out how to phrase "a fine addition for the park" without cracking yourself up.

(Or, to put it in perspective, at the Hypersonic media day at PKD, my brother and I rode Hypersonic twice, then spent the rest of the night on Hurler, which was also running and was in fine shape back in those days)

Well, let's see: Hypersonic: Hurry up and wait. Dragster: Hurry up and wait. Phantom's Revenge: Unoffical media day, the ride had already soft-opened 2 days earlier.

So yeah, I'm going to the "wrong" media days, but even if you're at a "good" one, you have to remember that these things are for the park to promo their ride, not for ERT sessions for enthusiasts.

Yeah, but you take what you get invited to.

As someone who's both a member of the media AND a coaster enthusiast, I find it convenient to be invited to these things and not be obligated to say anything nice, or anything at all for that matter. In fact, I'm not allowed by my company to be quoted by other media sources, so I pretty much have to keep my mouth shut.

So, I don't think they're boring at all. I think they're a blast, even if you have to wait around (i.e. four hours at TTD media day for one ride). It's cool to see all the TV cameras going and interviews taking place and radio guys doing live reports as they ride, etc.