This is a new show on CBS, and in this show, you have CEOs go undercover in there own companies to actually see what's going on.

I just watched the Hooters one, and it's really true. These people sit in their office chair, and must just look at numbers, and don't actually visit the businesses they are in charge of. To me, this is really pathetic. If you are in charge, you should go to see many of businesses (Sure, this guy shouldn't visit 400 Hooters in a year, but a number of them, or hire some other people to check on what's going on also besides him.), and see what people are doing.

For Six Flags, sure you see Shapiro visiting the parks, but sometimes he is going to these parks, and there is no one there. I also betcha if he does go, he probably never waits in line for anything, and all the workers have to butter up to him because of who he is. To me, in order to run any of these companies you have to experience the business just as any other person would. Shapiro should be in line at Six Flags Great America (without his henchmen), and listen to the people that are in line at what they are saying, and maybe even ask them how's there day without him saying I'm the CEO of Six Flags.

Than, if the business doesn't need help at all, you leave it alone, but most likely there is going to be something that he should change. Shapiro could easily go undetected in the Six Flags company with the public. He just can't go undetected with the employees, but to me you worry about the public than the employees. You want the public reactions for how things are doing.

I have to say that Mark Shapiro is not the monster that everyone makes him out to be. We went to the same school. I knew him during his ESPN years here and I think you would be shocked to know just how much like us he is. I wouldn't be surprised if he read things on this board or if he was actually a member of this board.
There is no way to please everybody. You can't just install a new elaborate coaster every season. You can't snap your fingers and rectify operational shortfalls. Especially when you are talking about an industry that has part time income and full time overhead. He took over a park that had been used as a tax loss, cash generator and had been neglected for a long time. Now he has to deal with the economic problems of the country and its impact on the leisure industry.
Now it's true I don't pal around with the guy and I don't have any inside influence or knowledge. I don't even think he would know who I was this many years later. But the person I knew (unless he's changed drastically) would want to make the place as perfect as possible for as many people as possible. Sometimes you just can't accomplish all the things you want.
Just think of it this way. If you could build a coaster in your yard for a million bucks and you charged twenty bucks a person for people to ride it and could get twenty people a day to come to your facility every day, it would take you six years just to recover the million dollar investment nevermind utility costs, repairs and maintenance costs and payroll, insurance taxes, etc. Add to that the interest and fee's on the million bucks and you can see just how tough the amusement park business is. It takes a lot of upfront capital spending before you can even make the first dollar of revenue.

To me, the guy has no business being up on top. His business is ESPN which is just owned by Disney, and he wasn't in charge of Disney World or another amusement park. He seems like a marketer to me, and that's what he's doing like anything (bad or good) to these parks.

Sports are very, very different than amusement parks. That's why he's charging so much for parking. He got this from how football, or baseball charges people. There was a time before when I remember baseball games not being that expensive. I haven't looked at prices now, but how much money are you paying to go to an amusement park these days compared to a baseball game. Those players at a baseball game make millions, and millions of dollars each year, and there are so many of them that get paid a lot. At an amusement park, yes they put in a 15 million dollar roller coaster, but that ride might last 20 some years.

Those players are going to get a certain amount of million every single year no matter what. So, parking being higher makes a ton of sense at a baseball game, but not an amusement park. For football, things are higher because you have less games, and those players are still wanting the millions, and millions.

Also, for a concert or theater, that's usually a once a year thing or not again thing. Some concert people don't come back yearly. They will rip people off at the All State Arena because a certain person (singer) comes once a year, and let's say these people only come to the place once a year. You should see the parking price change when they have a Wolves game (because it's more regularly) compared to a concert. It's a dramatic change at the All State Arena. Also, they have had a carnival outside at the All State Arena, and they don't charge parking that day either. At Six Flags, if people are on vacation, they would go most likely more than 1 day.

Think about you sending your kid on a field trip to Six Flags Great America, and they had to spend $12 to go on the roller coasters. The reason is because of something they won, bought, had a backpack, and they couldn't go on the roller coaster because they had to put them in the locker. Would you not be mad (Let's say not being a enthusiast at all, and knowing about this stuff.)?

I absolutlely positively agree that the park doesn't need roller coasters every year. Look at Magic Mountain, and Cedar Point. These parks should be much more high up in the list as most attended parks, but they are kind of low for what they have. Cedar Point has the most roller coasters, and how has it made that park the best park? It hasn't according to attendance. For Cedar Point to me, just because you have the most doesn't mean that all of them are good. Some of them are really old, and they just kept them up because they could with all that land. That park has tons of flats, and tons of roller coasters, but not all of them are good imo. Magic Mountain has roller coasters, but where are the flats?

Not everyone loves roller coasters as a die-hard person, but still would like a thrill. Magic Mountain has been taking out flats, and not been replacing them under Shapiro's rule especially. What is he doing? Well, he's adding more coasters to compete with a park so far away to have the most roller coasters. If those rides are old, and you don't want spend money on maintenance on them, fine take them out, but put more in. Who needs more roller coasters at Magic Mountain? If people aren't satisfied with the amount they had after Tatsu, when are they going to be satisfied.

To me, both these parks should work on their flats, and dark rides (because they have none-dark rides). Technically, Disaster Transport could be called a dark ride because it is in the dark. It's not a good themed one imo, but it is in the dark.

I would be fine with these Six Flags parks getting a big roller coaster every 5 years. Adding another bunch of rides in which they have 3 sections of little kids rides was a stupid idea imo. You also had some of the same exact ride types in multiple places of park. Instead you add a family dark ride like Scooby-Doo or some other character for kids, and other people too.

How does the Magic Kingdom get the most visitors in the world? Look what a huge section of that park is? It's dark rides! People (kids and family) like them a lot, and that's why Six Flags should be spending the money insteads of these little sections of kids rides. A parent with little kids might not go to Great America because carnivals are much cheaper for 1 ticket per ride compared to a great admission. Kiddieland at the time was another option instead of Great America.

If you are going to do Wiggle's, put in a dark ride. If you are going to do Thomas, put in a dark ride. The train is a pretty good idea, but that is the RIDE in that area at Six Flags Magic Mountain, and Six Flags Over Georgia. You have a ONE ride section. Oh okay, they do have a old roller coaster at Magic Mountain they made Percy, and some stupid little water thing. How stupid is that?

That's why I say anyone who cares about the park(s) should make a point to write to the company and express their views.
Most companies do extensive market research when coming up with ideas for capital improvements. They take into consideration competing prices, trends, demographics. The fact that manufacturers offer volume or repeated sales deals on rides also steers the decision making process.
The amusement park business is pretty unique and doesn't offer as much opportunity for ancillary profits like sports does. You have a lot more cash to spend when you have a TV network pouring millions in airing rights, royalty's, etc. into your business.
That's why most parks were just a "loss leader" or interactive advertisement for a larger enterprise. Disney was a movie production studio, Marriot was a hotel chain. If the parks broke even it was a good outcome and if they lost a bit, that was o.k. too because it was written off against the real money maker. When parks became stand alone entities it became an entirely different ballgame.
I suggested several years ago that Great America start a radio station/cable tv channel with the parks themed and licensed products as programming. This would spread the word year round and generate advertising revenue. But now that the economy is in the tank, radio stations are going bust and syndicated TV networks are also struggling. They came up with podcasts as an alternative, but that is a very small niche market.
The only way to make permanent amusement parks profitable now is to make the park a destination. So, a hotel and convention center, retail spaces and year round attractions is the way to go. But they don't have the money for expansion now, so it will be a defining year for this industry. I wouldn't be surprised to see a lot more parks closed and a large consolidation process occur.
I wouldn't be surprised to see SFGA become part of a movie studio or a hotel chain. Making the business come full circle back to its origins.